#14 Excel H Sports Ranked Hawkeyes Overcome Slow Start Against the Hoosiers 

By Nick Jenkinson/Excel H Sports

     The #14 Excel H Sports Ranked Iowa Hawkeyes were down 35-19 at halftime and outscored the Indiana Hoosiers 37-18 in the second half to win 56-53 Sunday Evening in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Iowa is 14-2 overall and 5-0 in the Big Ten and remain at the top of standings. Indiana is 11-7 overall and 0-6 in the Big Ten and will host the Washington Huskies on Wednesday Night at 7 PM.

    Shay Ciezki led Indiana with 21 points and scored 19 points in first half. Ciezki was 8-13 from the field, 1-4 from three-point range and 2-3 from the free throw line in the first half. Ciezki was 1-9 in the second half from the field, 0-6 from three-point range with 2 points in the second half. Ciezki scored as many points as the Iowa Hawkeyes had in the first half and said after the game “Iowa did a good job on adjustments at halftime, and the second half is on me for sure.”

   Zania Socka-Nuegmen scored 12 points along with 12 rebounds for her second consecutive double-double and her fifth of the season. Neveah Caffey added 7 points; Lenee Beaumont scored 5 points as Jerni Kiaku and Edessa Noyan scored 4 points apiece. Maya Makalusky and Phoenix Stotjin played but did not score. Indiana finished the game 24-65 from the field for 37%, 2-19 from three-point range for 10% and 3-4 from the free throw line for 75%. Indiana pulled down 40 rebounds, dished out 7 assists, 4 steals, 1 block, 32 points in the paint and 14 turnovers.

   Ava Heiden and Chazadi “Chit-Chat” Wright led the Hawkeyes with 13 points each. Hannah Stuelke scored 12 points and pulled down 12 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season and her second in the last three games. Iowa finished the game 21-59 from the field for 35%, 4-16 from three-point range for 25% and 10-16 from the free throw line for 62%. Iowa pulled down 40 rebounds, dished out 10 assists, 10 steals, 6 blocks, 30 points in the paint and 10 turnovers.

  Indiana took control in the first half after the game was tied 2-2 as the Hoosiers went on a 10-0 run as the Hoosiers led 20-8 after the first quarter. The Hoosiers were 10-22 from the field for 45% and 0-3 from the field and held the Hawkeyes to 2-14 from the field for 14% and 0-6 from downtown and 4-4 from the free throw line.

  Ava Heiden went to work for Iowa in the second quarter, scoring all nine of her points, going for 4-9 from the field and 1-2 from the free throw line. Indiana outscored Iowa 15-11 in the second quarter and went on an 8-0 run in the last 1:58 to lead 35-19 at the break as Iowa did not score a point for the final two minutes and forty-two seconds. Indiana was 16-35 from the field for 45%, 1-8 from three-point range for 12% and 2-3 from the free throw line for 66%.

  Indiana had 23 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 2 Steals 0 Blocks 7 Turnovers and 20 Points in the Paint in the first half. Iowa was 7-28 from the field for 25%, 0-8 from three-point range and 5-8 from the free throw line for 62%. Iowa had 17 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 5 Steals, 1 Block 8 Turnovers and 14 Points in the Paint in the first half.

 The Third Quarter was all Iowa as they outscored Indiana 19-4 in the third quarter as the Hoosiers struggled to come out of the locker room after a strong first half which has been the case all season and does not, please Head Coach Teri Moren. Indiana was 2-13 from the field, 0-6 from three-point range and had 5 turnovers.

  “It was all of them not just one of them that just came down and put up bad shots” Moren Said after the game. Moren knew that Iowa “Had a big run in them” and that third quarter just that as the Hawkeyes were 7-17 from the field, 3-6 from three-point range and 2-2 from the free throw line and had 1 turnover in the third quarter.

  Indiana led 39-38 going into the final ten minutes. Iowa outscored Indiana 18-14 in the fourth quarter. Indiana led 50-48 with 2:53 left after Lenee Beaumont was fouled on a made basket and went to the line to complete the three-point play. Iowa scored the next 8 points and Neveah Caffey hit a three at the buzzer to make the game a three-point difference. Iowa leads the all-time series 55-24 and 19-19 all-time Bloomington as Iowa snaps a two-game losing streak against the Hoosiers.

  Indiana has played a tough stretch with three ranked opponents in a row, and they have played close games against Nebraska and Iowa after their first four Big Ten games were double-digit losses. There was some miscommunication at the end of the game as Indiana fouled in the final minute even though they were told not to foul and Head Coach Teri Moren said, “I have got to do better and will continue to get them to where we want to be because we are far from where we want to be.”