Only down 1 point with a few ticks remaining in the second quarter, Penn State’s offense stalled. Sophomore forward Anna Camden was searching for a teammate to pass to but decided to take, and hit, a fadeaway near the free-throw line Wednesday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
IU didn’t guard horribly on the possession but it wasn’t up to their expectations. That was the overwhelming theme throughout the first half as the Hoosiers trailed 40-39 in the first 20 minutes of action – only the third time they’ve allowed 40 in the first half all season.
“We pride ourselves on defense so whenever somebody is shooting 50% from the field in a half, we take that personally,” junior guard Grace Berger said after the game.
There was a visible burst of energy from the Hoosiers out of the locker room for the second half, specifically on the defensive end. They forced six turnovers and didn’t allow a Lady Lion bucket until five minutes into the third quarter. IU held onto its momentum the rest of the way as the team defeated Penn State 90-65 Wednesday afternoon.
In their last game against Wisconsin, the Lady Lions took great care of the ball – assisting on 26 buckets and only turning it over three times. Wednesday, they were limited to only 11 assists and gave the ball up 19 times.
A main source of the IU’s defensive disruptions came off the bench from senior guard Keyanna Warthen. She knocked down both of her 3-point attempts, but that’s not what stood out most to head coach Teri Moren.
“I thought that [Warthen] impacted the game defensively for us and we needed somebody to ignite that,” Moren said.
Each time she entered the game, Warthen was tasked with guarding the opposing point guard the full 94 feet. Although she didn’t register any steals, her effort forced Penn State to initiate its offense with limited time left on the shot clock.
IU is no stranger to a defensive boost in the second half.
In three of the team’s past four victories, one at Northwestern, another against Michigan State and yesterday against Penn State, IU’s second-half defense stifled the opposition. In the three games combined, the team limited its opponents to an average of 22 points in the second half compared to allowing 34 in the first half. Their communication on ball screens improved while also guarding tightly one-on-one.
“We’re a veteran team and we’re mature,” sophomore forward Mackenzie Holmes said after the game. “When we have a bad half like that, I think we already know coming into halftime what we need to work on.”
Now, where IU can seriously progress is coming out of the gate with fierce energy instead of waiting for a halftime speech. Moren even joked after the game with the coaching staff that how the Hoosiers were playing, it seemed like the team thought the game started at 4 p.m. instead of 3 p.m.
With only six games remaining in the regular season, every game matters if the Hoosiers want to compete for the Big Ten regular season title. IU is second in the conference at 10-2 with matchups against Iowa, Michigan and Ohio State looming.
Moren said she’s hopeful the Hoosiers can start games quicker, but is grateful regardless that they are ready to listen.
“They’re listening to the message at halftime,” Moren said. “They’re checking themselves individually and they’re checking themselves as a team.”
