Indiana women’s basketball came in on Thursday night in search of a win for their resume come March. The Hoosiers got the crucial Quad 1 victory with a 71-61 win over the No. 8 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.
The biggest reason Indiana was able to get their first Top 10 win of the season was because of their ability to respond.
After having a very clean first quarter where IU led 26-17, the Buckeyes jumped on the Hoosiers and forced a couple of turnovers from their full-court press to tie it at 26. Indiana’s total team effort and composure helped the Hoosiers go on a 14-2 run the rest of the first half.
“I don’t think we panicked,” graduate student guard Sydney Parrish said. “I think that showed a lot of growth from games in the past.”
Indiana did not get anxious about Ohio State’s press, something that has haunted the team in the past, because they prepped all week for it. Indiana head coach Teri Moren said the Hoosiers game planned to break it in practice by throwing passes over the top and through dribbling.
The ability for Indiana to break this key part of the Buckeyes’ defense gave the Hoosiers confidence. This could be seen through their shot-making (54 percent from the field) and rebounding (+14 on the boards).
A Hoosier who exemplified both with ease was junior guard Yarden Garzon. She not only scored 17 points (including being 3-of-6 from three), but she led the team in rebounds with 11. With her last 3-pointer, she reached 200 career triples.
“She’s (Garzon) our silent killer,” junior guard Shay Ciezki said. “That big three at the end was a dagger for us, and I think everyone felt it.”
Garzon’s aggressiveness in the game helped the rest of her teammates get open. Three of her fellow starters got in double figures, which showed how efficient Indiana’s offense can be when it is clicking.
The other thing that made Indiana dangerous offensively in the game was having a balanced attack. The Hoosiers did that on Thursday by making nine 3-pointers but also scoring 32 points in the paint. If Indiana can do this consistently, they will continue to see success down the stretch of the season.
Another way they will continue seeing success is being able to continually break a press defense. Their next opponent, Michigan State, also runs a press defense, so Moren thinks her team will be able to build on their success breaking it.
“I don’t know if it is an advantage, but that’s how they (Michigan State) play as well,” Moren said.
With the win, Indiana moves to 17-9 and 9-6 in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers travel up to East Lansing to play the 22nd-ranked Spartans on Sunday at 2 pm Eastern on Big Ten Network.
Gallery: Indiana vs Ohio State
