BLOOMINGTON — Even with only nine points going into the fourth quarter of IU women’s basketball’s game against Oregon on Sunday, there was little doubt in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall that Shay Ciezki would get going.
All season long, all she’s done is deliver when her team’s needed her most.
102 seconds into the final period, she knocked down her first 3-pointer of the game — a wide-open look coming off a screen. Ciezki shuffled back on defense with a fierce look in her eye. She’d gone 0 for 5 from beyond the arc through the first three quarters, but after drilling that first triple, she was locked in.
From then on, the Buffalo, N.Y. native took over, the way she has all year.
The ensuing defensive possession ended with a Ciezki rebound, which she parlayed into a fastbreak assist. IU’s next offensive trip? A Ciezki assist of an Edessa Noyan layup. The Hoosiers missed their next two field goals after that, before the senior hit another 3-pointer. Oregon then went on a run to take the lead, before Ciezki made another clutch three.
That fourth quarter — 11 points, three assists, and three rebounds — was emblematic of the most reliable aspect of Indiana’s season. No matter the game situation, no matter what the rest of the team was doing, Shay Ciezki will show up, one way or another.
“It is such a good feeling, having someone that we know we can trust having the ball with and basically know something good is gonna happen,” Noyan said after the game. “We’ve gone to her a lot of times this season, and she’s gonna have to keep doing it the rest of the season too. But it’s just, it’s a really good feeling. We all trust her very much.”
Indiana, as a team, has largely underwhelmed in 2025-26. Sunday’s victory over Oregon, ranked No. 25 in Torvik, was its best of the season. Teri Moren’s program, less than two years removed from clinching a Sweet 16 berth at Assembly Hall, is fighting just to make the Big Ten Tournament. The Hoosiers have a young roster, and they’ve displayed the inconsistency expected from limited power-conference experience.
Going into this season, Ciezki was the team’s most known commodity, and its lone returning starter. She’s lived up to that role and more. The 5-foot-7 guard is putting up huge numbers, as she’s tied for the Big Ten scoring lead. And the former Penn State transfer has done that with her team needing those types of performances from her nearly every game this year to have a chance at winning.
“She hasn’t had a lot of help — well, I should say, it’s been inconsistent at best. She’s felt it, though. I think she’s felt a lot of pressure. But I think what makes it so impressive is how she’s handled it,” Moren said. “The one thing that Shay has always done is she continues to show up and work on her game, individually. She’s been a good teammate. And she’s hit some really big shots for us.”
Ciezki, however, downplayed the amount on her shoulders.
She tries to ignore the pressure by relying on her religion, trusting in her faith that anything she does is part of a larger plan.
“I’m still breathing. I’m still living. I’m still playing the sport that I love,” Ciezki said. “A lot of people can’t say that they truly do the things that they love, especially when you get older.”
The Buffalo native is averaging 23.1 points per game, which would be second in IU history if that average holds up — and the program record, 23.2, is attainable. Ciezki has scored fewer than 20 points in eight games this year, and she’s had seven games with at least 30.
Her 624 total points on the year rank sixth in program history. Ciezki will likely finish third on that list, behind only Tyra Buss and Mackenzie Holmes. She’s on track for a top-four finish in the IU record book for 3-pointers made in a season. She currently sits in sixth with 71, needing five more to pass Buss for fourth.
Ciezki already owns the Indiana record for single-season free-throw percentage, at 93.2 percent last year. She’s at 90.4 percent this year, which would tie her for sixth in program history, on much higher volume.
And the senior is shooting 46.1 percent from 3-point range, which would put her second in IU history. She’s also shooting a strong 53.7 percent from the field.
Those shooting percentages put her on track for an elusive 50-40-90 season. Per Wikipedia, only one player in women’s college basketball history (Cal’s Kristin Iwanaga in 2005) has finished a season shooting at least 50 percent on field goals, 40 percent on 3-pointers, and 90 percent on free throws. UConn’s Paige Bueckers, among others, has come close in recent seasons but finished just short.
For Ciezki to shoot that efficiently while carrying such a heavy scoring load would be historic.
“I think this is, by far, been one of the most impressive single seasons, that any kid in the Big Ten has had,” Moren said. “I say that because of her numbers. Her numbers are just, they just blow you away, in terms of her efficiency.”
Ciezki transferred to IU from Penn State in spring 2024 and had an up-and-down campaign last year. She backed up her reputation as a strong 3-point shooter, and when her shots were falling, she was a dangerous player. But she endured some inconsistency, and she had some trouble remaining impactful if her shots weren’t falling.
But her role on that team was far different than what she’s doing now. The Hoosiers, last year, had several other veteran scoring options. They didn’t need Ciezki to catch fire to win games.
This year has been another story, both for team and player. Beyond the shooting, Ciezki flashed her quickness and ball-handling skills last season, both useful traits for that team; but she didn’t always capitalize on those abilities. This season, she’s expanded her game to become a more well-rounded player.
“She’s found different ways to score the ball. And that’s been why she’s had the production that she’s been able to have,” Moren said. “How she’s grown her game, with the help of (assistant coach) Paul (Miller) in those player development sessions, where she’s getting to her mid-range, where she’s using her hesitation and a little head fake to get all the way in the rim, getting herself to the free-throw line.”
Ciezki is turning in one of the greatest individual seasons in IU program history.
Despite the team’s disappointing campaign, she’s a strong candidate for All-Big Ten first team honors, and All-American teams can’t be ruled out with her big numbers. The senior has two regular season games remaining, along with potential Big Ten Tournament games, to keep it rolling.
This year has been one most Indiana women’s basketball fans will want to forget. But Ciezki’s dominance and consistent fight, through the highs and lows, have led her to a memorable season nonetheless.
“It’s very impressive, when you look at Shay,” Moren said. “She’s not a big guard, by any stretch of the means. But sometimes, those are the ones that are the most dangerous, because they have a big heart, and she’s an ultra competitor.”
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