Just under three minutes into the contest, a frustrated Katie Geralds called her first timeout. Yarden Garzon had scored a quick seven points and Sydney Parrish followed with a left-wing 3-pointer to give Indiana a 10-2 lead.
The timeout didn’t help. Two minutes and eight seconds later, Geralds had to call another one as the Boilermakers fell behind 20-2.
The early onslaught was all Indiana needed to cruise past Purdue, 78-56. The victory extended IU’s winning streak against the Boilermakers to 12 games.
IU scored 30 points in the first quarter as Purdue struggled on both ends. The Boilermakers took until 4:12 to score their second field goal of the game, while Indiana thrived offensively. The Hoosiers shot 12-for-20 from the field in the opening 10 minutes.
IU had six players score in the first quarter, with each starter tallying at least five points. Purdue, meanwhile, shot just 4-for-10 in the first quarter and scored only 10 points.
“Our goal going into the game was playing fast,” Shay Ciezki said. “We knew that was going to be a big priority for us, and we came out swinging and knew that we just had to keep going with our transition game. And a lot of shots were falling, which is always nice. But when we got that lead, in the huddle, we kept saying, keep the lead. Keep the lead. Stay disciplined. Make the right reads, make the right passes, and just do not let up.”
Indiana’s success in transition remained a constant throughout the game. In the blowout win, the Hoosiers scored 20 fast break points, compared to only three for the Boilermakers.
Indiana shot 50 percent from the field and beyond the 3-point line (8-for-16).
The three leading scorers for Indiana, Parrish, Ciezki and Garzon, combined to score 53 of the team’s 78 points. The Hoosiers led by as many as 31 points in the Barn Burner Trophy Game.
“The first offensive key on the board is always, we want to push the pace,” Teri Moren said. “We want to set the pace. We want to get those hit aheads. We want to get those layups. We want to get those rhythm threes. We want to see if we can get a piece of the paint and get not just a good shot but a great shot, you know, by getting everybody involved.”
Indiana thrived on the offensive end, but they also caused problems on defense. The Hoosiers forced 24 Purdue turnovers and had 13 steals, the most an opponent has committed against Indiana this season and the most steals IU has had this year.
An energetic home crowd juiced up this performance, and with players like Parrish familiar with the importance of this game, it allowed for an easy win. The Hoosiers entered the game on a two-game losing streak, with tough late-game losses to Michigan and Minnesota, but now, they hope to use this performance to gain momentum ahead of a crucial three-game stretch.
“It is a great game to build off of with how we’re playing defensively. You know, we take a lot of pride in that. So I do believe that it will carry over in the next few games that we play,” Ciezki said.
(Photo credit: IU Athletics)
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