Following an 80-69 loss to the Boilermakers earlier in the season, the Hoosiers were out for revenge on Sunday. Thanks to Edessa Noyan, they got just that.
From the opening tip, it was clear that Noyan and the Hoosiers were on a mission. Indiana came out firing on all cylinders, going on an 11-0 run to open the game. This was in large part thanks to the stellar play of Junior forward Edessa Noyan. Finding herself in the starting lineup as Zania Socka-Nguemen continues to miss time with injury, Noyan has begun to come into her own as a force on both ends of the floor.
Noyan scored two quick buckets in the 11-0 run to start the game, providing a spark in the paint for the Hoosiers, something that they have desperately been missing since Socka-Nguemen got injured. What was perhaps more impressive was Noyan’s hustle on the defensive side of the floor. Noyan had a tough assignment, facing off against Purdue’s 6’7” forward Avery Gordon.
The 6’3” Swedish native held her own against Gordon, holding her to just 7-15 from the field. More than once Noyan was able to pick Gordon’s pocket, leading to a fast break for the Hoosiers. When she was finally subbed out for the first time, Assembly Hall erupted in cheers for her.
Noyan showed no signs of slowing down once the second half got underway. Right at the start of the third quarter, she wrestled with Avery Gordon on the ground for a jump ball to give the Hoosiers possession. On the offensive side of the floor, she found herself wide open beyond the three-point arc and buried a three.
Noyan continued to score and rebound at a high clip in the fourth, ending her day with 12 points and 10 rebounds, the first double-double of her career. Her night did come to a close a minute prematurely, as she fouled out with a little over a minute left in the game. Given just how physical it was under the basket today, it was understandable.
For the Hoosiers, getting their revenge on Purdue at home could not be sweeter. Indiana has firmly ended their 9-game losing streak and replaced it with a 3-game winning streak. The Hoosiers have now won 3 Big Ten games in a row after starting conference play 0-10. Having Edessa Noyan emerge in the paint could be just the spark the Hoosiers need as they travel to California to face off against both USC and UCLA next week.