After claiming its first Big Ten win of the season against Northwestern on Feb. 1, Indiana women’s basketball looked to turn the victory into momentum against Wisconsin on Wednesday.
And that’s just what the Hoosiers did. Indiana recorded its second conference win of the season with a 77-74 win over the Badgers on Wednesday in Madison, Wisconsin. Senior guard Shay Ciezki led Indiana with 31 points.
After a slow start from both the Hoosiers and Badgers, Wisconsin senior forward Gift Uchenna scored a layup just over a minute and a half into the game to put the first points on the board.
Freshman guard Nevaeh Caffey recorded Indiana’s first points with a 3-pointer about 40 seconds later. Nearly two minutes later, Caffey drained another longball to give the Hoosiers an 8-6 advantage.
Ciezki successfully completed a three-point play to take a five-point lead over the Badgers, but the Hoosiers then went on a more than three-minute scoring drought, and Wisconsin tied the contest at 11.
Senior guard Jerni Kiaku broke the scoreless streak for Indiana, and a quick layup from Caffey gave the Hoosiers a four-point lead. However, the Badgers responded. Junior guard Kyrah Daniels made a 3-pointer and Uchenna scored off a turnover from Ciezki to give Wisconsin a one-point lead at the end of the first period.
After Caffey’s hot start from 3-point range, she began to slow down. Caffey took the Hoosiers’ first two shot attempts in the second quarter — both from long range — and missed each of them.
Kiaku made the first basket of the second period with a layup nearly a minute and a half in, gaving Indiana its lead back. Her basket provided a spark for the Hoosiers, who scored on their next three possessions to take a five-point lead.
The Badgers tied the contest at 25 with baskets from Daniels and freshman center Dorja Zaja. Indiana then went on a 6-0 run to take its largest lead of the game, but Wisconsin ended the second quarter with a 3-pointer from junior guard Laci Steele and a bucket from Daniels.
Despite shooting 50% from the field in the first half compared to the Badgers’ 35.1%, the Hoosiers were up by just one point. They committed 11 turnovers by halftime, led by four from Ciezki.
The Hoosiers started the third period with five consecutive points, as redshirt sophomore guard Lenée Beaumont successfully completed a three-point play and Ciezki made a 2-point basket. However, the Badgers wouldn’t go away.
Wisconsin cut Indiana’s advantage to just two points, but a basket from Ciezki, a 3-pointer from freshman forward Maya Makalusky and a layup from Caffey gave the Hoosiers their largest lead of the game at nine points.
Zaja and Caffey traded layups, but Ciezki knocked down her first 3-pointer of the game to give Indiana a 12-point lead with 2:49 left in the third period.
Caffey picked up her fourth foul with just under two minutes left in the third quarter, and Indiana head coach Teri Moren opted to put her on the bench. Wisconsin made two free throws after a foul from Ciezki. Ciezki then scored a basket, and Wisconsin made a 3-pointer to end the quarter, which gave Indiana a six-point lead before the final frame.
Ciezki made a layup 13 seconds into the fourth quarter, but the Hoosiers went on an over three-and-a-half-minute field goal drought, which brought Indiana’s lead to just three points. Caffey returned to the floor with just over seven minutes on the clock and broke the Hoosiers’ drought just over a minute later.
Wisconsin graduate student guard Shay Bollin cut Indiana’s lead to just one with just over five minutes to go. Beaumont missed a 3-point attempt on the Hoosiers’ next possession, and Steele made a 3-pointer on the opposite end to give the Badgers a two-point lead.
Junior forward Edessa Noyan tied the game at 63, and Ciezki made a 3-pointer. However, Wisconsin responded with a longball of their own from Bollin. Ciezki made another 3-point basket to take the lead back, and Daniels committed a foul on Ciezki, who made her free throw to put the Hoosiers up by four points.
But once again, Wisconsin responded with a 3-pointer from Bollin, cutting Indiana’s lead to one point with 1:41 remaining in the contest. Daniels fouled during the Hoosiers' next possession, and Caffey made both of her free-throw attempts, but Wisconsin graduate student guard Destiny Howell made a layup.
Moren called a timeout with 38 seconds left, and Ciezki scored out of the break, but Howell responded again for Wisconsin. Beaumont made two free throws to go up three points with 13 seconds left after being fouled by Steele.
Steele went to the free throw line for the Badgers on the other end, but she missed her first attempt and made her second, which cut the Hoosiers’ advantage to two points with seven seconds to go.
Ciezki was fouled by Daniels on the inbound. She made her first free-throw, but missed her second. Wisconsin corralled the rebound, but the Badgers missed their last second 3-pointer and the Hoosiers won by three points.
The Hoosiers will now take on Purdue in the two squads’ second matchup of the season at 2 p.m. Sunday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. The contest 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.
