For Indiana women’s basketball, the 2025-26 campaign — and more specifically Big Ten play — has felt like the same story. But this season wouldn’t be a bedtime story a parent would tell their kids. Instead, it’s been a nightmare.
And the latest chapter ended the same way the previous eight did: with a loss. This time, the Hoosiers were upended 95-67 by No. 9 Michigan at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Thursday.
Although this game ended with a different final score than every other Big Ten defeat Indiana has accumulated this season, if you were to show me the box score and ask, “Which game this is from?” I probably wouldn’t be able to tell you.
When looking at the Hoosiers’ statistics, the same mistakes have emerged repeatedly. Turnovers, a lack of bench scoring, numerous fouls, being outrebounded, slow starts, poor effort and a defense that can’t get any stops.
And Indiana head coach Teri Moren has felt the same way about her team.
“We continue to kind of do the same stuff over and over again,” Moren said postgame Thursday. “And that’s very frustrating for us. And, I don’t have a lot of answers right now.”
But Indiana’s problems have been there all season. Even in the nonconference schedule, the Hoosiers’ issues surfaced, but Indiana’s greater talent was enough for the team to win 11 out of the 12 games.
Against Marshall University on Nov. 11,Indiana won a tightly contested 57-51 showdown off just eight bench points. Then, against Florida Gulf Coast University on Nov. 25, Indiana won 72-56 but only scored 11 points off the bench. The Butler University contest on Nov. 19 highlighted Indiana’s turnover mistakes, as the Hoosiers compiled seven more than their opponent. Lastly, against Western Carolina University on Dec. 21, Indiana allowed 21 rebounds in the second half to its own 12.
And those are just four examples from the Hoosiers’ nonconference contests. They’ve been worse in the Big Ten.
Indiana has attempted more field goals than its conference opponent in one game: Iowa. The Hoosiers have only won or tied the rebounding battle in three games. They have also fouled more often than their opponent in seven games. Indiana has produced more turnovers than the opposing team in every Big Ten game except for when the Hoosiers tied Michigan State.
Even with the points that have gone through the net, the Hoosiers have been outmatched. Other than having eight more fastbreak points than Iowa, Indiana had fewer fastbreak points than every conference opponent but Iowa. The Hoosiers’ points in the paint were fewer in every game, except for two. And finally, the bench has been outscored in every Big Ten game.
“This is a young team, and we’ve continued to make a lot of the same mistakes,” Moren said postgame. “I don’t have an answer for why that is. They see it every day. We drill it every day, and it’s unfortunate.”
And on Thursday, it was the same usual mistakes from Indiana.
The Hoosiers finished the contest with 23 turnovers, while Michigan only had 11. The Wolverines pounced on the opportunity for more offensive possessions, turning them into 34 points off turnovers.
Indiana was also outrebounded 37-25 and 14-1 on the offensive glass, leading to Michigan finishing with 16 second-chance points. Indiana only tallied three second-chance points.
The domination on the boards helped the Wolverines finish with 54 points in the paint and 29 fast break points. Indiana trailed in both statistics, mustering 30 and 10 points, respectively, in those categories.
“We’re going to have to grow,” Indiana redshirt sophomore guard Lenée Beaumont said postgame. “Put the X’s and O’s to the side. It’s going to come down to desperation. Like we are in a desperate, desperate need for a win.”
However, a new scoring leader emerged as freshman forward Maya Makalusky led Indiana with 17 points. She knocked down two 3-pointers and made five attempts from the free throw line, plus five from the field.
Senior guard Shay Ciezki has been the No. 1 reason for Indiana’s winning ways this season, but Michigan’s defense made her virtually invisible. The 5-foot-7 Ciezki finished with 13 points and went 3 for 6 from behind the 3-point arc, but fouls cost her. She picked up four personal fouls with 8:44 left in the fourth quarter, then got her fifth foul with 5:45 remaining in the game.
As a team, the Hoosiers collected 24 fouls on Thursday to Michigan’s 19. Freshman guard Nevaeh Caffey and junior forward Edessa Noyan finished with four apiece, while Makalusky also fouled out.
But bench production was also a problem for Indiana. The Hoosiers received 10 points from their four substitutes. Senior guard Jerni Kiaku had eight of those points, while sophomore forward Faith Wiseman had the other two.
“We can control our attitudes,” Moren said postgame. “We can control our effort every day. We can’t control if the ball goes through for us.”
And I’ll finish my column by making a classic comparison: Indiana is to a Big Ten win what Sisyphus is to a rock. But with eight games left in the Hoosiers season, they have to get up that hill at some point ... right?
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.
