It was another tough night at the office for the Hoosiers as they couldn’t get a win against the ninth-ranked Michigan Wolverines. Following the loss on Thursday the Hoosiers fall to 0-10 in conference play as their current losing streak extends to 9 straight games.
From the opening tip the Hoosiers struggled with Michigan’s stifling defense. By the end of the first quarter Indiana had 6 turnovers and not a single offensive rebound. A large part of this was due to full-court pressure that the Wolverines were implementing. Quickly, the Hoosiers were having trouble getting the ball up the floor as Michigan aggressively attacked the ball.
On the defensive side of the court the Hoosiers struggled to contain the one-two punch of Michigan’s Syla Swords and Olivia Olson; both of whom made their presence felt early, with 7 and 9 points respectively through the first quarter.
By halftime, Michigan’s gameplan was clear, pressure the Hoosiers into turnovers and then capitalize with Olson and Swords. Heading into the locker room the Hoosiers, who had not led all game trailed 49-31.
Things did not get much better for the Hoosiers in the second half. While they were able to piece together an 8-0 run, Indiana still had no answers for Olson and Swords and was unable to gain the lead. As frustration mounted and the Indiana fouls started to pile up, Michigan continued to build on their lead. Olivia Olson ended the night with 27 points as the Wolverines won the game 95-67. For Indiana, Maya Makalusky led all Hoosiers with 17, while both Lenee Beaumont and Shay Ciezki had 13.
For the Hoosiers, a dismal season continues to get worse and worse. Indiana has now lost nine games in a row and is yet to record a win in Big Ten play. In a deep conference like the Big Ten, the Hoosiers road to their first conference win is going to be tough. Indiana still has a trip to the #2-ranked UCLA Bruins on the horizon.
The Hoosiers return to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Sunday when they face off against the Northwestern Wildcats, in search of their first Big Ten win.