After returning home from two straight conference defeats on the road, Indiana women’s basketball has yet another test.
The Hoosiers have started 0-5 in the Big Ten, with three straight defeats to ranked conference opposition. They first lost to then-No. 24 Michigan State 80-60 on Jan. 1, then-No. 7 Maryland 82-67 on Jan. 4 and No. 25 Nebraska 78-73 on Thursday.
Indiana has its fourth and final consecutive ranked matchup against Big Ten opposition Sunday, as it takes on No. 14 Iowa at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
The Hoosiers have suffered their worst start to a Big Ten campaign since losing six of their first seven conference games in the 2017-18 season. They’re also on track for 10 or more conference losses for the first time since 2018-19.
Despite Indiana’s initial Big Ten struggles, head coach Teri Moren has routinely emphasized progress and process, not results. The Hoosiers marked their closest chance to grab a Big Ten win Thursday, falling to Nebraska by five points.
A major addition back to the team in recent days has been sophomore forward Zania Socka-Nguemen. The UCLA transfer averaged 13 points and nine rebounds per game before missing eight games beginning Nov. 30 due to a leg injury.
Socka-Nguemen returned to the starting lineup against Nebraska, earning her fourth double-double of the season as she logged 19 points and 11 rebounds in 24 minutes of action.
Senior guard Shay Ciezki led Indiana with 31 points against the Cornhuskers, tallying her fourth game of 30 or more points this season. Redshirt sophomore guard Lenée Beaumont, who trails only Ciezki in points per game with 14, failed to score against Nebraska.
Indiana’s bench averages 9.3 points per game, a figure that ranks bottom of the Big Ten and third worst in all of Division I. Only Central Connecticut State University and Lafayette College rank lower.
The bench has proved ineffective against Big Ten opposition, managing just four points in all the Hoosiers’ last three ranked conference opponents. Iowa, by contrast, averages 25.9 bench points per game.
The Hawkeyes hold a 13-2 record on the season, with their losses coming from instate rival then-No. 10 Iowa State University 74-69 on Dec. 10 and to No. 1 University of Connecticut 90-64 on Dec. 20.
Iowa’s leading scorer is sophomore center Ava Heiden, who averages 16.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. It will be up to Socka-Nguemen to neutralize the 6-foot-4 center.
Senior forward Hannah Stuelke, who leads the Hawkeyes with 8.3 rebounds per game, also chips in with 13.6 points per game.
Chazadi Wright, nicknamed “Chit-Chat,” is a sophomore guard who averages 13.1 points per game. The 5-foot-4 guard is three inches shorter than any player on the Hoosiers’ roster.
Iowa head coach Jan Jensen is in her second season as head coach of the Hawkeyes and has been a part of the program for 26 straight seasons. Prior to taking over for longtime Hawkeye coach Lisa Bluder after her retirement in 2024, Jensen served as associate head coach from 2000-2024, where she helped Iowa achieve 18 NCAA Tournament appearances.
In Jensen’s first season at the helm of Iowa women’s basketball, the Hawkeyes reached the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament and held a 23-11 overall record and 10-8 conference record.
All time, Indiana holds a 24-54 record against Iowa with the last matchup between the two ending in a 74-67 road victory for the Hoosiers on Jan. 12, 2025. Indiana has won three out of the last five matchups.
The matchup is set for 5 p.m. Sunday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. The game will be available to view on the Big Ten Network.
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.
