For the first time in the 2025-26 season, Indiana women’s basketball tasted success in the Big Ten. Starting its Big Ten campaign with 10 consecutive losses, Indiana won its first conference game of the season against Northwestern 89-75 on Sunday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
Traveling to the Badger State for Indiana’s northernmost road trip of the season, the Hoosiers have the chance to build on that first win as they face Wisconsin at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin.
Prior to Sunday’s game, Indiana reached the climax of its Big Ten slump, falling to Michigan in its 10th-straight conference defeat 95-67 Jan. 29. The 28-point margin is the Hoosiers’ worst defeat of the season. Michigan’s trio of sophomore guards in Olivia Olson, Mila Holloway and Syla Swords all scored 10 or more points in Indiana’s worst defensive performance in conference play.
However, Indiana managed to snap its cold streak with its offensive performance against Northwestern, reaching over 80 points for the first time in a Big Ten match. Senior guard Shay Ciezki led the Hoosiers with 33 points, eight rebounds and five assists versus Northwestern. Ciezki, the current leader in points per game in the Big Ten, notched her sixth game of the season with 30 or more points against the Wildcats.
However, Ciezki was not alone in the winning effort versus Northwestern. Redshirt sophomore guard Lenée Beaumont and freshman forward Maya Makalusky contributed 24 and 21 points, respectively. Beaumont tallied her most points of the year on 11-for-14 shooting from the field, and Makalusky earned her third game of 20 or more points on the season.
The trio combined for 78 points, which was good for 87.6% of Indiana’s points against the Wildcats. The rest of the team combined for just 11 points, with only a single point coming off the bench from sophomore forward Faith Wiseman.
The Hoosiers jumped out to a sizable 30-3 lead after the first quarter and went into the halftime break having conceded just 26 points. Indiana was outscored by Northwestern in the third and fourth quarters. The Wildcats shrunk the lead to just 10 points with four minutes remaining.
Indiana’s next opponent, Wisconsin, is currently tied for ninth in the Big Ten with four other schools at a 5-6 conference record and 13-9 overall record. The Badgers have lost two straight games to rival Minnesota and No. 9 Ohio State, with their last win coming in a 63-60 victory over Nebraska on Jan. 21.
Graduate senior guard Destiny Howell is Wisconsin’s leading scorer, averaging 14.6 points per game. Junior guard Kyrah Daniels is the only other Badger to average double-digit points, scoring 12.8 points per game.
Senior forward Gift Uchenna is the Badgers’ leader in rebounds, averaging 6.7 rebounds per game. Senior guard Ronnie Porter, who stands at 5-foot-2, leads with 4.5 assists per game.
Robin Pingeton is in her first season at the helm of Wisconsin women’s basketball, being hired after the resignation of previous head coach Marisa Moseley. Pingeton was previously the head coach for the University of Missouri for 15 seasons, leading the Tigers to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 2016-19 and compiling a 250-218 record.
Prior to Missouri, Pingeton was head coach of St. Ambrose University for eight seasons and Illinois State University for seven. She led the Redbirds to NCAA Tournament appearances in 2005 and 2008 before achieving back-to-back runs to the WNIT semifinals in 2009 and 2010.
Indiana and Wisconsin tip off at 7:30 p.m. at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. The game will be streamed 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.
