After a first half where Indiana women’s basketball had seemingly no rhythm and nine careless turnovers, the Hoosiers came out of the locker room a completely different team.
Indiana did a 180 in the third quarter because its offense heated up. In these 10 minutes, the Hoosiers went 12-for-15 from the field. This included an impressive 10-for-13 from behind the arc (76.9%).
With such a contrasting performance from the first 20 minutes, it would make sense if Indiana head coach Teri Moren had a long, inspired halftime speech. But, junior guard Shay Ciezki said Moren’s message was clear.
“It was pretty simple,” Ciezki said. “Coach just said we were going to make shots.”
Indiana did not just make shots, they set fire to the nets against Rutgers in an 81-60 win on Thursday.
With the 15 3-pointers made against the Scarlet Knights, the Hoosiers had a record-setting night. They set program records for the most 3-pointers in a conference home game (15), the most 3-pointers in a two-game stretch (28), and the most 3-pointers in a three-game stretch (41).
Despite breaking numerous offensive records, Indiana could not have had a double-digit lead at half if it was not for its defense. The Hoosiers ability to keep Kiyomi McMiller and Destiny Adams, two of the top scorers in the Big Ten, at bay in the first half allowed the Hoosiers to never trail in this one.
“Our ability to box out and get those rebounds were the reason we were winning the game,” graduate student guard Sydney Parrish, who led IU with 22 points, said.
Indiana’s ability to keep up on the boards with Rutgers, the Big Ten’s fourth best rebounding team, shows growth for a team that is the worst in the conference at rebounding.
With all these positives from Thursday’s win, Indiana must use this confidence as it goes into its toughest stretch of the season. The Hoosiers’ next game against Minnesota on Sunday is the first of five games in their last seven against Quad 1 opponents.
“I hope like crazy that they’re gaining confidence,” Moren said. “As we go down the stretch, we’re going to need them to shoot it with confidence.”
