Coming off a gutsy win over then-No. 24 Stanford on Nov. 17, Indiana ladies’s basketball arrived at Battle 4 Atlantis match in The Bahamas with loads of momentum.
The Hoosiers topped Columbia 72-62 on Saturday behind stellar play from sophomore Lilly Meister and junior Yarden Garzon and a day later took down No. 18 Baylor 73-65 to advance to Monday’s championship sport in opposition to North Carolina.
But, the momentum that the Hoosiers constructed over the weekend was extinguished by the Tar Heels. Indiana was utterly stifled within the second half and fell 69-39, its largest margin of defeat since Nov. 12, 2023, in opposition to Stanford.
The Tar Heels unleashed an onslaught of 3-pointers, taking pictures 11-for-23 from distance in comparison with a meager 4-for-26 mark for the Hoosiers. Garzon was the one Indiana participant to eclipse 8 factors and the Hoosiers shot a mixed 29 p.c from the sphere.
“This wasn’t our best 40 minutes,” head coach Teri Moren stated Monday by way of Zoom. “We didn’t have the urgency stage we would have liked, and that was disappointing.”
After a strong resume constructing win in opposition to Baylor, Indiana’s efficiency on Monday left a lot to be desired and exemplified the recurring rising pains of this 12 months’s revamped crew.
Listed below are a couple of notes and takeaways from the Hoosiers’ Battle 4 Atlantis performances:
Two steps ahead, one step again
After reeling off its third straight win Sunday in opposition to Baylor, Indiana was bodily and comfy with North Carolina’s tempo by the primary half. The Tar Heels gained a 32-26 benefit by the primary 20 minutes, however the Hoosiers had been utterly shut down thereafter.
Indiana scored simply 13 second-half factors and regarded dysfunctional on offense and weak on protection. North Carolina’s 3-point explosion largely got here on open appears to be like, usually stemming from breakdowns inside the Hoosiers’ rotations.
Juniors Indya Nivar and Trayanna Crisp each tallied 15 factors for the Tar Heels and Crisp splashed 4 triples within the first half alone. Indiana hasn’t been capable of piece collectively constant performances all season and Monday’s loss shined a lightweight on that variability.
Moren talked at size within the offseason about how completely different the crew would look post-Mackenzie Holmes, however now near a month into the season, it’s troublesome to decipher the Hoosiers’ id.
“That wasn’t us at the moment in any respect,” senior Chloe Moore-McNeil stated. “That wasn’t us in any respect. And I take full duty, as one among our leaders, as a result of I can’t enable that to occur.”
Yarden Garzon data second profession double-double
Through the first half in opposition to Columbia, it appeared Indiana would possibly fall sufferer to yet one more sudden upset. It had already misplaced to Harvard and Butler earlier within the season, and on Saturday, regardless of taking pictures simply 15.4 p.c from 3-point vary, Columbia was successful the rebounding battle.
The Lions corralled eight offensive boards within the first half and persistently created second probability alternatives. However within the second half, Indiana made a concerted effort to forestall them. The Hoosiers received the second half rebounding battle 20-10 and prevented Columbia from flattening a single offensive board.
Garzon led the crew with 10 rebounds and added 18 factors for her second profession double-double.
“In an effort to win, we needed to take the rebounds,” Garzon stated on Saturday. “We couldn’t allow them to rating from second probability anymore and the coaches did an important job in emphasizing that.”
Garzon shot 3-for-7 from past the arc and prolonged her double-digit scoring streak to 5 video games. She knocked down a minimum of two triples in every of these 5 video games whereas additionally rating third on the crew in assists and second in steals.
Shay Ciezki steps up in opposition to Baylor
A day after Meister and Garzon mixed for 38 factors to steer Indiana over Columbia, the Hoosiers wanted a savior in opposition to Baylor. Junior Shay Ciezki answered the decision, erupting for a season-high 34 factors en path to Indiana’s 73-65 victory.
Ciezki was introduced in from Penn State this offseason primarily for her exterior taking pictures prowess, which the Hoosiers wanted a jolt of following Sara Scalia’s commencement. She struggled in that regard for the primary two video games of the season, taking pictures a mixed 0-for-6 from vary.
However after Ciezki’s quiet outing in opposition to Columbia, she was nearly unguardable in opposition to Baylor. Ciezki drained 4 of her 5 3-point makes an attempt and shot 12-for-13 from the free throw line, spearheading Indiana’s second ranked win of the season.
“Everyone knows that any day, any time, any sport, somebody can have a kind of particular moments for us,” Moren stated on Sunday. “At the moment it was Shay’s time to shine.”
However Ciezki didn’t simply have success from past the arc. She was capable of rating in any respect three ranges, mixing in midrange jumpers and aggressive drives to the rim. Ciezki creates loads of house off the ball along with her quickness and Moren famous the significance of her “wiggle” and craftiness when taking over defenders.
“She’s aggressive,” Moren stated. “Shay loves the sport, she’s passionate concerning the sport and she or he performs it like that — with an amazing quantity of ardour.”
Sydney Parrish misses title sport with harm
After colliding with Baylor ahead Aaronette Vonleh within the second quarter of Sunday’s matchup, Sydney Parrish exited to the locker room with an obvious left leg harm. She didn’t see any motion within the second half and walked with crutches and an ice pack wrapped round her knee.
Parrish was sidelined for Monday’s championship loss to North Carolina and Moren stated she received’t know a timeline for the ahead’s return till the crew medical doctors conduct additional imaging.
“We all know one factor about Syd Parrish, and she or he’s robust,” Moren stated. “If she might play, she would. If she’s not, we’re going to guard her. We nonetheless acquired a whole lot of season left forward of us.”
Parrish has been struggling offensively this season, averaging 9.3 factors on 35.8 p.c taking pictures from the sphere and a dismal 12 p.c from past the arc. Nonetheless, Parrish is an adept defender and the crew’s second main rebounder, flattening 6.3 boards per sport.
Sophomore Julianna LaMendola made her first profession begin in lieu of Parrish on Monday, logging profession highs of 6 factors and 11 rebounds in half-hour. LaMendola is primarily defensive minded, and whereas her effort is unquestioned, she confirmed her youth and inexperience on a few rotational miscommunications.
Parrish’s absence was obvious.
“We clearly missed Syd at the moment,” Moren stated. “She’s one among our leaders and a vocal presence on the ground. Jules got here in and performed arduous, but it surely’s going to be one other adjustment interval.”
Indiana was totally dominated by North Carolina as an entire, each on the glass and when it comes to scoring effectivity. Now, the Hoosiers have loads of time to regroup earlier than returning to Bloomington to host Maine on Dec. 1.
(Picture credit score: IU Athletics)
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