Indiana women’s basketball played its first Big Ten game of the season against Illinois on Saturday at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois.
The Fighting Illini dominated from the onset of the match as they took a large lead in the first half, leaving the Hoosiers to suffer a 78-57 defeat.
Even though senior guard Shay Ciezki opened the scoring, Illinois took a commanding 18-6 lead just over halfway through the first quarter. Illinois extended its lead to 16 by the end of the quarter, leading 28-12. Illinois shot 13 for 21 through the first quarter, while Indiana went 3 for 11.
The second quarter didn’t start any better for Indiana, which conceded six straight points before freshman guard Nevaeh Caffey stopped Illinois’ streak. The Hoosiers continued to struggle to make shots, shooting 28% from the field in the first half compared to the Fighting Illini’s 55.6%.
By halftime, Illinois led 45-23, with its lead increased to 22. Ciezki and junior forward Edessa Noyan led the Indiana scoring charts at halftime, with 10 and seven points, respectively. Noyan also made the Hoosiers’ only 3-pointer of the half.
Indiana continued its poor shooting run into the second half, going 0 for 4 and conceding another nine straight points before Ciezki scored. Illinois continued to make basket after basket, with four different starters scoring double-digit points through three quarters.
By the end of the third quarter, Illinois’ lead ballooned to 36. With the Fighting Illini’s lead larger than Indiana’s total points, 32, with one quarter to go, the result was all but sealed.
Even though the Hoosiers scored 12 straight points to start the fourth quarter and 25 throughout, it was too late to make a major impact on the game. In the end, Indiana fell 78-57.
For Illinois, junior guard Gretchen Dolan and sophomore guard Maddie Webber led with 16 points apiece. Ciezki led the Hoosiers in points with 23.
Indiana shot 19 for 53 from the field against Illinois, its worst mark of the season so far. The Hoosiers took 18 less shots than the Fighting Illini, suffering 20 turnovers.
Indiana returns to Bloomington for its next game against the University of Louisiana at Monroe at 7 p.m. Thursday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The game will 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.
