Indiana women’s basketball returned to the hardwood Thursday for a matchup with Rutgers. Despite some offensive struggles in the first half, the Hoosiers cruised to a 81-60 victory inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
The Cream and Crimson are now on a three-game winning streak, which was proceeded by a three-game losing streak, and sit at 15-7 overall and 7-4 in conference play.
The Hoosiers jumped out to an early 14-8 lead at the end of the opening quarter thanks in large part to graduate student guard Sydney Parrish, who scored 7 points during the period.
Indiana’s offensive attack slightly ramped up in the second quarter, notching 18 points to take an 11-point lead into halftime. At the break, Parrish led all scorers with 11 points while Rutgers freshman guard Kiyomi McMiller had 10.
With a double-digit lead already in hand, the Hoosiers turned in their best quarter performance in the third.
Graduate student guard Chloe Moore-McNeil notched back-to-back 3-pointers before junior guard Shay Ciezki did the same. Junior guard Yarden Garzon drilled a long ball before Parrish hit three in a row.
Ciezki added another 3 with just over a minute left in the quarter, and, with just two seconds left in the period, junior guard Henna Sandvik did the same. The Hoosiers scored a season-high 36 points in the quarter.
In total, the Cream and Crimson combined to notch 10 3-pointers during the period — nearly three more than the 7.7 they average per game.
With a 28-point lead heading into the final quarter, the Hoosiers maintained their healthy lead even with reserves such as freshman forward Faith Wiseman and freshman guard Valentyna Kadlecova on the floor.
Rutgers senior forward Destiny Adams led all scorers with 24 points while Parrish led the Hoosiers with 22. Ciezki scored 16 points while Garzon added 14.
The Hoosiers have three days until their next matchup, which is slated for 3 p.m. Feb. 9 against Minnesota at Williams Arena in Minneapolis. The contest will stream on Big Ten+.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and Savannah Slone (@savrivers06) and columnist Ryan Canfield (@RyanCanfieldOnX) for updates throughout the Indiana women’s basketball season.
