Indiana ladies’s basketball was speculated to have an off day after shedding to Butler 56-46 on Nov. 13.
It didn’t.
As an alternative, the Hoosiers gathered for a crew assembly and intensive movie session, the place they delved into precisely what was going incorrect. The loss marked Indiana’s second straight after falling to Harvard in extra time on Nov. 7.
For a crew full of a lot success in recent times, Indiana was in uncharted territory after two comparatively stunning defeats. However the quick interval of reflection turned to motivation. That motivation turned to anger, which Indiana exercised in Saturday afternoon’s 79-66 win in opposition to No. 24 Stanford inside Simon Skjodt Meeting Corridor.
“You’re speaking a couple of crew that, for the final seven plus years, is used to profitable — one of many high applications within the nation,” Teri Moren mentioned postgame. “None of this has felt good. However the one factor I continued to say is so long as you’ve gamers within the locker room that wish to repair it, you’ve an opportunity.”
By means of the summer time into the autumn, the looming query was how Indiana would fare with out star heart Mackenzie Holmes. Moren nabbed Tennessee switch Karoline Striplin within the switch portal to pair with sophomore Lilly Meister within the revamped frontcourt, however it was going to take way more to recoup the manufacturing of this system’s all-time main scorer.
Towards Harvard and Butler, Indiana sorely missed the presence of a go-to offensive possibility. Holmes wasn’t simply a part of the Hoosiers’ identification — she was the identification, somebody whose gravity on offense opened up countless alternatives for the gamers round her. Moren knew there can be durations of battle with newcomers within the fold, however this was totally different.
By means of three video games, the Hoosiers have been capturing 25.5 p.c from 3-point vary. Of their two losses, they averaged a meager 57 factors per sport. One thing needed to give.
“They’ve been a little bit ticked off,” Moren mentioned. “It’s by no means a nasty factor to play a little bit mad.”
That fireside was evident on Saturday. With Meister sidelined for a lot of the second half in foul hassle, sophomore Julianna LaMendola was introduced in primarily for her protection. Within the first half, LaMendola ferociously boxed out a Stanford participant on a rebound and drew a foul.
Within the fourth quarter, she took a cost from Stanford main scorer Nunu Agara, prompting LaMendola to pump her fists and repeatedly scream, “Let’s go!” They have been exactly the type of performs Indiana’s senior leaders confused heading into the sport.
“Reminding all people what Indiana basketball is about,” Chloe Moore-McNeil mentioned. “We’re blue-collar.”
Indiana held Stanford to a season-worst 2-of-11 mark from deep, attacking shooters on closeouts and persistently speaking on switches. Moore-McNeil tallied 4 steals, her final organising a wide-open transition layup for junior guard Shay Ciezki.
Final yr, the Hoosiers misplaced to the Cardinal 96-64 in Palo Alto. The early season drubbing sparked questions of how effectively Indiana may compete in opposition to the highest echelon of opponents. Moore-McNeil mentioned that blowout loss was used as motivation heading into Saturday.
She wasn’t ready to let that occur once more.
“She’s performed in too many massive video games and she or he is aware of that she has not performed her finest,” Moren mentioned of Moore-McNeil. “However as I all the time say, she’s as powerful as a $6 steak.”
That toughness helped stifle Agara and Stanford’s shooters, however it was the rejuvenation of Indiana’s offense that sealed the victory. After failing to sink greater than six 3-pointers in a sport this season, the Hoosiers drained 9 of their 19 makes an attempt on Saturday.
Moore-McNeil shot 2-for-5 from deep en path to a game-high 21 factors and Ciezki added a pair of triples, as effectively. However junior Yarden Garzon — whose 4 3-pointers led the crew — altered the dynamic of Indiana’s offense.
Within the third quarter, Garzon splashed two threes on consecutive possessions to place Indiana up 53-38, sending the Hoosier trustworthy right into a frenzy.
“These are two big-time photographs by a big-time participant,” Moren mentioned.
Like Moore-McNeil, Garzon used the sting of final yr’s blowout loss to Stanford as motivation. When Garzon nailed the second straight 3-pointer, she threw her arms within the air and invited shouts and cheers from the followers.
“Dropping sucks,” Garzon mentioned. “We simply needed to win. All people on the crew needed to do all the things of their means to win this sport.”
With little inside scoring presence on Saturday, Moore-McNeil, Ciezki, and Garzon all scored no less than 18 factors. Within the second quarter, Indiana stormed on a 14-0 run and held Stanford scoreless for a little bit over 5 minutes.
The Hoosiers dictated the tempo from the outset, sprinting in transition and making an attempt to create as many scoring alternatives as doable. Moren mentioned she gave extra liberty for her crew to play sooner and with extra freedom and so they responded with a win of an significance tough to actually measure.
“I believe we simply wanted a number of video games to get our toes underneath ourselves by way of realizing this can be a totally different crew than the previous years,” Moore-McNeil mentioned.
After Indiana’s second straight loss, exterior issues crept in. Moren swiftly dismissed these. She knew this crew would take time to gel and discover its type.
She additionally knew that they’d appreciable potential as soon as they gained confidence and grew collectively. Nonetheless, they aren’t with out flaws. Even on Sunday, Indiana stalled within the latter a part of the fourth quarter, giving Stanford a sliver of hope.
Moren is aware of the win doesn’t completely resolve the crew’s issues, however it was laborious to not discover what may very well be.
“While you undergo tough patches, I believe you discover out rapidly what you’re manufactured from,” Moren mentioned. “We came upon at this time that we’re succesful of an entire lot.”
(Picture credit score: IU Athletics)
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