COLUMBIA, S.C. — Indiana women’s basketball’s main scoring attack is its ability to score from 3-point range.
The Hoosiers ranked third in the Big Ten in 3-point percentage this season, shooting 36.5% from beyond the arc. They rely on their shooters, like junior guard Yarden Garzon, to drain shots from long range.
When Indiana creates a scoring attack from the 3-point line, it has cruised to victories — like against then-No. 8 Ohio State on Feb. 20, when the Hoosiers shot 52.9% from beyond the arc and beat the Buckeyes by 10 points. But when Indiana doesn’t shoot well from long range, it has struggled to win games. It suffered a 7-point loss to Oregon on Jan. 24 when the Hoosiers shot just 22.2% from the 3-point line.
And against the No. 8-seeded University of Utah on Friday, Indiana struggled to get shots off from beyond the arc. And when it did, seldom did the shots fall. The Hoosiers made just five 3-pointers as they shot 29.4% from 3-point range.
But the low shooting percentage didn’t faze Indiana. The Hoosiers found other ways to get their offense to score en route to their 76-68 victory over the Utes in the NCAA Tournament Round of 64 at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina.
Instead of having just one area of attack, the Hoosiers went at the Utes with a balanced offense, as five of the eight Hoosiers who saw time on the hardwood scored in double figures.
Garzon and fellow junior guard Shay Ciezki led the efforts as they scored 17 and 16 points, respectively. Garzon snagged seven rebounds while each notched three assists.
Both Ciezki and Garzon played a key role in the Hoosiers generating a fast-paced offense that could score in transition — which also helped combat the poor performance from the 3-point line.
“Really happy with our guard play,” Indiana head coach Teri Moren said postgame. “I thought Chloe (Moore-McNeil) and Shay and Yarden were, once again, terrific in being able to help us play fast and play organized.”
Graduate student guard Moore-McNeil was another Hoosier in double-digit scoring against the Utes. She scored 12 points with five rebounds and a game-high eight assists. Her ability to facilitate the basketball to her teammates was important in allowing the Hoosiers to be balanced offensively.
And it wasn’t just the guard play that impressed Moren, but the performance from her forwards: senior Karoline Striplin and junior Lilly Meister. The duo added 10 and 11 points, respectively. Meister went 5-for-5 shooting off the bench for Indiana, which was highlighted by a 4 for 4 performance in the first quarter alone.
“(Meister) and Strip did such a great job of being there for one another,” Moren said. “When Strip went out, Lilly impacted the game; and then when Lilly went out, Strip did the same.”
The two took advantage of wide-open layups and looks from the midrange to help Indiana’s offense without its biggest weapon.
The win over Utah proved the Hoosiers can create success without 3-point shooting, which it might have to do again Sunday when they take on No. 1-seeded University of South Carolina in the Round of 32.
And Moren acknowledged that after the contest with the Utes.
“It takes everybody,” Moren said. “And our group knows that.”
While Indiana struggled early in the season to find a balanced offense, it has come together in the later parts of the Hoosiers’ season. Moore-McNeil attributed it to an improved team chemistry. With key players leaving and transfers coming into the program, it’s taken time for Indiana to mesh.
And with its season on the line, the Hoosiers may need to continue to find that rhythm with each other against the Gamecocks, who have held their opponents to an average of just 29% shooting from 3-point range and 5.2 3-pointers per game — a stat similar to the Hoosiers showing Friday.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and Savannah Slone (@savrivers06) and columnist Ryan Canfield (@RyanCanfieldOnX) for updates throughout the Indiana women’s basketball season.
