Indiana Women’s Basketball looks locked in. After opening last season 3–2, head coach Teri Moren has her group playing some of their sharpest early-season basketball in years. Now in her 12th season at the helm, Moren has guided the Hoosiers to their first 5–0 start since 2022. And on Wednesday night, they looked every bit like an unbeaten force, overpowering the Butler Bulldogs 72–53.
Lenee Beaumont continues to be the sparkplug fueling Indiana’s hot start. Fresh off a career-high 23 points against Florida State on Sunday, the sophomore delivered another standout performance with 21 points—19 of which came in a scorching first half.
“We need Beau,” Moren said postgame. “We need a confident Beau. We need Beau to be able to score in different ways for us. And the last two outings for us, she’s been really good.”
And “really good” might even be underselling it. Beaumont has been nothing short of electric these past two games. After admitting that Moren challenged her to grow as a true three-level scorer, she has answered the call. She shot an efficient 6-for-9 from the field, knocked down 4-of-5 from deep, and added five rebounds to round out her night.
“I definitely feel more confident the more we play,” Beaumont said. “I kind of had a slow start to the year, but honestly looking back on it, I think I just needed to get my legs under me and be more comfortable. I know I wasn’t very confident out there, and give credit to the staff and my teammates because they pour confidence in me every single day.”
That collective confidence showed early. Indiana came out firing behind Zania Socka-Nguemen, who poured in a quick six points while anchoring the defensive pressure that smothered Butler’s offense. The Hoosiers raced out to a 23–7 lead after the first quarter and pushed the margin to 44–25 by halftime—putting together one of their most dominant halves of the young season.
Freshman Nevaeh Caffey once again showed how aggressive she can be. She is never afraid to get in an opponent’s space and takes real pride in that edge. Against Butler, Caffey picked up two steals and set the tone with her intensity. Veteran guard Shay Ciezki also made her presence known on the defensive end, pulling down eight rebounds and helping stabilize Indiana’s backcourt.
The Hoosiers stayed in control throughout the game. Their offense slowed a bit in the second half, scoring 28 points compared to the 44 they put up before halftime, but the defensive pressure held strong. Indiana still cruised to a 19 point win, an important result against a Butler team known for its explosiveness.
“We defensively knew we had to come out and pressure from the beginning,” Coach Moren said. “I think we only got beat on maybe one back cut. Butler does a great job. Austin [Parkinson] and his staff are terrific. We knew that they were going to test us and challenge us defensively because of all the great offense that they run.”
While the Hoosiers succeeded in disrupting the Bulldogs, fouls continue to be an issue. Indiana committed 22 personal fouls on Wednesday and also turned the ball over 20 times, with 11 coming in the first half. Moren and her staff will have several days to address these problems before the team returns to action next Tuesday, Nov. 25, when they head back to Florida to take on Florida Gulf Coast.
Other Notes
- The win was Teri Moren’s 450th win as a head coach.
- Along with Shay Ciezki’s 8 rebounds, she had 14 points as well.
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