After a gritty, hard-fought battle, the Indiana Women’s Basketball team managed to grind out a win Tuesday night, defeating the Marshall Thundering Herd 57–51 inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Despite the victory, it was far from a clean performance, as both teams struggled to find offensive rhythm in what quickly turned into a defensive slugfest.
The Hoosiers started strong on the defensive end, holding Marshall to just six points in the first quarter and eleven in the second. But as the game wore on, Indiana’s offense faltered — turnovers piled up, missed opportunities mounted, and the Thundering Herd capitalized to stay within striking distance.
“Got out of here with the win but doesn’t feel like there was a whole lot that went well for us tonight,” head coach Teri Moren admitted postgame. “And give credit to Marshall — just turned us over way too much.”
Marshall’s defensive pressure clearly rattled the Hoosiers, forcing them out of their rhythm and into uncomfortable possessions. As the miscues continued, frustration began to seep in — something Coach Moren didn’t overlook.
“I thought we looked passive,” Moren said. “I thought we looked tentative, I thought we looked unsure, and I thought some of us just looked like we lost some confidence as the game went on. That just can’t happen. You got to learn to play through your mistakes and move on to the next play and have a short memory of what just happened.”
Learning to shake off mistakes and stay locked in is crucial — especially for a young team still finding its rhythm. Dwell too long on one misstep, and it can snowball into another. That was the challenge Indiana faced Tuesday night, as turnovers became their biggest obstacle.
The Hoosiers gave the ball away 28 times — tying their worst mark in program history. Redshirt sophomore guard Lenée Beaumont led the team with seven turnovers, but the miscues were widespread across the floor. Outside of senior guard Shay Ciezki, Indiana’s roster is still relatively inexperienced at this level of play.
“Granted, you know this is no excuse, but we’re still trying to figure things out as a team,” Beaumont said after the game. “It’s fresh. It’s early. We know we can’t be turning the ball over, especially when we continue our season and we go ahead and play Florida State — we’re not going to be able to win a game with that amount of turnovers. So, coach will get us right in this week of practice, whatever that may look like.”
Ciezki’s veteran presence offers some stability, but for most of the roster, meaningful minutes are still new territory. Beaumont averaged just 9.6 minutes as a freshman in 2023–24 before missing last season due to knee surgery. Sophomore guard Valentyna Kadlecova saw limited action last year, averaging 3.5 minutes across eleven games, while forward Zania “Big Z” Socka-Nguemen logged 5.2 minutes per game in her stint at UCLA. Add in newcomers like freshman guard Nevaeh Caffey, and it’s clear Indiana’s rotation is still learning on the fly.
That inexperience showed against a scrappy Marshall defense that mixed in aggressive traps and zone coverage to disrupt the Hoosiers’ rhythm. But rather than shy away from the challenge, “Big Z” saw it as an opportunity to grow.
“Personally, I don’t like going against zone,” Socka-Nguemen admitted. “They challenged us, and we’re going to see zone in the future, so it just helps us now. We’re just going to keep getting better.”
Marshall’s defense turned up the pressure all night — especially in the second half. The Thundering Herd’s relentless zone and full-court press weren’t just for show; they hounded Indiana in the backcourt, cutting off passing lanes and forcing the Hoosiers into uncomfortable positions. Every trip up the floor felt like a battle, as Marshall also packed the paint to deny drives to the rim and challenge every shot inside.
Despite the chaos, this kind of game may be exactly what Indiana needs early in the season. The Hoosiers’ youth showed at times, but so did their grit. Growing pains are inevitable for a developing team, and Tuesday’s matchup provided a valuable lesson in poise under pressure. With more experience and time together, this group has the tools to turn those mistakes into momentum — and soon enough, they’ll be back to their dominant form.
Next up, Indiana heads south to Tallahassee for a Sunday evening clash with Florida State. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. (EST) on November 16th. It’ll be another tough test, but if the Hoosiers can clean up their turnovers and stay composed against the Seminoles’ pressure, they’ll have a chance to return home with a perfect 4–0 record.