Indiana Women’s Basketball started its 2026-27 campaign with an exhibition game against Marian University. Marian won the NAIA national title last season, and while they are not a D1 school, they still are a formidable opponent for Indiana to face. Indiana has five freshmen and 10 total new players added to their roster, as they look to rebound after a disappointing season last year. Head coach Teri Moren is entering her 13th season as Indiana’s head coach, and despite the struggles of last season, she was able to bring in a top-10 recruiting class this year.
The Hoosiers didn’t get off to a pretty start, struggling from the field immediately. The Hoosiers only scored eight points in the first quarter, and that was on 3-for-22 shooting. Marian weren’t killing it on offense, but they had their best quarter of the game in the first and were up 14-8.
Coach Moren must’ve had some messages for the team heading into the second quarter, as the team came out firing. Immediately into the quarter, the team snapped its seven-minute scoring drought with a Malia Samuels layup. This would start an 11-0 run for Indiana as they reclaimed the lead and never looked back.
After the 11-0 run was stopped, Indiana immediately went on a 7-0 run. When that was stopped, they went on another 7-0 run to end the first half. At the half, Indiana was up 33-20.
Indiana had shot the ball only 13.6 percent from the field in the first quarter, but shot it 62.5 percent in the second half. Indiana would carry this momentum into the second half.
In the second half, the Hoosiers didn’t miss a beat, and neither did Kenzie Hare. She continued her hot shooting, paired with five points from true freshman Addy Nyemcheck. The Hoosiers went on an 11-point run to start that half, which, combined with the end of the first half, made for an 18-0 IU run.
The third quarter was a 28-point quarter for IU. They only conceded nine points to Marian. Indiana shot the ball 63.2 percent. Despite their ugly first quarter from the field, Indiana settled into this game and figured it out.
The fourth quarter would feature seven points from Nyemchek and eight points from Maya Makalusky, as IU cruised to an 87-39 victory.
Takeaways
It was a slow start for the Hoosiers, but that might’ve just been preseason jitters, as Indiana was dominant in the final three quarters. Balanced scoring was how the Hoosiers were able to get it done.
The Iowa State transfer, Hare, was the leading scorer with 18 points, all from behind the arc. She showed that she can be a strong flamethrower for this Hoosier roster that loves to shoot the deep ball. Hare also had eight assists and was a good playmaker, especially when combined with Lenèe Beaumont’s eight assists.
Zania Socka-Ngueman was a dominant force on the inside, grabbing nine rebounds, six of which were offensive, while also scoring 13 points. Indiana lacked a strong inside presence last season, but she might be able to fill that void this season for Coach Moren.
Maya Makalusky was the sharp shooter that Hoosier Nation remembers, scoring 10 points in this game.
The brightest takeaway from the game was perhaps true Freshman, and McDonald’s All-American Addy Nyemchek. She had 14 points and six rebounds in her Hoosier debut. She also passed the eye test, looking extremely comfortable in the Indiana system. She seems to have the potential to be the future star that fans believe she can be.
Indiana will play its home opener against Florida Gulf Coast University on Tuesday, Nov. 3. It will be home, at Simon Skojdt Assembly Hall, as Indiana will attempt to start the year hot.
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