Three words every college basketball fan awaits during the regular season. It’s bittersweet to know by this time next month there will only be three games left in the Division I women’s basketball season, but some of the most drama-filled and entertaining games on the college basketball calendar lie ahead.
At the start of February, it didn’t seem that Indiana women’s basketball would have a chance to play tournament basketball. In four straight games between Jan. 14 and Jan. 29, the Hoosiers gave up 80 or more points while scoring less than 70, culminating in a 95-67 defeat at the hands of then-No. 9 Michigan.
“This is a young team, and we've continued to make a lot of the same mistakes,” Indiana head coach Teri Moren said postgame Jan. 29. “I don't have an answer for why that is.”
It was a demoralizing response from Indiana’s head coach. The Hoosiers’ problems were apparent from the start of Big Ten play: too many turnovers, not enough rebounds and slow starts that doomed Indiana’s chances.
Anyone can tell you a team that starts 0-10 in conference play has glaring weaknesses to address.
Indiana has remedied those issues to an extent. The Hoosiers haven’t become the best in the conference, but they’ve gone from a team that seemed more suited to play a Mid-American Conference schedule to a competent Big Ten squad with a chance to make a run in the conference tournament.
That run that starts against No. 12 seed Nebraska at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The Hoosiers and Cornhuskers have met once this season, with then-No. 25 Nebraska coming out on top 78-73 Jan. 8. The loss dropped Indiana to 0-5 in its early Big Ten schedule.
In the Hoosiers’ previous four conference games before Nebraska, they were outscored in the third quarter. It was a different story against the Cornhuskers. Indiana surged in the 10 minutes after halftime, outscoring Nebraska 23-15.
The Hoosiers’ strong stretch tied the game at 53 heading to the fourth quarter. However, Nebraska scored 25 points while knocking down three 3-pointers in the period. Indiana only produced 20 points and one triple in the final 10 minutes.
At the time, it was a disappointing loss for Indiana, as the Hoosiers failed to score more than 70 points in their first four Big Ten games. Against Nebraska, they scored 73 and still could not get the win.
“I’ll keep saying it, we’re right there,” Moren said postgame Jan. 8. “I do feel like we have some momentum that’s happening right now in our improvement.”
The Hoosiers were “right there” again against then-No. 14 Iowa in their following game Jan. 11, falling to the Hawkeyes 56-53. Yet it took until Feb. 1 for Indiana to pick up its first conference win, a 89-75 victory over Northwestern.
But for Wednesday, both teams are clearly different from their Jan. 8 matchup.
In Indiana’s first 10 conference games, the Hoosiers’ net rating — point differential over 100 possessions — was –23.4. In the final eight Big Ten contests, Indiana’s net rating rocketed up to 5.8. The Hoosiers have also reduced their turnover percentage from 25% to 19.9% and improved their effective field goal percentage from 51.2% to 55.6%.
Sophomore forward Zania Socka-Nguemen will not be available for the Hoosiers on Wednesday. In the first matchup, Socka-Nguemen recorded 19 points and corralled 11 rebounds. It was a standout performance from a player deemed to be one of Indiana’s best this season.
However, a lower-body injury has taken Socka-Nguemen out of the Hoosiers’ lineup since a 81-67 loss to Ohio State on Jan. 22. Junior forward Edessa Noyan has recently thrived in the post position for Indiana, but she finished with zero points over 16 minutes in the last contest against Nebraska.
Noyan’s been more confident since the start of February. Over Indiana’s 30 regular season games, Noyan has scored double-digit points in five of them, and three of those performances came in February.
“I just feel like I've found my place in the team,” Noyan said postgame after an 18-point performance against Oregon on Feb. 22. “It took a long time, but I just feel like everybody's trusting me more. I trust myself more.”
Noyan can thrive against a Nebraska team dealing with its own injuries to post players. Senior forward Eliza Maupin started the game against Indiana, putting up nine points and seven rebounds. But Maupin did not play in the second half against Oregon on Feb. 19 after an apparent ankle injury. Maupin missed the Cornhuskers’ final two regular season games.
But Indiana should be focused on stopping one Nebraska player: sophomore guard Britt Prince. The 5-foot-11 Prince has been the focal point of the Cornhuskers’ offense this season, averaging a team-high 17.3 points and 4.4 assists per game, while making 45.6% of her shots from beyond the arc.
In the January matchup against Indiana, Prince finished with a team-high 20 points. Only five points came in the first half, but Indiana freshman guard Nevaeh Caffey faltered defensively in the second half, leading Prince to score 15.
Caffey had to “chase Britt Prince around all night,” Moren said postgame, leading her to ball watch. However, Caffey is coming off a masterclass defensive performance against Penn State sophomore guard Kiyomi McMiller on Saturday.
McMiller entered Saturday’s game on a six-game streak of scoring over 30 points. Caffey held her to a season-low four points. McMiller finished 1 of 12 from the field and 0 of 3 behind the arc with six turnovers. The freshman’s defensive intensity helped Indiana defeat the Lady Lions 93-59 and secure a spot in the Big Ten Tournament.
Caffey must hold Prince to fewer than 20 points on Wednesday. If that performance happens, Indiana will most likely be faced with a winning scenario. Sophomore forward Amiah Hargrove (12.7 points per game) and junior forward Jessica Petrie (11.6) will be no match for Indiana senior guard Shay Ciezki’s scoring production.
Ciezki finished the Jan. 8 showdown with 31 points and four assists in her 40 minutes on the court at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska.
If Indiana were to win Wednesday, the Hoosiers would advance to face No. 5 seed Ohio State on Thursday. Indiana lost the previous matchup 81-67 at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio.
The contest would pit the Big Ten’s two leading scorers against each other: Ciezki (23.2) against sophomore guard Jaloni Cambridge (23.4).
But Indiana can’t look past Nebraska. The Hoosiers have barely played their way into the postseason, so they can’t take any gamefor granted. It’s win-or-go-home for Indiana. With practically no chance to be selected for the NCAA Tournament, losing means the Hoosiers’ season is over.
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.
