The calendar has turned to March and for Indiana women’s basketball, it’s time to show its true colors at the Big Ten Tournament.
A loss in the No. 8 versus No. 9 game against Oregon would’ve set Indiana back toward the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble. However, a win would have given the Hoosiers a sure-fire chance at appearing in the Big Dance.
Indiana did its job, playing a complete game against Oregon at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, winning 78-62 on Thursday.
The Hoosiers previously fell victim to the Ducks on Jan. 24 in Eugene, Oregon, after squandering a double-digit lead at Matthew Knight Arena. Indiana head coach Teri Moren said postgame that the loss could potentially be partially attributed to West Coast travel.
But luckily for Indiana, the Ducks — plus whoever else the Hoosiers play this weekend — will have to deal with Hoosier Nation over its shoulder.
The Hoosiers are the closest Big Ten team to Indianapolis in terms of travel as it’s just an hour from home. Their fans recognized that they needed a win Thursday and showed up in a big way.
Moren said after many of the Hoosiers’ road losses this season that her team needs to bring the same intensity as if it were playing in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. On Thursday, the fans brought the energy that exists in Assembly Hall with them, drowning out the few Oregon fans in attendance.
“Some might say that this is a home game for us, because of our fans,” Moren said. “But defensively, your defense needs to travel and your offensive execution needs to travel.”
The Hoosiers came out to a meteoric start in the first quarter, opening the game on a 20-7 run. Junior guard Shay Ciezki led her squad in the period as she had 11 points in the quarter and 17 total in the game.
Ciezki’s contribution for Indiana was the X-factor in the game Thursday. Last time out against the Ducks, Ciezki had zero points. Her ability to assist and space the floor opened the game up for Indiana offensively.
Indiana can seemingly always count on a great performance from fellow junior guard Yarden Garzon, however much like Ciezki, Garzon also struggled against Oregon in the first matchup, producing only 8 points. On Thursday, Garzon had 18 points with four 3-pointers.
In the first half, Indiana was tremendous from the floor, hitting six 3-pointers on 51% field goal shooting.
While the Hoosiers did benefit mightily from their fans showing up and making their presence felt, they also executed early Thursday.
Oregon’s first offensive possession ended with a travel, which was caused by the hard-nosed Hoosiers’ defense. Indiana was making shots, playing great defense and only turned the ball over 12 times. It capitalized on Oregon turnovers with 20 points off the Ducks’ miscues.
Next up for Indiana is USC, the current No. 2 team in the country. In the first meeting between the two, Indiana had its chances to take down the Trojans, but fell 73-66. If a couple baskets went Indiana’s way in the regular season matchup, Indiana could have been the victor.
However, for Moren and company, Indiana will again face the Trojans in an environment it clearly feels very comfortable in.
“(There is) a lot of motivation,” Ciezki said postgame. “We are underdogs, we were the underdogs today and the same thing goes for tomorrow. We’re just going to be locked in like we were today, and gameplan. We have a whole day and night to get our heads wrapped around USC.”
Indiana knows what it has to do to defeat the Trojans, it just has to go out and execute defensively against the recently minted Big Ten Player of the Year in USC sophomore guard JuJu Watkins.
If the Hoosiers play with the same energy they did Thursday, they will have a chance to eliminate the regular season champions and also get closer to a championship of their own.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and Savannah Slone (@savrivers06) and columnist Ryan Canfield (@RyanCanfieldOnX) for updates throughout the Indiana women’s basketball season.
