It’s not common to see a 100-point outing in college basketball, even in exhibition matches against lower divisional opposition. It’s even less common to see one team score more than triple the points of the other team.
However, Indiana women’s basketball accomplished both feats Monday night with a commanding victory over Missouri University of Science and Technology 100-32.
For the second year in a row, the Hoosiers picked up a dominant 68-point victory in their lone exhibition game, as Indiana defeated Maryville University 95-27 Oct. 30, 2024, to start the 2024-25 season.
Here are the main takeaways from Monday’s action:
Caffey is the real deal
Heads turned inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall Monday night as true freshman guard Nevaeh Caffey found her name in the Indiana starting lineup.
While head coach Teri Moren heaped praise on Caffey in a press conference Sept. 30, beginning the season in the starting lineup showed a trust Moren holds in Caffey that is rarely seen with true freshmen.
Caffey started off hot, going 3 for 3 from the field until a missed shot just before halftime. In her 23 minutes of action, Caffey contributed 9 points, five assists and two rebounds. Her 23 minutes of action was tied for the most amount of minutes played, alongside senior guard Shay Ciezki and redshirt sophomore guard Lenée Beaumont.
If Caffey continues to play like she did and maintain the trust of coach Moren, her name could be a permanent fixture in the starting lineup.
Socka-Nguemen is a presence... while not in foul trouble
Sophomore forward Zania Socka-Nguemen was a strong force in the paint for the Hoosiers Monday night, playing with her back to goal and initiating contact with strong drives. In 13 minutes of play, Socka-Nguemen collected nine rebounds and two blocks.
However, after committing her fourth foul midway through the third quarter, Socka-Nguemen did not play another minute.
Whilst her physicality against Missouri S&T was beneficial, unnecessary fouls could keep her off the floor if they are not cleaned up heading into the season.
If she can limit the fouls, Socka-Nguemen has the strength to be a game-changer inside the paint for the Hoosiers.
Three is the key
Over half of Indiana’s attempted shots were three-point attempts. The Hoosiers shot 15 for 35 from behind the arc, adding up to be a 42.9% make rate. Overall, Indiana shot 36 for 69 from the field for 52.2%. Comparatively, Missouri S&T shot 18.5% from the field and failed to hit a single three-point shot, going 0 for 13.
Ciezki and sophomore guard Phoenix Stotijn both attempted eight three-point attempts, with sophomore guard Valentyna Kadlecova and freshman forward Maya Makalusky attempting seven and six, respectively.
Ciezki struck 5 from 8 outside the arc, alongside Beaumont hitting both of her attempts. Kadlecova went 3 from 7, respectively.
Especially after Socka-Nguemen found herself in foul trouble, Indiana often chose the outside shot rather than driving inside. This resulted in only 19 free throw attempts for the Hoosiers, one less than Missouri S&T’s 20 attempts.
Indiana’s three-point shot went in early and often this game. However, in games where the shot doesn’t fall in the future, the Hoosiers will have to become much more physical to create points.
Indiana plays its first regular season game against Lipscomb University at 7 p.m. Nov. 4 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. It will also be streamed on Big Ten+.
Follow reporters Savannah Slone (@savrivers06 and srslone@iu.edu) and Max Schneider (maxschn@iu.edu) and columnist Sean McAvoy (@sean_mc07 and semcavoy@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana women’s basketball season.
