By Jhett Garrett
BLOOMINGTON, IN: The buzzer rung through Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, and a unanimous groan could be heard from the Hoosier faithful. It was the end of the second quarter, marking the conclusion of a forgettable first half for Indiana. It was one of the many puzzle pieces in The Hoosiers’ 57-51 win over Marshall University on Tuesday, but one that will be a heavy focus for them.
“You’ve got one kid out there in Shay Ciezki who’s played a lot of minutes,” said Indiana head coach Teri Moren after the game. “And then you’ve got four other guys out there that haven’t played meaningful minutes.”
With 14 turnovers and just a 9-for-29 shooting clip, Indiana found itself in a fight with the Thundering Herd. To make things worse, sophomore forward Zania Socka-Nguemen missed a majority of the first quarter after picking up two fouls on back-to-back possessions.
“I can’t control the refs,” Socka-Nguemen said postgame. “I just kept cheering on my teammates when I came in, and I knew I had to make a difference.”
Socka-Nguemen wasted no time reestablishing herself in the game, finishing with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Her presence was missed, but junior forward Edessa Noyan held it down in her absence. While Socka-Nguemen was on the bench, Noyan collected five rebounds, with three of them coming on offense. It was a pivotal part in the Hoosiers winning the rebound battle 46-to-30.
“We really challenged all of them to dominate the boards,” Moren said. “We felt like our guards had to help us to rebound the ball tonight.”
No one played a bigger role in the rebounding category than senior guard Shay Ciezki, who collected 10. Following an Indiana career-high in points with 35 against the University of Illinois-Chicago, Ciezki tallied her first double-double in the cream and crimson. She finished with 13 points on 4-7 shooting, while also tacking on three assists and three steals, while playing all 40 minutes.
“My expectation is for Shay to do that,” Moren said. “She’s a senior, she’s played a lot of minutes, she’s played in big games.”
Despite the win, one of the biggest concerns for Moren all season has been the turnover category. The Hoosiers averaged just nine per game as a team entering Tuesday’s matchup, with just 18 on the young season; however, they finished with 28 in the game.
It was the first time this season that the Hoosiers had lost the turnover battle, with Marshall giving it up just 14 times. Entering the game, the Thundering Herd had forced 46 turnovers through their first two games.
“We’re still trying to figure things out as a team,” said redshirt sophomore guard Lenée Beaumont postgame. “We know we can’t be turning the ball over, especially when we continue our season.”
The Hoosiers will have the rest of the week to adjust before traveling to the Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee, Florida, as they take on Florida State University. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. and will be broadcast on ACC Network.
