Following two straight wins to open its regular season, Indiana women’s basketball looks toward Marshall University for its first 3-0 start in the last two seasons.
The Hoosiers defeated Lipscomb University and the University of Illinois Chicago on Nov. 4 and Nov. 7, respectively. In the win over Lipscomb, Indiana largely cruised its way to an 80-46 victory, with a 25-12 lead in the first quarter.
It was completely different from the Hoosiers’ win over the Flames. UIC took an early halftime lead over Indiana, as the Hoosiers struggled to score and contain the Flames defensively. However, out of halftime, Indiana senior guard Shay Ciezki scored 25 points in the second half en route to the Hoosiers’ 16-point victory. Ciezki finished the contest with 35 total points with two steals and a block, while sophomore forward Zania Socka-Nguemen recorded 19 points and 13 rebounds for Indiana.
Ciezki’s performance against the Flames — and her 22-point showing against the Bisons — earned Ciezki Big Ten Player of the Week on Monday. It was the Buffalo, New York, native’s first Big Ten Player of the Week honor, and Indiana’s first since guard Sara Scalia was honored on Nov. 20, 2023.
When Indiana takes on Marhsall on Tuesday, it will once again need to rely on Ciezki and Socka-Nguemen for its scoring. The two are the Hoosiers’ only scorers to average more than 10 points per game through the first two contests. Ciezki averages 28.5 points and Socka-Nguemen averages 19 points per game. Behind the two, redshirt sophomore guard Lenée Beaumont and freshman guard Nevaeh Caffey each average 7 points per contest.
Marshall is in a similar position through its first two games of the season, with two players carrying the bulk of the Thundering Herd’s scoring. Freshman guard Olivia Olson averages 14 points per game, while senior guard Timaya Lewis-Eutsey averages 10.5 points per game.
Senior guard Blessing King averages 10.5 rebounds per contest for Marshall. She recorded 11 in the Thundering Herd’s season opener against the University of Buffalo on Nov. 3, and 10 in their contest against Northern Kentucky University on Nov. 6.
Like Indiana, Marshall sits at 2-0 ahead of the contest after recording a 53-39 win over Buffalo and a 68-53 win over Northern Kentucky.
The Thundering Herd is in its second season with head coach Juli Fulks at the helm. Fulks took over the program after Marshall made its second-ever NCAA Tournament appearance — its first since 1997 — under former head coach Kim Caldwell.
Caldwell coached just one season at Marshall before she was hired as the head coach at the University of Tennessee. She led Marshal to a 26-7 overall record and 17-1 mark in Sun Belt Conference play.
In Fulks’ first season with the Thundering Herd, they went just 15-20 and 6-12 in conference play. Marshall’s leading scorer from a season ago, guard Aislynn Hayes, exhausted her eligibility. Hayes averaged 17.7 points per contest last season for the Thundering Herd.
The contest between Indiana and Marshall will mark the last game before Indiana faces its first Power Four opponent of the season, as it takes on Florida State University at 5 p.m. Sunday.
Tipoff between the Hoosiers and the Thundering Herd is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. The contest 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.
