Indiana women’s basketball was staring down the barrel of an 0-10 conference record and the scenario that the Hoosiers miss out on the Big Ten Tournament entirely. It responded with two straight conference wins against Northwestern 89-75 on Feb. 1 and Wisconsin 77-74 on Wednesday to keep its tournament chances afloat.
The Hoosiers compounded on its recent form to earn its third straight Big Ten victory Sunday, defeating their rival Purdue 74-59 in their second matchup of the season at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
In Indiana’s last home game, it took a 30-3 lead over Northwestern that it coasted on for the rest of the contest. The Hoosiers again got off to a hot start versus Purdue, taking an 11-0 lead three minutes into the match.
As the first quarter ticked by, both teams struggled to generate much offensive rhythm, as the Hoosiers didn’t score for almost five minutes. Purdue slowly clawed its way back into the fray and cut Indiana’s lead to three points by the end of the quarter.
Entering the second quarter up 15-12, Indiana continued to struggle offensively, taking over three minutes to score its first points of the quarter. However, Purdue’s offensive struggles were even more apparent, shooting under 30% from the field in the first half.
As the Boilermakers’ offense continued to stall, Indiana managed to boost its lead back up to double-digits. By halftime, the Hoosiers held a 33-20 advantage.
Senior guard Shay Ciezki tallied 19 points and seven rebounds by the break, leading Indiana in both categories and accounting for 57.6% of the Hoosiers’ first half points. Junior forward Edessa Noyan also contributed seven points and five rebounds.
Entering the second half with a 13-point lead, Ciezki and Noyan both hit from beyond the arc to increase Indiana’s advantage to 17 points. Purdue found itself struggling to claw its way back into the contest; the Hoosiers’ scoring often canceled out the Boilermakers’ limited offensive production.
However, Indiana lost concentration on defense in the last moments of the third quarter, allowing Purdue to score four points in the last 30 seconds and cut the Hoosiers’ lead to 10.
Entering the fourth quarter with a 54-44 advantage, Indiana just needed to hold on for its third straight victory in the Big Ten. Baskets from junior forward Jade Ondineme and redshirt sophomore guard Lenée Beaumont turned the momentum back into the Hoosiers’ favor as Purdue’s offense returned to struggle mode.
Indiana’s offense continued to produce, leaving the Boilermakers unable to keep pace. With the Hoosiers holding a 15-point lead with five minutes remaining, it was simply too much for Purdue to overcome. In the end, Indiana emerged victorious 74-59.
Ciezki led Indiana with 29 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, earning her second double-double of the season. Noyan also earned her first double-double with the Cream and Crimson, logging 12 points and pulling down 10 rebounds.
Indiana next travels to the West Coast for a pair of games in Los Angeles against USC and No. 2 UCLA. The Hoosiers will first take on USC at 10 p.m. Thursday at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, California. The match will also be available 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.
