No. 14 Indiana women’s basketball was back in action Thursday against Michigan in its third Big Ten game of the season.
This was one of the games the entire Big Ten landscape had circled on their calendars when the schedules were announced. The Hoosiers came to play, earning an 80-59 victory.
“I think a big thing was we got our shooters going in the first quarter there, Syd hit a couple, it opened it up for me and obviously Mack is good down low,” fifth-year guard Sara Scalia said.
Here are three factors that led the Hoosiers to their third conference win in dominant fashion:.
Parrish leads Hoosiers with 14 points in team’s perfect first quarter
Media, fans and viewers all know that this Indiana team is capable of shooting well, but 15 shots in a row? That is quite an impressive stat. Indiana didn’t take no for an answer from the field in the first quarter, but that totally slipped the mind of Moren.
“I had no idea that we were perfect, until I got to see it,” Moren said postgame. “I wasn’t paying attention to that. I really wasn’t paying attention to that.”
It was the Sydney Parrish show in the first frame as the senior guard hit all five of her attempted field goals which included three from beyond the arc, totaling 14 first quarter points.
“It was really fun to watch Syd get going the way she got going,” Moren said.
This performance is huge for a player like Parrish who has really critiqued her game this season. If Indiana wants a sure-fire chance at both Big Ten championships this season, they’ll need more of this from the senior.
The Hoosiers continue to share the ball effectively, collecting 17 assists
The key to Indiana’s offensive successes is all about ball movement. Whether it is multiple passes around the perimeter leading to an entry pass or a 3-pointer, Indiana will always find an open player to lead into an efficient shot.
Scalia is one example of a player sharing the ball at a high level, posting six dimes in Thursday’s matchup. Two of those assists were fastballs, finding Parrish for big 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions. Parrish was the Hoosiers’ second leading assister against Michigan with five.
These two performances really hold true to the idea of Indiana has several viable offensive weapons.
“One of the common denominators for us is we have different people who show up,” Moren said.
Indiana prevails on defense, allowing only one 3-pointer to the Wolverines
Indiana’s defense has been up and down so far this season, and Moren has been very upfront about the effectiveness and weakness of the unit. But tonight, the defense showed another stride in the right direction, whether it’s one-on-one guarding or forcing bad shots. One area where the Hoosiers excelled was rebounding. The Wolverines came into Thursday’s matchup as one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the conference, but the Hoosiers allowed 10 and allowed the same amount of second chance points.
Michigan’s biggest scoring threat, junior guard Laila Phelia, totaled 23 points, but the combination of complimentary offense and holding Michigan to only one 3-pointer on nine attempts kept Phelia from being a real threat thursday.
“It was more about our players executing the game plan,” Moren said in response to keeping the Wolverines from being effective from three.
Next up for the Hoosiers is a road test against Nebraska at 2 p.m. Sunday. It will be the first road game for Indiana since Dec. 9 against Rutgers.The contest will be televised 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.
