Once Wisconsin inbounded the ball after an IU bucket, senior guard Nicole Cardaño-Hillary went to work.
She entered her defensive stance, cautiously pressured the point guard in the backcourt and forced the Badgers to protect the ball. Most of the time, the opponent prevailed and a couple-second delay to their offensive set was the only result. But once in a while, she created chaos.
Cardaño-Hillary pounced and forced a turnover that she converted for an easy transition layup halfway through the second quarter. The Hoosier bench erupted, applauding the extra effort that head coach Teri Moren assigned to the point guard.
It was the first time she registered a steal on the statsheet, but it sure wasn’t the first time she affected the Badgers' offense.
“Wisconsin was handing off who was bringing the ball up the floor,” Moren said. “That’s how uncomfortable she made them.”
Defensive intensity navigated No. 11 IU women’s basketball to a 77-49 victory over Wisconsin on Wednesday. The Hoosiers improved to 9-0 while holding their opponents under 60 points. Coincidentally, they average 60 points allowed per game, second-best in the Big Ten.
Full-court pressure only works when all four teammates are prepared to rotate over and help. If Cardaño-Hillary gambles and gets beat, the heads of both guards and forwards need to be on swivels to stop the ball. Credit IU’s preparation because Wisconsin was never able to score off it.
“We were all in each other's gaps which especially helped me getting up and pressuring them,” Cardaño-Hillary said.
The persistence to constantly bother Wisconsin’s ball handlers set an aggressive tone on defense for IU that was kept throughout the game.
Although pressure starts each possession, dialed-in defense is required to finish it. An appreciated aspect in that regard is the presence of sophomore forward Mackenzie Holmes. The 6-foot-3 rim protector piled on five more blocks against Wisconsin. Before the game, she was 14th in the nation averaging 2.78 blocks per game.
Holmes has proven to be a reliable defender when opponents post up against her. She has frustrated some of the league’s best bigs this season, including Michigan’s Naz Hillmon and Iowa’s Monika Czinano.
But what Moren finds most valuable is Holmes’ knack of knowing when to help.
“That certainly helps your second, third line of defense when you have a kid like her that can rotate over and alter and block shots,” Moren said.
Something that IU has really improved over the past couple games is toughness. It was the key to beating a really physical Michigan team last weekend, and it was important in Wednesday’s victory as well.
[Related: IU women’s basketball edges No. 11 Michigan 70-65 for fifth straight win]
The Hoosiers outrebounded the Badgers 50-22, including snatching 18 offensive boards. The results won’t be as lopsided against better competition, but the effort cannot leave. Gaining control of 50/50 balls can lead to run outs and allow IU to compete at the quick pace they prefer.
Today’s win keeps IU in second place in the Big Ten with a 13-2 conference record. They will play three more games before the Big Ten tournament, starting with a trip to Columbus, Ohio, to square off against No. 15 Ohio State on Saturday.
Each remaining game is meaningful, and every player on the roster must be ready to make an impact.
With 2 minutes remaining and the game out of reach, senior guard Keyanna Warthen was tasked with the same job Cardaño-Hillary was assigned earlier – pressure Wisconsin’s point guard the entire way down.
The Hoosiers forced a turnover in the backcourt and Warthen laid in the easy deuce for 2 of her 8 points. The starters she applauded earlier in the game from the sidelines cheered for her late-game efforts.
“Having all that energy creates a good atmosphere,” Cardaño-Hillary said. “Smiling and laughing is all we want to do...and win.”
