#10 Excel H Sports Wolverines Full Court Press stifles The Hoosiers

By Nick Jenkinson/Excel H Sports

   The #10 Excel H Sports Ranked Michigan Wolverines handled the Indiana Hoosiers 95-67 Thursday Night in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Michigan led start to finish, and their full court press forced 23 Hoosier turnovers and the Wolverines capitalized, 34 scoring points off those turnovers. Michigan dominated by scoring 54 points the paint and holding the Hoosiers to 67 points for the entire game. Michigan has won the last three meetings between the two teams and it’s just their ninth all-time win in Bloomington in 36 games as the Hoosiers lead the series 49-32.

   Michigan is 18-3 on the season and 8-1 in the Big Ten. Michigan has won three in a row and seven of their last eight games. Indiana is 11-11 overall and 0-10 in the Big Ten. Indiana is .500 for the first time since November 7, 2024, when the Hoosiers were 1-1 to start the season after a season opening win against Brown followed by a home loss to Harvard. Indiana has lost nine in a row and seven by double digits including the last four games.

   Indiana will face Northwestern on Sunday Afternoon at Simon Skojdt Assembly Hall and Northwestern has three Big Ten Conference Wins and sits in the 15th and final spot for the Big Ten Women’s Tournament in Indianapolis in March. Indiana has 8 more games left and needs to beat Northwestern plus two more wins down the road to have any shot at the postseason as the bottom three in the conference standings stay home.

  Olivia Olson led Michigan with 27 points and 5 rebounds. Olson was 10-14 from the field, 1-3 from three-point range and 6-7 from the free throw line. Mila Holloway added 17 points, and Syla Swords scored 10 points. Westfield, Indiana Native Alyssa Crockett scored 3 points in 9 minutes as 11 of the 13 Wolverines that played scored. Michigan finished 35-68 from the field for 51 %, 7-16 from three-point range for 43 % and 18-28 from the free throw line for 64 %. Michigan pulled 37 down rebounds, 15 assists, 16 steals, 2 blocks and 11 turnovers. The Wolverines had 29 fastbreak points, 26 bench Points and 13 second chance points.

  Maya Maklusky led Indiana with 17 points and Shay Ciezki added 13 points as they both fouled out. Lenee Beaumont who celebrated her Birthday added 13 points. Jerni Kiaku added 8 points, Neveah Caffey and Edessa Noyan added 7 points apiece. Faith Wiseman scored 2 points in 12 minutes as the Indian Creek Graduate played in her first game since December 6 at Illinois. Chloe Spreen saw her first minutes since December 21, playing for two minutes and not scoring. Phoenix Stotjin did not score in three minutes, and Jade Ondineme did not play.

   Indiana was without Sophomore Forward Zania Socka-Nuegmen is out for the second game in a row with a lower leg injury. Head Coach Teri Moren said the injury is on the other foot and said after the game there was no timetable for her return. The Hoosiers finished 24-47 from the field for 51%, 8-21 from the field three-point range for 38% and 11-16 from the free throw line for 68%. The Hoosiers pulled down 25 rebounds, 12 assists, 5 steals and 4 blocks. Indiana scored 30 points in the paint, 10 bench points, 10 points off turnovers and 10 fastbreak points.

   Michigan jumped out to a 12-3 lead hitting their first five shots from the field and led 24-15 after the first quarter. Michigan outscored Indiana 25-16 in the second quarter as the Wolverines had an 8-0 run and a 14-2 run to increase the lead to 40-20 with 6:08 left in the second quarter. Indiana responded with a 11-2 run to cut the lead to 11 points 42-31 with 2:42 left before halftime. Michigan came back with a 7-0 run in the last 2:09 as Indiana did not score in the last 2:42 for the second quarter. Michigan led 49-31 at halftime as Olivia Olson scored 17 points at halftime.

  Michigan outscored Indiana 23-18 in both the third and fourth quarter as the Wolverines led 72-49 at the end of the third quarter and closed it out even though they missed their final six shots from the field and did not hit a field goal for the last 3:55.

  Indiana Head Coach Teri Moren praised Michigan and Head Coach Kim Barnes Arico for how she has built her program and says “They’re going to make a deep run” when talking about the NCAA Tournament in March. Moren also asked the fans “To stick with this team and do not give up because they are showing up every day” and Moren added she must “Keep pouring into this team and continue to encourage this team to not give up”.

  Lenee Beaumont knows that this is hard and experience this when she played AAU ball in Illinois and her team won two games at the end of summer. “We have to get better and I have to do better and limit my turnovers” Beaumont said after the game. Beaumont knows that there is another big opportunity on Sunday and a must win situation against Northwestern and knows that “The Big Ten is tough and every game is a big game, and we have stay in games to have a chance.”

   For Head coach Teri Moren she has not experienced a season since the 2014-15 season when she was 15-16 in her first season at Indiana. Moren does not make excuses but says “We keep seeing the same things over and over” and added “Nobody feels sorry for us” but now the focus turns to Northwestern on Sunday and still looking for that first Big Ten Conference win of the season.