Indiana women’s basketball had an eight-day break between its Jan. 14 loss to Washington and its contest against No. 12 Ohio State on Thursday.
However, the break didn’t prove to help many of the Hoosiers’ reoccurring issues. Indiana remained winless in the Big Ten this season as it fell to Ohio State 81-67 on Thursday at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio.
Redshirt sophomore guard Lenée Beaumont was the Hoosiers’ leading scorer with 20 points off 8-for-12 shooting. Senior guard Shay Ciezki scored 19 points but fouled out of the contest with just under four minutes and 45 seconds remaining.
Ohio State was without a starter in redshirt freshman guard/forward Kylee Kitts, who injured her shoulder Monday in the Buckeye’s win over No. 9 Texas Christian University. Sophomore guard Ava Watson slotted into Ohio State’s starting lineup in place of Kitts.
Indiana scored on the first possession of the game with a layup from sophomore forward Zania Socka-Nguemen. The basket within the first 30 seconds of the contest set the tone for a hot offensive start for the Hoosiers.
Ohio State responded to Indiana’s layup with a 2-point basket of its own. The two squads then traded a 3-pointer and a layup to give the Hoosiers a 5-4 advantage, but that’s when Indiana went on a run.
The Hoosiers scored 14 consecutive points — 12 of which off 3-pointers from Ciezki and Beaumont — to take a 15-point lead, but the Buckeyes responded with a run of their own.
A 3-pointer from Watson kicked off a 13-0 run for Ohio State to pull within two points. The run was stopped with a bucket from Socka-Nguemen, which gave Indiana a four-point advantage heading into the second quarter.
The contest stayed within two possessions until late in the second quarter. Beaumont made a basket to give Indiana a five-point lead. About 40 seconds later, Ciezki hit a 3-pointer, and Beaumont made a layup to grant the Hoosiers a double-digit advantage with just over two minutes to play in the first half.
The two squads continued to trade baskets for the final two minutes before Indiana took a 42-32 lead into halftime. Beaumont and Ciezki led all scorers at the break with 16 and 14 points, respectively, while the Hoosiers were 9 for 13 from 3-point range.
Ohio State began to eliminate Indiana’s 3-point shots in the third period, which allowed the Buckeyes to cut into the Hoosiers’ lead. Redshirt junior guard Kennedy Cambridge started a 7-0 Ohio State run with just over seven and a half minutes remaining in the third quarter, which trimmed Indiana’s lead to five points.
A free throw from Socka-Nguemen stopped the Buckeyes’ run momentarily; however, Ohio State continued chipping away at Indiana’s lead.
A 3-pointer from sophomore guard Jaloni Cambridge tied the game at 47, but the Buckeyes immediately forced a turnover from Ciezki. Freshman guard Bryn Martin took advantage of the Hoosiers’ mistake and made a 3-pointer to cap off a 9-0 run and grant Ohio State its first lead of the contest.
Turnovers continued to plague Indiana, as it racked up 10 in the third quarter alone, which allowed Ohio State to take a four-point advantage into the fourth quarter. The Buckeyes outscored the Hoosiers 27-13 in the third period.
Ohio State continued to put pressure on Indiana throughout the fourth quarter, and the Hoosiers succumbed to it. The Hoosiers were outscored 22-12 in the fourth quarter en route to their 14-point loss to the Buckeyes.
Indiana now looks to a contest against Purdue at noon Sunday at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana. The game 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.
