Indiana restarts Big Ten Play with a 31-point rout over Wisconsin

By Nick Jenkinson/Excel H Sports

    The Indiana Hoosiers restarted Big Ten Conference Play Saturday Afternoon with an 83-52 win over the Wisconsin Badgers at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Indiana is now 2-0 in the Big Ten after winning their conference opener earlier in the month at Penn State as they improved to 10-3 on the season and have won their last six games. Wisconsin falls to 10-3 on the season and 1-1 in the Big Ten. Indiana has dominated this series winning 11 straight over the Badgers which is the longest streak over another Big Ten opponent to date as they are 36-4 all time at home including 9 in a row and 54-23 all-time against Wisconsin. Indiana has won seven straight Big Ten home openers which ties the program record.

    The Hoosiers put four in double figures with Lilly Mesiter leading the way with 20 points. Shay Ciezki added 14 points along with 13 points apiece from Yarden Garzon and Sydney Parrish. The Hoosiers finished 32-60 from the field for 53%, 9-18 from three-point range for 50% and 10-14 from the free throw line for 71%. Indiana pulled down 30 rebounds, dished out 25 assists, 10 blocks, 8 steals, 42 points in the paint, 16 bench points and committed 8 turnovers.

    Serah Williams led Wisconsin with 13 points and 11 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season, but she worked for every point and rebounds with Lilly Meister and Karoline Striplin rotating on her defensively throughout the game. Carter McCray added 10 points and 5 rebounds. Wisconsin finished the game 18-52 from the field for 34%, 5-12 from three-point range for 41% and 11-17 from the free throw line for 68%. The Badgers pulled down 33 rebounds, dished out 12 assists, 4 blocks, 2 steals, 20 points in the paint, 18 bench points and committed 18 turnovers.

   Wisconsin jumped out to a 4-1 lead after Carter McCray scored both Badger buckets with the second one coming with 8:19 left in the first quarter. Indiana took the lead 5-4 on a Shay Ciezki layup off a Wisconsin turnover at 7:04 mark. The Hoosiers went on a 12-0 run to lead 13-4 with 5:11 left in the opening period and never trailed the rest of the way. Wisconsin ended the scoring drought when Lilly Krahn hit the pull up jumper with 4:43 left in the quarter. Indiana went on an 8-0 run to lead 21-6 with 2:53 left in the quarter. The Badgers responded with a 11-0 run and three straight triples to cut the Hoosiers lead to four points 21-17 after the first ten minutes.

   Halle Douglas hit a free throw to start the second quarter to put the Badgers within three at 21-18 with 9:20 left in the second quarter. Indiana went a 7-0 run with Sydney Parrish three and back-to-back buckets from Lilly Meister as the Hoosiers increased the lead to ten points with 7:37 left in the quarter. Indiana controlled the rest of the quarter outscoring the Badgers 14-5 to head to the locker room leading 42-23 as Chloe Moore-McNeil beat the halftime buzzer with a three pointer to end the half with 7-0 in the last one minutes and eleven seconds. The Hoosiers hit their final three field goals of the half and Badgers were held scoreless for the final four minutes and twenty-nine seconds of the first half as Indiana had 8 blocks in the opening half.

   In the third quarter Carter McCray did a repeat of the first quarter scoring the first two Wisconsin buckets as Wisconsin cut the Indiana lead to 15 points, 44-29 with 7:19 left in the third. The Hoosiers outscored Wisconsin 21-4 including a Yarden Garzon Three to put the Hoosiers up 66-34 at the end of the third quarter. The Hoosiers finished the third quarter on 10-0 run and held the Badgers scoreless for the final two minutes and twenty seconds of the third quarter.

   In the opening minutes of the fourth quarter Yarden Garzon hit the floor hard and was taken out of the game and with the game in hand there was no reason to put her back in. Wisconsin did outscore the Hoosiers 18-17 in the final ten minutes, but the Hoosiers held the Badgers without a field goal for the final four minutes and 31 seconds missing their last four shots from the field. Indiana finished the game hitting their last five of seven from the field as Freshman Faith Wiseman who played just 45 minutes from campus at Indian Creek High School scored her first point as a Hoosier hitting a free throw with 17 seconds left.

    After a 1-2 to start to season and a battle to have a healthy squad all season the Hoosiers are starting to hit their stride with 9-1 mark since. Indiana did it on both ends of the floor like Teri Moren coached teams are expected to do which is get stops, block and alter shots and score off those mistakes by the opponent. Indiana is clicking on offense on with sharing the ball and finding the open player and when they get rolling it is hard to stop. The Hoosiers have a big test ahead when the top ranked UCLA Bruins come to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall Next Saturday for a Noon showdown.