Indiana women’s basketball beat Lipscomb by a final score of 80-46 on Tuesday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Below are three quick reasons why the Hoosiers won, along with highlights and final stats.
IU (1-0) returns to Branch McCracken Court on Friday against Illinois-Chicago.
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Three quick reasons why Indiana beat Lipscomb
1. A big night for Ciezki. Shay Ciezki is Indiana’s lone returning starter this season, and she played like it on Tuesday. The senior led the Hoosiers with 22 points on a 8-of-17 clip. She really took off in the second half, shooting 5 for 8 from the field and 2 for 3 from 3-point range for 14 points. Along with the scoring, Ciezki tied for the team lead with three assists, and she also added five rebounds and a steal. With so little experience in IU’s rotation this year, head coach Teri Moren will lean on Ciezki for performances like this throughout the season.
2. Big run in first quarter. IU didn’t come out and immediately dominate the Bisons. Moren’s team needed a few minutes to settle in. The game was tied at six after the first 2:30 of game time. But that’s when things opened up — Indiana went on a 15-0 run across a 3:40 span in the middle of the quarter, and the Hoosiers never relinquished that cushion. Sophomore forward Zania Socka-Ngueman scored six points in that run, and freshman guard Nevaeh Caffey added five points, including a 3-pointer that gave IU its first double-digit lead. Ciezki and Lenée Beaumont chipped in two points each during the key stretch, as well. Beaumont joined Ciezki and Socka-Ngueman as Indiana’s double-digit scorers on Tuesday, with 10 points on 4-for-8 shooting.
3. Lipscomb couldn’t stop ‘Big Z’. Socka-Ngueman is one of IU’s biggest ‘X-factors’ this season, because of the physicality and athleticism she brings to the frontcourt. The UCLA transfer backed that up on Tuesday, as the Bisons just didn’t have an answer for her. The sophomore shot 9 for 10, with her lone miss coming in the second quarter, for 19 points. She tied for the team lead with six rebounds as well. IU coveted Socka-Ngueman as a high school recruit, before she chose the Bruins in fall 2023. But Tuesday’s outing shows why the Hoosiers wanted to sign her then, and why she’s so important to this year’s squad.
HIGHLIGHTS
FINAL STATS
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