Golden Gophers Expose Hoosiers Frontcourt Weaknesses in Rout

By Nick Jenkinson/Excel H Sports

      The Minnesota Golden Gophers handed the Indiana Hoosiers their first home loss of the season 71-48 Monday Night in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Indiana was 8-0 at home this season coming into this game and Minnesota hands the Hoosiers there second Conference Loss of the Season after Indiana lost by 21 points at Illinois on December 6. Indiana is now 11-3 overall and the Hoosiers will host Michigan State on Thursday at Noon with a 12-1 record and 1-1 Big Ten Record. Minnesota is 10-3 on the season and 1-1 in the Big Ten. The Golden Gophers have won four in a row and travel to Michigan Next Monday Night.

     Indiana outscored Minnesota 18-13 in the first quarter as Golden Gophers responded with a 21-10 second quarter to lead 34-28 at halftime. Minnesota put Indiana away in the third quarter outscoring the Hoosiers 17-5 to lead 51-33 going to the fourth quarter. Minnesota was able outscore Indiana 20-15 in the final period as the Golden Gophers outscored Indiana 37-22 in the second half. Minnesota leads the all-time series 39-36 as the Golden Gophers have won 2 in a row and beat Indiana for the first time in Bloomington since February 6, 2019, 65-61 snapping the Hoosiers three game winning streak against Minnesota at home.

    Minnesota exposed the weaknesses of Indiana’s frontcourt who without Sophomore Zania Socka-Nugemen for the seventh straight game due to a lower leg injury.  Sophomore Faith Weisman for the fourth straight game after suffering an injury in practice before the Louisiana-Monroe Game on December 11 giving Indiana 9 available player. Zoe Jackson a 6-4 Freshman from Oakville, Australia has joined the team for the second semester as she graduated from High School in Australia and is part of the Hoosiers 2026 top ranked recruiting class, but she will redshirt the remainder of this season but gives the Hoosiers an extra body and size in practice that they desperately need with a thin frontcourt.

    Minnesota dominated Indiana inside 39-25 on the boards and 18-2 on the offensive end. Minnesota had 19 second chance points to zero for Indiana and the Golden Gophers dominated with 38 points in the paint and just 10 for the Hoosiers. Indiana committed 21 turnovers, and Minnesota scored 21 points off those turnovers. Minnesota committed six turnovers for the entire game and Indiana scored six points off those turnovers. “The Big Ten is too good to hang our heads on this loss” Indiana Redshirt Sophomore Lenee Beaumont said after the game. “We have another opportunity on Thursday against Michigan State, and we are going to get ready and watch film” Beaumont added.

   Indiana scored 46 of their 48 points from their starting backcourt of Lenee Beaumont, Shay Ciezki and Neveah Caffey. Beaumont scored 17 points, Ceizki added 16 and Caffey added 13 points. Edessa Noyan scored two points pulled down 7 rebounds and fouled out as four of eight players who played scored tonight and that will not be enough going forward. The Hoosiers were 15-39 from the field for 39%, 9-21 from three-point range for 43% and 9-12 from the free throw line for 75%. Indiana dished out 9 assists, 2 steals, 1 block and committed 21 turnovers.

  Amaya Battle led Minnesota with 20 points and 8 rebounds, Tori McKinney added 17 points and Sophie Hart pulled down 12 rebounds and scored 9 points. The Golden Gophers were 29-71 from the field 40%, 5-14 from three-point range for 35% and 8-10 from the free throw line for 80%. Minnesota dished out 11 assists, 9 steals and 2 blocks and committed six turnovers.

   Head Coach Teri Moren was very passionate in the post-game press conference about the work that is ahead for her and her team for the remainder of the season. She did not hold back when taking responsibility for her team’s performance and how she and her staff need to do better but also the players need to take ownership when they come in and prepare for a game. ” I sit in my office and listen to the conversations before the game, and they are not always about ball’ Coach Moren Said after the game. This Team is not the Indiana Teams of the past that are locked in before the game talking about the scouting report and the keys to the game and that does not sit well with Coach Moren.

    “It has to matter” Moren said and she was very disappointed in the result because she alluded to the fact that the team prepared for three days after returning from the Christmas Break and especially doing all the drills preparing for the inside game of Minnesota and that did not show up. Moren was most disappointed for the fans who showed up and saw her team not have the fight and energy to compete and hopes they continue to support this team that is going to have to play a lot better than did in the first two Big Ten Games if they want to get to the Big Ten Tournament in March.