Indiana women’s basketball had a big opportunity on Saturday against No. 1 UCLA.
The Hoosiers had played much better in December, and this was their chance to prove themselves against a top-tier opponent, on their home court.
But the Bruins are No. 1 for a reason, and they showed it in a 73-62 victory at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
UCLA (15-0, 4-0 Big Ten) leaned on its defense to win this game. Indiana (10-4, 2-1 Big Ten) shot just 19 percent from 3-point range, as the Bruins made things difficult all over the court. The second quarter, in particular, was rough for the Hoosiers, as they scored only five points. UCLA outscored IU by just one point between the other three periods. Indiana shot just 2 for 11 from the field in that second period, with seven turnovers.
IU also couldn’t utilize its strong ball movement that fueled the recent hot streak. After three straight games with at least 25 assists, the team finished with just eight on Saturday. Teri Moren’s team tried to lean on the fastbreak, another one of its strengths, and finished with 16points in transition. But the Hoosiers needed that number to be higher to keep things
Individually, Indiana had no answers for star Bruins center Lauren Betts. At 6-foot-7, she held a big size advantage over everyone the Hoosiers threw at her. And they simply couldn’t stop her: Betts shot 12 for 16 for 25 points, with 12 rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and a steal.
IU battled foul trouble throughout the game, which made things harder. Four Hoosiers had two fouls at halftime, and Sydney Parrish had three. By the end of the game, four IU players had at least three fouls, and both Parrish and Karoline Striplin had fouled out.
Yarden Garzon was Indiana’s brightest offensive light, with 19 points on 6-of-17 shooting. But she still struggled from beyond the arc, going 1 for 8 on threes.
Chloe Moore-McNeil chipped in 12 points on 5-for-11 shooting, and she grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. For Moore-McNeil to lead the Hoosiers on the glass only illustrates how difficult an assignment their frontcourt faced against Betts.
Shay Ciezki shot 3 for 7 for 11 points, and didn’t attempt a single 3-pointer until the final 10 seconds of the game.
The Hoosiers hit the road for their next game at Northwestern on Wednesday, with tougher games following that against Iowa, Illinois, USC, and Oregon.
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