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Indiana women’s basketball is turning its season around as much as it can after a stinging 0-10 start to Big Ten play.
The Hoosiers have won five of their seven games so far in February, boosting their standings from dead last in the conference to 14th, sitting at 5-12 after a 79-69 win over Rutgers on Wednesday night in Piscataway, New Jersey.
It was a win that, even against a team with one Big Ten victory, Indiana had to fight for in the second half. The Hoosiers went into halftime trailing in the second half after turning the ball over 14 times, then turned it over just four times in the second half to secure their fifth Big Ten win of the season.
“It was just coach coming in at halftime and saying her piece for sure,” senior Shay Ciezki said. “That kind of made us start to realize that, alright, we got to clean things up a little bit. I think we came out slow. But it was good that we kind of rallied together and kept the main thing, the main thing, and made sure that we took care of the ball down the stretch.”
There are multiple things that have gone into IU’s recent turnaround. The Hoosiers, who returned just one starter in Ciezki and have multiple underclassmen in their starting lineup, had a gauntlet to begin Big Ten play with four ranked teams in their first six games. Indiana was playing against experienced and connected teams like Maryland, Iowa, Michigan State and Nebraska while simultaneously trying to figure out how the new lineup worked together.
As the schedule let up in the latter half of the Big Ten season, it allowed the Hoosiers a chance to breathe. Indiana got its first Big Ten win against Northwestern, a team that is now eliminated from conference tournament contention, and it took a weight off of the Hoosiers’ backs. Indiana ended up stringing together three wins in a row, taking down Wisconsin (13th in Big Ten) and Purdue (14th in Big Ten).
Those wins gave the Hoosiers, especially being as young as they are, some crucial confidence. It allowed Indiana to see what worked, to see that the work put in was paying dividends. Indiana learned how to close out these close games, exactly like this win at Rutgers.
“I think there's definitely a pressure for us to win these games,” Ciezki said. “We feel it’s a big goal for us is to obviously make it to the Big Ten tournament, so that was just probably our biggest motivation these last couple games, just to dig down and stay focused and get what we want. So I think that extra pressure has helped a lot of people to step up and give more toward the end of the season.”
'We all trust her.' How Shay Ciezki became leader for Indiana women's basketball
Indiana is now 5-12 in the Big Ten, sitting in 14th with one game remaining. While the Hoosiers have not yet clinched a spot in the Big Ten tournament, which takes the top 15 teams, they have control of their destiny. Indiana will make the conference postseason with a win against Penn State on Saturday or a loss by Purdue or Wisconsin.
And coach Teri Moren thinks her team has what it takes to make it to Indianapolis — as long as they can fix their start from Wednesday night.
“These guys understand what they have to do in order to get into the Big Ten tournament,” Moren said. “That shouldn't be pressure. We're playing better basketball. I think they feel it, which is the most important thing, right, but what I'm going to tell you is we can't come out like we did tonight against Penn State (on Saturday) and think that we're good. We just can't do that. And so our sense of urgency, our focus, our ability to take better care of the ball, discernment for what a good shot is for us, it all matters. This was a great wake up call, I think, for our group.”
Want more Hoosiers coverage? Sign up for IndyStar's Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana women's basketball vs Rutgers score, Big Ten tournament chances
Continue reading...
The Hoosiers have won five of their seven games so far in February, boosting their standings from dead last in the conference to 14th, sitting at 5-12 after a 79-69 win over Rutgers on Wednesday night in Piscataway, New Jersey.
It was a win that, even against a team with one Big Ten victory, Indiana had to fight for in the second half. The Hoosiers went into halftime trailing in the second half after turning the ball over 14 times, then turned it over just four times in the second half to secure their fifth Big Ten win of the season.
“It was just coach coming in at halftime and saying her piece for sure,” senior Shay Ciezki said. “That kind of made us start to realize that, alright, we got to clean things up a little bit. I think we came out slow. But it was good that we kind of rallied together and kept the main thing, the main thing, and made sure that we took care of the ball down the stretch.”
There are multiple things that have gone into IU’s recent turnaround. The Hoosiers, who returned just one starter in Ciezki and have multiple underclassmen in their starting lineup, had a gauntlet to begin Big Ten play with four ranked teams in their first six games. Indiana was playing against experienced and connected teams like Maryland, Iowa, Michigan State and Nebraska while simultaneously trying to figure out how the new lineup worked together.
As the schedule let up in the latter half of the Big Ten season, it allowed the Hoosiers a chance to breathe. Indiana got its first Big Ten win against Northwestern, a team that is now eliminated from conference tournament contention, and it took a weight off of the Hoosiers’ backs. Indiana ended up stringing together three wins in a row, taking down Wisconsin (13th in Big Ten) and Purdue (14th in Big Ten).
Those wins gave the Hoosiers, especially being as young as they are, some crucial confidence. It allowed Indiana to see what worked, to see that the work put in was paying dividends. Indiana learned how to close out these close games, exactly like this win at Rutgers.
“I think there's definitely a pressure for us to win these games,” Ciezki said. “We feel it’s a big goal for us is to obviously make it to the Big Ten tournament, so that was just probably our biggest motivation these last couple games, just to dig down and stay focused and get what we want. So I think that extra pressure has helped a lot of people to step up and give more toward the end of the season.”
'We all trust her.' How Shay Ciezki became leader for Indiana women's basketball
Indiana is now 5-12 in the Big Ten, sitting in 14th with one game remaining. While the Hoosiers have not yet clinched a spot in the Big Ten tournament, which takes the top 15 teams, they have control of their destiny. Indiana will make the conference postseason with a win against Penn State on Saturday or a loss by Purdue or Wisconsin.
And coach Teri Moren thinks her team has what it takes to make it to Indianapolis — as long as they can fix their start from Wednesday night.
“These guys understand what they have to do in order to get into the Big Ten tournament,” Moren said. “That shouldn't be pressure. We're playing better basketball. I think they feel it, which is the most important thing, right, but what I'm going to tell you is we can't come out like we did tonight against Penn State (on Saturday) and think that we're good. We just can't do that. And so our sense of urgency, our focus, our ability to take better care of the ball, discernment for what a good shot is for us, it all matters. This was a great wake up call, I think, for our group.”
Want more Hoosiers coverage? Sign up for IndyStar's Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana women's basketball vs Rutgers score, Big Ten tournament chances
Continue reading...
