Indiana women’s basketball fell to Minnesota 71-48 on Monday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
Below are three quick reasons why the Hoosiers lost, along with highlights, final stats, and a few quotes.
IU (11-3) is back in action on Thursday at home against No. 24 Michigan State.
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1. Careless turnovers lead to tough quarters – Turnovers haven’t been a new problem for Teri Moren’s squad, and you could even extend that to past teams as well. However, several of Indiana’s turnovers on Monday night were careless. Minnesota was credited with forcing 21 IU turnovers, but a number of bad passes and avoidable mistakes made it seem more self-inflicted. 15 of Indiana’s turnovers came in the second and third quarters, in which the Gophers outscored IU 38-15. Although their defense fared well, Indiana only forced 6 takeaways on the night.
2. Not enough effort on the glass – Teri Moren has talked countless times about rebounding being more of an effort problem for her squad. The effort level was fairly low overall, but the Hoosiers struggled immensely on the glass against Minnesota. Indiana led 18-13 after the first quarter, and was ahead on the rebounding battle at that point as well. But after that period, Minnesota’s effort on the glass caught up with the Hoosiers. The Gophers ended the game with 18 offensive rebounds, compared to only two for Indiana. Some possessions finished with multiple second-chance opportunities for Minnesota and a basket. The total margin wasn’t any better, with the Gophers winning the battle on the glass, 39 to 25.
3. Offense limited to four players – It’s understandable that Indiana’s more experienced guards are doing a bulk of the work on offense, especially with Zania Socka-Nguemen continuing to be unavailable. However, there’s still an expectation that surrounding pieces need to contribute, which was visibly absent on Monday night. Indiana only had four Hoosiers score points against the Gophers. Lenee Beaumont, Shay Ciezki, and Nevaeh Caffey each finished in double figures, and Edessa Noyan finished with two points. That’s it. The third quarter was by far the worst period, as IU scored just five points. Indiana finished with a 38 percent shooting night from the field.
Final stats
Highlights
Quotable
Teri Moren on defense, offensive rebounds: “There was just a lot of breakdowns defensively. And then, when you give them second, third chances. They had how many more shots in the first half than we did just because of their offensive rebounding, right? You just can’t overcome that. They had one offensive rebound in the first quarter, and then after that it went completely downhill. And so, I’m going to keeep saying it, that is toughness. That is true resolve, being relentless. That is not a skill thing.”
Shay Ciezki on preparation leading up to Minnesota: “We put emphasis on rebounding, extra effort plays. We were focusing on our motion, making sure we’re trying to get downhill, looking to attack on the rail drives. There were a few things we worked on, but I don’t think any of that pertains to this game, just because I think it was a hustle thing, it was an effort, thing, it was a want, it was a will.”
Teri Moren on the team’s overall approach: “It has to matter. It has to be important to those guys when they come in, not just when they come in and play. I mean, it’s everyday. Practice, it’s how you approach practice, it’s how you focus on what we’re doing in practice. It’s the conversations that you have leading up to practice. It’s the conversations you have leading up into the game, and what the keys are gonna be, and what’s important, versus things that shouldn’t be entering your mind when you’re getting ready to go to a game and play a team like Minnesota. That’s where we need to mature, that’s where we have to grow, and it’s not all of them, but it’s some of them. They have to mature in a way that, you know, understandind that winning is hard. You’ve heard me say it a thousand times, and i’ll keep saying it, but it does take a special type of competitor that understands what it’s gonna take to go in and win games.”
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