Just four days removed from a 109-56 juggernaut win over the University of Evansville, Indiana women's basketball managed another blowout win. This go-around the No. 16 Hoosiers showcased their dominance on the other end of the floor as they smothered Bowling Green State University en route to an 84-35 defensive master class.
An otherwise rumbling Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall fell silent early on, as Bowling Green’s leading scorer senior guard Lexi Fleming went down with an undisclosed injury in the game’s first minute. Fleming left the game and would not return.
“We want to give our thoughts and prayers to Lexi Fleming, she's a terrific talent and you never want to see anything happen like that,” Indiana head coach Teri Moren said postgame. “I think it shook all of us for a minute.”
After play resumed, the Hoosiers put up one of their best defensive performances of the season. Indiana allowed just 6 points in the first quarter, the fewest the Hoosiers have allowed in any quarter this year. The unwavering Indiana defense was a theme throughout the game as Bowling Green finished with more turnovers (19) than made field goals (14).
Senior guard Chloe Moore-McNeil and graduate guard Sara Scalia locked down on the perimeter, finishing the game with three steals apiece. The Hoosier backcourt has had its share of defensive struggles in the early season, most notably giving up 34 points to Maine’s senior guard Anne Simon in a 67-59 win over the Black Bears. Yet those struggles seemed nowhere to be found against Bowling Green, who shot 14-for-60 from the field and 0-for-11 from three.
“I was really proud of the way we guarded,” Moren said. “We really looked like a tough, gritty team today.”
Scalia’s dominant performance didn't just include her defense, as she also led the way for Indiana’s scoring, finishing with a season-high 32 points including an 8-for-11 clip from beyond the arc.
“We have a great shooter,” Moore-McNeil said. “When she's hot like that, you have got to give her the ball.”
The sharpshooting Minnesota transfer is in her second year with the Hoosiers, and she now leads the Big Ten in 3-point efficiency, shooting 47.9% from deep.
“I thought Sara Scalia was super,” Moren said. “She was special. As well as she shot it from beyond the arc, I thought she was just as good defensively.”
The Hoosiers will enter Big Ten play with a nine-game win streak and a 10-1 record, the lone loss coming to No. 9 Stanford University on Nov. 12. Moren hopes the team’s quality performances in the non-conference slate will continue as the Hoosiers’ schedule tightens up in conference play.
“I want more consistency in looking like that defensively,” Moren said. “Especially heading into the Big Ten.”
Indiana will recharge with a week-long holiday break before hosting Illinois on Dec. 31. That game is set to tip-off at 12:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa), columnist Ryan Canfield (@_ryancanfield) and photographer Olivia Bianco (@theoliviabianco) for updates throughout the Indiana women’s basketball season.
