Throughout the fourth quarter of Indiana women’s basketball’s contest with Ohio State, the Hoosiers held a commanding lead over the Buckeyes but lacked their final exclamation mark on the game.
Ohio State’s press was continuing to smuggle the Hoosiers offensive efforts in the fourth quarter, forcing them to make uncomfortable decisions which led to turnovers for Indiana.
But with just over two minutes remaining in the contest, junior guard Yarden Garzon found junior guard Lexus Bargesser for an open pass, which she drove to the basket with. Bargesser kicked the ball out to graduate student Sydney Parrish who made a quick pass to wide-open Garzon at the top of the key.
Garzon took a step toward the 3-point line before she pulled the trigger and drained a 3-point basket.
The Hoosier faithful inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall rose to their feet to applaud the Ra’anana, Israel, native as “Shalosh Garzon” rang from the speakers.
The players on Indiana’s bench sprung from their seats before the ball left Garzon’s hands — they knew she would make the clutch shot.
After her shot fell, a stone-faced Garzon strode back down the court, arms raised in celebration while senior forward Karoline Striplin added a fist pump as she jogged beside Garzon.
The 3-pointers gave Indiana a 17-point lead and forced Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff to call a timeout. As Garzon made her way past the Buckeyes’ bench, she gave them a subtle wave — a small reminder her basket stifled any hope for an eventual comeback that may have remained for Ohio State.
Indiana ultimately defeated No. 8 Ohio State 71-61 Thursday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall for its first ranked win since it defeated then-No. 23 Iowa on Jan. 12. Garzon, Parrish and junior guard Shay Ciezki led the Hoosiers with 16 points each. Garzon also added 11 rebounds for her third double-double of the season.
“I mean I believe she has an impact every single game,” Ciezki said of Garzon after the win. “She’s like our silent killer out there. She helps us in so many ways. That big three at the end — that was a dagger for us.”
And while Garzon’s quiet, composed demeanor can overshadow her influence during games, the weight she holds cannot go unnoticed. The Hoosiers’ three-game losing skid — with losses to Illinois, No. 4 USC and Oregon — correlated directly with a three-game stretch in which Garzon struggled to find her rhythm. She scored just one basket against Illinois on Jan. 16 and went 3 for 17 and 4 for 14 from the field against USC and Oregon, respectively.
That trend continued when the Hoosiers fell to Minnesota on Feb. 9 and Michigan on Feb. 12 on the road. Garzon scored 6 points against the Golden Gophers and just 2 points against the Wolverines.
After the rough stretch of games in January and the pair of games in February, Garzon is starting to find her form again, just in time for Indiana to make a push toward the postseason.
Moren said she noticed Garzon starting to do more of the things she does well during the Hoosiers win over Purdue on Sunday.
“We saw her be more aggressive than we had seen her,” Moren said of Garzon’s performance over the past two games. “It wasn't the same at Michigan. It wasn't the same at Minnesota. So again, been watching film with her and just trying to instill, like, we need you to be aggressive. I thought she was against Purdue, and I thought it kind of bled into tonight, her being aggressive, trying to get to the rim, but also finding her shots outside the arc as well.”
And while Garzon shows little emotion while she’s on the floor, her competitive nature can be seen through the aggressiveness Moren referred to. From pregame warmups to when the final buzzer sounds as the end of the game, Garzon is focused and her even-keeled demeanor doesn’t change. She fights for loose balls, drives toward the basket and continues to shoot the ball — even when it’s not falling.
“She’s a very serious competitor,” Moren said. “She wants to win, and she wants to contribute and do what she has to do to help her team.
Garzon’s aggression bled into the rest of her teammates throughout Thursday’s matchup with a strong Ohio State press, which lasted for much of the contest.
“We were the aggressors tonight,” Parrish said.
Indiana found a way to fight around a defense in which its opponents rack up over 23 turnovers a game to control the contest until it was over.
And the Hoosiers will need to continue their toughness as the win over Ohio State marked the first game of a three-game stretch against ranked opponents — No. 22 Michigan State on Feb. 23 and No. 21 Maryland on Feb. 27.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and Savannah Slone (@savrivers06) and columnist Ryan Canfield (@RyanCanfieldOnX) for updates throughout the Indiana women’s basketball season.
