Entering Sunday’s matchup against Iowa, IU faced its first major twist to its roster this season. Senior guard Jaelynn Penn chose to opt-out for the remainder of the season, according to a release sent by the IU women’s basketball program an hour before tip. The release was not clear on why Penn decided to opt-out.
The Louisville, Kentucky, native had been a consistent competitor for the Hoosiers, scoring more than 1,300 points in her career as a four-year starter, while often tasked with guarding the opponent’s top guard.
No individual on IU’s team will fully replace the talent and experience Penn brought, but senior guard Nicole Cardaño-Hillary can provide a similar, yet distinct spark. She finished with 17 points and a team-high plus/minus of plus-17 to guide the Hoosiers to a 85-72 road victory over Iowa on Sunday.
“She fits so well into what we try to do – push the ball, play great defense and I think she stepped up huge today,” sophomore forward Mackenzie Holmes said.
After starting three years at George Mason University and four games this year when Penn was sidelined with an ankle injury, Cardaño-Hillary is qualified for a bigger role. She’s a confident driver and shooter and an experienced ball-handler for sets with senior guard Ali Patberg off the ball.
Some games, Cardaño-Hillary’s most valuable asset will be in the role of a passer because Holmes, Patberg and junior guard Grace Berger have proven they can carry the scoring load. It’s likely there will be games she is the team’s top scorer, but she won’t need to lead the team in points every time out.
The coaching staff will require defensive intensity in every game. Moren said earlier this season the key for more playing time for Cardaño-Hillary was perfecting her defense in the Hoosiers’ scheme – which, as a transfer, is no shock.
Now, it feels like she has caught up to speed. Cardaño-Hillary held her ground when she had to guard Iowa’s best guard, freshman Caitlin Clark, in Sunday’s second quarter.
“We felt like Nikki did a great job of keeping (Clark) at bay,” Moren said “Just staying underneath her and staying pesky with her throughout the entire game.”
[Related: IU women’s basketball had something Iowa didn’t: offensive teamwork]
Although she scored 30 points, Clark shot under 50% from the floor and turned the ball over six times.
With Penn’s defensive energy gone, more players than just Cardaño-Hillary will need to chip in to help. Holmes has been a rock in this regard, and she has established herself as an elite rim protector this year.
Holmes ranks second in the Big Ten averaging three blocks per game. She added four more on Sunday, rejecting both post players going against her as well as guards attempting to attack on the bounce.
“People don’t realize how long (Holmes) is,” Moren said. “Her timing and anticipation – she’s really gifted.”
IU needed a win to keep pace in the Big Ten, and they had to do it without Penn against a good team at an arena they hadn’t won at since 1994.
Steered by the instilled confidence of Cardaño-Hillary, the Hoosiers got the job done.
“It took all of us today and that’s what we wanted our response to be,” Moren said. “That’s what I’m most proud of.”
