In Indiana head coach Teri Moren’s postgame press conference following the 82-64 victory over Florida Gulf Coast University on Tuesday, she emphasized the need for “everybody” to contribute to the team’s success.
Up to that point, Indiana’s bench was averaging 11 points per game, one of the worst averages in all of Division I.
One bench player seemingly took that to heart against Gonzaga on Friday, as freshman forward Maya Makalusky put together a breakout performance to help the Hoosiers to a 76-72 victory over the Bulldogs on Friday at the Alico Arena in Fort Myers, Florida.
Through the first six regular season games, Makalusky averaged 2.3 points per game and scored 14 combined points. She was held scoreless in three different games.
Against Gonzaga, however, Makalusky notched 10 points. She nearly matched her points tally for the season and was just one point shy of matching Indiana’s season average in bench points.
Makalusky shot four for eight from the field and was one for five from beyond the arc. That one 3-pointer had a large impact, however, as it gave the Hoosiers a 71-67 lead with 1:28 left in the fourth quarter.
Makalusky also logged six rebounds in her 20 minutes played, three of which came on the offensive glass. The freshman had a crucial late offensive rebound, pulling down her own missed shot and putting it back in to give Indiana a 73-69 lead with 27 seconds remaining.
“I thought she was physical, I thought she played with an extra edge, with toughness,” Moren said postgame.
Rebounding has been a major focus point for Makalusky in practice. She’s always training to be more physical inside the paint.
“Rebounding is something that I’ve really been trying to focus on,” Makalusky said postgame. “I just so happened to be in the right spot at the right time and was able to put back the ball.”
Makalusky was a highly touted four-star recruit in the class of 2025, finishing 35th in the 2025 SportsCenter NEXT 100 with a grade of 95. The Hamilton Southeastern High School graduate was the No. 1 recruit out of Indiana in 2025 and came to Bloomington as a fluid shooter, according to 247 Sports.
However, Makalusky has struggled from 3-point range to start the season, going two for 18. Despite shooting 11.1% from range, the freshman has found success inside. This success has earned her double-digit minutes in all but one game against Florida State University on Nov. 16. Against Gonzaga, she earned a season-high 20 minutes.
Moren’s confidence in Makalusky was evident as the freshman played in the close game with less than two minutes remaining.
“Maya showed great promise today,” Moren said. “If she can give us that night in and night out, that only helps us. So, I hope games like this for some of these kids, especially like a Maya tonight, can give her great confidence that this is what I’m talking about when I say, ‘we need everybody.’”
So far this season, Makalusky has not been the freshman to start on the team. Freshman guard Nevaeh Caffey was named a starter from the jump and has held that role throughout.
Makalusky, however, logged more minutes against Gonzaga than starting sophomore guard Valentyna Kadlecova. If Makalusky can continue tonight’s performance into Indiana’s following games, then the Hoosiers could have a second freshman starting sooner rather than later.
“It means a lot, especially coming in as a freshman,” Makalusky said. “I’ve just been really trying to do my role the best at my capacity and getting those reps in practice, making sure that I’m doing what my teammates need me to do in order to win.”
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.
