INDIANAPOLIS — While Indiana women’s basketball completed a remarkable comeback against Nebraska on Wednesday, it couldn’t replicate that energy a day later.
The Hoosiers fell behind No. 11 Ohio State in the second quarter of Thursday’s second-round Big Ten Tournament game. They didn’t go down without a fight, but they never showed the juice needed to make OSU uncomfortable. The Buckeyes ran away with an 83-59 win at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Indiana (18-14) entered this contest on a four-game winning streak, and with seven wins in its last nine games. But Ohio State (25-6) made clear the sizable gap between the two teams on Thursday. The Buckeyes started cold and IU built an early 12-6 lead, but OSU tied the game up by the end of the first quarter.
The Hoosiers never recovered. They trailed 36-24 at halftime, with redshirt sophomore Lenée Beaumont already at four fouls and freshman Nevaeh Caffey at three. Ohio State outscored Indiana 24-12 in the second quarter, and then 25-16 in the third quarter, as Teri Moren’s team shot 1 for 10 from 3-point range in those two quarters.
OSU also built a massive rebounding advantage after the first quarter. IU out-rebounded the Buckeyes 12-9 in the first period, but Ohio State held a 36-21 edge from there.
Freshman Maya Makalusky shot 5 for 12 from 3-point range and 6 for 7 at the foul line for a team-high 21 points. Senior Shay Ciezki had trouble getting into a rhythm, shooting 6 for 20 from the field and 0 for 4 from 3-point range for 12 points. That’s her lowest scoring output in any contest this year except for the UCLA game, when she exited with an injury in the first quarter. Caffey finished with 10 points despite shooting 1 for 7 from the field. She went 8 for 10 at the foul line.
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