Entering Tuesday’s game against Marshall University, Indiana women’s basketball ranked last in the Big Ten for bench scoring, per CBB Analytics. The Hoosier reserves combined for 20 points in their first two games.
The lack of production didn’t improve in Indiana’s 57-51 victory over the Thundering Herd, as the three bench options combined for 8 points on 2-of-10 shooting from the field.
The good news: Indiana passed Ohio State in bench points this season. The bad news: the Buckeyes have only played one game.
If you’re looking at the box score for Ohio State’s 88-59 blowout win on Nov. 9 against Coppin State University, the Buckeyes’ bench pieces combined for 77 minutes on the court — just a little more than the 38 minutes the Hoosiers’ options had tonight.
However, Indiana had a game where head coach Teri Moren emptied the bench onto the court — albeit late into the fourth quarter — Nov. 4, against Lipscomb University. The Hoosiers’ six non-starters played a combined 64 minutes.
So that means more points. Right?
Not so fast, my friend. The Hoosiers had 14 total bench points and shot 6-of-17 from the field. That’s a whopping 35.3%, far worse than Indiana’s team totals of 50%, 46.7% and 40.8% through game three this season.
Moren only utilized three options off the bench Tuesday: sophomore guard Phoenix Stotijn, freshman forward Maya Makalusky and junior forward Edessa Noyan.
Let’s start with Noyan. It was a smaller contribution tonight for the University of Virginia transfer, as she finished with 3 points, on 1-of-3 shooting, and six rebounds. It was almost even in terms of minutes for Noyan between the two halves — seven in the first, six in the second — but Noyan didn’t attempt a shot in the third and fourth quarters.
“She had a good first half,” Moren said postgame. “I thought the second half probably wasn’t as effective.”
Along with the lack of shooting, the 6-foot-3 Noyan picked up two fouls in a 17-second period during the fourth quarter. Both came off the ball on the defensive end when Noyan was trying to be aggressive with an offensive player in the paint.
“In this league, you have to have some moxie,” Moren said postgame. “You have to have some toughness. You have to be physical, and you have to embrace that.”
Noyan was brought in to play backup post minutes behind sophomore forward Zania Socka-Nguemen — who finished the game with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Through three games this season, the difference between the two has been apparent.
Socka-Nguemen is averaging 17 points and 9.7 rebounds in 28.3 minutes per game. On the other hand, Noyan has averaged 1.7 points and 4.3 rebounds in 11.7 minutes per game. Backup post minutes will be crucial for Noyan, as it looks like she has secured her spot in the rotation — sophomore forward Faith Wiseman has only played four minutes — but that can change in the future.
Makalusky also played 13 minutes Tuesday for the Hoosiers. She finished the contest 0-of-3 from the floor, only scoring 3 points off free throws. All three of her shots came from beyond the 3-point arc, a shot she excelled at in high school.
She finished her senior season at Hamilton Southeastern High School in Fishers, Indiana, shooting 49% from the field and 40% from 3.
That hasn’t translated into the start of her collegiate career. Makalusky has begun the season 2-of-11 from the floor and 0 of 9 on her 3-point attempts. It might be a lack of confidence for Makalusky, but the performances have been disappointing for a player who could’ve been a starter from the first tip-off this season.
“Not that she won’t be ready,” Moren said postgame after Indiana’s 100-32 exhibition win over the Missouri University of Science and Technology Oct. 27. “She’s a freshman, and we just felt like (Valentyna Kadlecova), because she had been in our system, because she gave us comfort in terms of how we do things.”
Kadlecova hasn’t been perfect to start the season. The sophomore guard is averaging 6 points and 23.7 minutes per game, while only shooting 7-of-22 from the field, including a 3-of-11 performance Tuesday. If Makalusky settles in, she could be a key piece for the Hoosiers, off the bench or starting.
Finally, it’s Stotijn’s time in the spotlight, which was only for 13 minutes Tuesday. During her time on Branch McCracken Court, the 5-foot-9 Stotijn produced four shots — only one of which went in the cylinder — and one rebound.
Maybe it’s a lack of confidence from Moren, but Stotijn played her fewest minutes in a game this season. It wasn’t someone further down the bench that took them, but senior guard Shay Ciezki, who played all 40 minutes.
Ciezki has started the season on fire, so the playing time is warranted, but she will have to come off the floor at some point this season. The 5-foot-7 Ciezki had her worst scoring performance of the season — 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting — and the Hoosiers had their closest game of the season.
Coincidence? I think not.
The biggest problem for Stotijn was the four turnovers — each coming in a different quarter. Yes, Marshall pressed Indiana all game and broke out into a zone, but for a player who competed in 21 games for the University of Arkansas last season, it shouldn’t make that big of a difference.
“There's some growing pains that we're going to have to live through,” Moren said postgame. “Tonight's one of those nights where we just have to ... continue to help them grow as a basketball team.”
Tuesday was Indiana’s closest result this season, something that the Hoosiers will need to bounce back from if they want to win against Florida State University on Sunday. It’s the first high-major test of the season, and Indiana fans will want to see those growing pains erased by game time.
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.
