As white flurries of snow covered the ground in Bloomington on Wednesday, the Indiana Hoosiers sported their red jerseys inside Assembly Hall for the annual ‘ALS Awareness Game’ against the University of Washington. Despite yet another stellar performance from Indiana senior guard Shay Ciezki, the Hoosiers dropped their sixth straight game 82-63 as they move to 0-7 in Big Ten play.
“If 0-7 doesn’t spark your rear end to be motivated,” Indiana head coach Teri Moren said after the game, “then you probably shouldn’t be playing this game.”
It was once again Ciezki that led the Hoosiers in scoring, finishing with 23 points on 8-18 shooting. She knocked down seven of her 11 threes, as Indiana put together one of its better shooting nights from beyond the arc this season, connecting on 11 of 22.
Freshman forward Maya Makalusky hit four of her seven threes, shooting 13-29 since tallying six against Maryland on January 4. It’s the seventh time this season that Makalusky has hit multiple threes in her young career, and the fourth time in her last five games. During that five-game span, she’s averaging 11.2 points while shooting 43.2% from the field.
“I was just trying to do what I could to give the team extra jolts of energy,” Makalusky said after the game. “But obviously we need to get more stops on the defensive end.”
The Hoosiers outscored Washington in the second quarter, largely because of a 7-0 run to close out the half. It cut the deficit to 10, but the Huskies would turn around and score nine more points than Indiana in the second half. Indiana closed the game on a 12-2 run.
Senior guard Elle Ladine led the way for the Huskies, finishing with 19 points on 8-10 shooting, along with a team-high six rebounds. Ladine was also perfect from three, knocking down all three tries. It was her third straight game scoring in double figures, and the fourth time she’s done so in the last five games. Seven of her 19 points came in the second half that ultimately silenced the Hoosiers’ run.
“It definitely started in the first half with us,” Ciezki said postgame. “That just bled into the second half.”
Despite sophomore Zania Socka-Nguemen playing her third game since returning from a right foot injury that sidelined her since November 28, the Hoosiers got obliterated on the glass. The Huskies were able to grab 32 rebounds to just 20 for Indiana. Nine of Washington’s rebounds came on the offensive end, leading to 13 second-chance points.
The boards were spread out for Washington, as it had five players grab four or more rebounds. Indiana had just two players reach that total.
“It’s a want thing,” Moren said. “As a team, I have individuals that lack that, and that’s why it’s continued to be a problem.”
Indiana will have an extended eight-day break before traveling to Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio, for a meeting with the Ohio State University. The Hoosiers took the last meeting on February 20, 2025, 71-61; however, the Buckeyes own the all-time series 60-25. The game will tipoff at 8 p.m. and will be broadcast on Peacock.
