The Hoosiers were sloppy with the ball, forcing them to struggle through all four quarters against the 1-16 Scarlet Knights. The Hoosiers earned a victory, but Moren knew their performance would not be acceptable in the Big Ten Conference tournament.
Advertisement
Looking back now, Moren said what happened in Piscataway wasn’t bad.
He taught the Hoosiers a clear lesson: A bad start can derail a game, especially against the best teams in the league. It was something that propelled them to an early start against Penn State on Saturday afternoon, leading to a 93-59 victory to end the regular season at Assembly Hall.
“We talked about (the Rutgers game) when we came back, on film, and then, certainly before this game, we were like, ‘We can’t start like this, like we did at Rutgers,’” Moren said. “…I think the way we started today, we knew we had to come out and play fast. We knew we had to score points early, and then we just wanted to keep our foot on the pedal.”
IU (17-13, 6-12 Big Ten) scored 31 points in the first 10 minutes while holding Penn State to just eight. The Nittany Lions never led in the game, and IU’s lead grew to 40 points in the fourth quarter.
Advertisement
It was a win from start to finish, the most dominant the Hoosiers have had against a Big Ten team all season. Their 93 points are the most against a conference opponent this year, and Penn State’s 59 points are tied for the second-lowest point total by a conference opponent.
Four Hoosiers finished in double figures: Shay Ciezki led with 29 points, Nevaeh Caffey and Lenee Beaumont had 18 points and Maya Makalusky added 15.
“Everyone felt good,” Ciezki said. “We were in the zone. We were focused on the game plan, on what we had to do. We came out hot, which is what we wanted. So I think after that, we got to work and we’re having a great time.”
Consistent play for 40 minutes, even in the final regular season game, was a great sign of growth for the Hoosiers. Playing a complete game has been something IU has struggled with all season: Bad second quarters against USC and Purdue led to losses of six and 11 points, respectively, and a four-point quarter against Iowa in January led to a three-point loss.
Advertisement
But now, IU has a plan for how to execute well for an entire game.
“I didn’t think we had any breaks for 40 minutes,” Moren said. “And we talked about playing four quarters all season long, it was about some of those games that we would’ve, should’ve, could’ve had, maybe if we’d played four quarters, the outcome would’ve been different.”
“We all trust her.” How Shay Ciezki became a leader in Indiana women’s basketball
IU, at 6-12 in conference play, officially clinched a spot in the Big Ten tournament with its victory. The Hoosiers are locked into the 13th seed and will play 12th-ranked Nebraska at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday to open the tournament.
Advertisement
Indiana’s regular-season loss to Nebraska on Jan. 8 was another example of the Hoosiers failing to execute for a full 40 minutes. IU held a lead late in the fourth quarter in that game, but couldn’t hold on, leaving Lincoln with a 78-73 loss.
This time, the Hoosiers have more momentum, more confidence, winning six of their last eight games after an 0-10 start in conference play.
“I think we’ve improved,” Moren said when asked how his team is different from that Jan. 8 game. “I think we’re finally playing with more confidence than we had. When we went to Nebraska, we weren’t sure we won yet. I think all of those things are really important for us and really good for us.”
Want more coverage for Hoosiers? Sign up for IndyStar’s Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our podcast focused on IU Athletics, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers.
This article originally appeared in the Indianapolis Star: Indiana women’s basketball score today vs. Penn State, confidence for Big Ten