Indiana women’s basketball played its first ranked opponent of the season Sunday at the 2025 GEICO Coconut Hoops tournament. The Hoosiers took on No. 10 Iowa State University with their perfect record on the line.
Despite keeping the contest close throughout the first two and a half quarters, Indiana faltered late and suffered a 106-95 loss to the Cyclones on Sunday at Alico Arena in Fort Myers, Florida. Senior guard Shay Ciezki led the Hoosiers in scoring with 38 points.
Junior forward Edessa Noyan started in place of sophomore forward Zania Socka-Nguemen — who was listed as questionable ahead of the contest — for the Hoosiers. Socka-Nguemen sat on Indiana’s bench, not wearing her uniform. Noyan tallied eight points and eight rebounds in 26 minutes. Sophomore forward Faith Wiseman and junior forward Jade Ondineme combined for one point and four rebounds in Socka-Nguemen's absence.
After Iowa State won the tipoff, junior center Audi Crooks opened scoring with a layup for the Cyclones. After a missed basket from Ciezki and turnovers from both teams, Crooks recorded another layup for a 4-0 lead.
While Indiana tied the contest at eight with back-to-back scores from Ciezki, Iowa State eventually held a six-point advantage with just under five minutes to play in the first quarter.
The Hoosiers knotted the game at 22 with one minute remaining in the first period with a bucket from redshirt sophomore guard Lenée Beaumont. Iowa State junior guard Jada Williams scored a basket, but Ciezki, who had 13 points in the first frame, made two free throws to once again tie the game at 24 headed into the second quarter.
Two free throws from Shay Ciezki gave Indiana a three-point lead just over three minutes into the second quarter. However, Iowa State went on a 7-0 run to take a four-point advantage of its own with just under five minutes to play in the first half.
A basket from Beaumont tied the contest at 43 with just 40 seconds remaining in the second period, but a 3-pointer from Iowa State redshirt junior guard Kenzie Hare gave the Cyclones a three-point lead headed into halftime.
The back-and-forth play resumed into the second half as Indiana and Iowa State continued to trade baskets. The Hoosiers took their first lead since midway through the second quarter with two free throws from Ciezki about three and a half minutes into the third period.
However, the Cyclones responded with a 9-0 run about halfway through the third quarter to regain their lead. Iowa State eventually pulled nine points ahead of the Hoosiers in the third frame and held a 75-68 lead over Indiana ahead of the fourth quarter.
Iowa State continued its dominance throughout the final frame. The Hoosiers recorded their first loss of the season with the 11-point defeat to the Cyclones. Crooks recorded a game-high 47 points Sunday, adding four rebounds and two assists.
The Hoosiers return home to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington for a matchup against Western Michigan University on Wednesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will stream 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.
