Shay Ciezki leads the Big Ten in scoring with 23 points per game. The senior guard ranked sixth in the NCAA in scoring ahead of Indiana women’s basketball’s contest against No. 12 Ohio State on Thursday.
However, Ciezki hasn’t had much help when it comes to offensive production. Despite averaging 13.6 points per game, redshirt sophomore guard Lenée Beaumont has been streaky. Sophomore forward Zania Socka-Nguemen has not been as productive as she was before her injury. And behind those three, no other Hoosier averages more than 7.3 points per game.
It’s been a struggle for Indiana to find a scoring piece outside Ciezki, especially throughout Big Ten play, but it came as Beaumont against Ohio State.
Despite the added scoring option, the Hoosiers fell to the Buckeyes 81-67 on Thursday at Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio. Beaumont led the Hoosiers with 20 points off 8-for-12 shooting from the field and 3-for-4 shooting from 3-point range.
“She needs to do it every night, you know,” Indiana head coach Teri Moren said postgame. “She can’t be a one hit wonder, right? ... She was aggressive tonight, which I loved, but she has to be aggressive every night.”
This season marks Beaumont’s first collegiate year with heavy playing minutes. She served as a role player off the bench during her freshman season and averaged 9.6 minutes per game. Then, Beaumont missed the entirety of the 2024-25 season after knee surgery. Now, she averages 33.4 minutes per game.
Even though she hasn’t seen much time on the court, Beaumont is one of the most experienced players on the Hoosiers’ team, as she’s been at Indiana longer than anyone else on the roster.
It took Beaumont a few games before she found her rhythm this season, but then she got hot. She had three straight games of 20 or more points during the middle to end of November. She continued to be a scoring option for the Hoosiers through nonconference play and the beginning of Indiana’s Big Ten slate; however, Beaumont hit a slump against Nebraska on Jan. 8.
Beaumont scored zero points against the Cornhuskers. Then, just five against Iowa on Jan. 11 and nine against Washington on Jan. 14. Moren said after Iowa that “‘Beau’ can be her worst enemy” when it comes to her hesitation with shooting.
Beaumont’s 20-point performance Thursday was a sign of life from her, but the question of whether or not she’ll be a reliable option still remains. She knows that, and she knows how crucial it is for her to be that option.
“I know what I’m capable of, I know the work I put in and I’m only going to continue to grow as a player and get better,” Beaumont said. “But I gotta be consistent in that area going forward and the rest of the year because I know that’s what I’m expected from my teammates and coaches. But also, I’m more than capable of giving us that, I believe, every night.”
With Socka-Nguemen still slowly working her way back from injury, it will be important for Beaumont to regain her shooting confidence as the Hoosiers head into their final 10 games of the regular season and attempt to reach the Big Ten Tournament. Indiana is 0-8 in the Big Ten, and in the strong conference — which has eight ranked teams — picking up wins will continue to be difficult.
Despite the low scoring from other players and the struggles throughout Big Ten play, Moren and Beaumont remained hopeful in the Hoosiers following their 14-point loss to the Buckeyes. Moren admitted she’s a “prisoner of hope;” Beaumont believes in her teammates’ will to keep fighting.
The Hoosiers’ next opportunity is against Purdue, which sits at 10-9 overall and 2-6 in the Big Ten. However, a difficult road environment at Mackey Arena might disrupt Indiana in its ninth chance to get its first conference win this season.
“It's unfortunate because we're so freaking close,” Moren said. “ And so those are the messages that you keep saying to your group. ‘Look, we are in this with you. We're in this fight with you. We're gonna keep our nose down. We're gonna keep the blinders on. We're gonna keep the noise out. And we're just gonna keep working.’”
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.
