After coming up short to the top-ranked UCLA Bruins at home on Saturday, Indiana looked to bounce back on the road against Northwestern on Wednesday night. The Hoosiers did not play their best basketball by any stretch, but did just enough to fend off the Wildcats in a 68-64 victory.
Points came at a premium for both squads from start to finish. The game began with seven consecutive missed shots before free throws and layups started to open up the offenses. Neither team was able to get in a consistent rhythm and extend their lead, with no lead larger than nine on either side throughout the night.
In the first half, Indiana shot 11-for-29 (38%) from the field, 3-for-13 (23%) from 3, and 6-for-7 at the charity stripe. Not necessarily shooting splits that would give you a lead at the half, one might think. The good news for Indiana head coach Teri Moren and company: Northwestern shot 12-for-33 from the field, 5-for-14 from 3 and did not shoot a free throw, turning the ball over nine times as well. The Hoosiers would go into the break up 31-26.
There would not be much improvement from the first half to the second. Indiana would keep a lead of roughly three to five points the whole way until late in the fourth quarter when a Melannie Daley jumper put Northwestern up 59-58. To say the lead was short-lived would be a bit of an understatement.
Enter Shay Ciezki, the one major offensive factor that differed from half to half. She only scored four points in the first half, but exploded for 16 second-half points. Twenty-nine seconds after Daley’s jumper, Ciezki knocked down a stepback 3 that would put Indiana ahead until the final buzzer.
While Indiana only shot 39 percent on the night, the clutch performance from Ciezki and the team defense down the stretch did the job to get the win. Karoline Striplin was a key contributor for the Hoosiers with 13 points, including nine in the first half. Sydney Parrish and Yarden Garzon also added double-digit scoring performances.
Daley led the way for the Wildcats with 17 points and six assists. Taylor Williams delivered a 15-point, 13-rebound double-double, and Caleigh Walsh added 12 points as well.
The Hoosiers move to 11-4 on the season with a 3-1 record in conference play. They will head up to Iowa City to take on the No. 23 Hawkeyes on Sunday at 3 p.m. Eastern.
