Indiana’s shots weren’t falling from beyond the arc Friday night. Inside, the Hoosiers had very little trouble.
Behind Zania Socka-Nguemen’s 17 points and 10 rebounds, Indiana defeated Samford 80-44 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall to improve to 4-0. The Hoosiers outscored the Bulldogs 44-16 in the paint and held a 50-27 rebounding advantage, overcoming a 5 for 22 performance from 3-point range.
Four Hoosiers finished in double figures. Addy Nyemchek scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds in her first career college start, while GiGi Battle contributed 15 points, eight rebounds and three steals off the bench. Kenzie Hare added 13 points, including three of Indiana’s five makes from deep.
Indiana played without Lenee Beaumont, who is undergoing tests on a knee injury suffered earlier in the week, according to the pregame availability information. Forward Jess Petrie also missed the game after returning to Australia following a death in her family. The program said it anticipated her return for Sunday’s game against Milwaukee.
Coach Teri Moren did not provide a substantive update on Beaumont’s injury after the game. While answering a question about balanced scoring, Moren referenced the uncertainty surrounding Beaumont but offered no diagnosis or return timeline.
Without Beaumont and Petrie, Indiana received production throughout its rotation, starting with an opening quarter that put Samford in an early hole.
Nyemchek opened the scoring with a driving layup, and baskets from Malia Samuels and Socka-Nguemen gave Indiana a 6-0 lead just 1:11 into the game, forcing a Samford timeout.
Socka-Nguemen established herself early, scoring eight points on 4-for-5 shooting in the first quarter. She found opportunities on the offensive glass and scored on a turnaround jumper as Indiana built its advantage. Hare added two 3-pointers, and Nyemchek scored six points in the period.
After Samford pulled within 8-6, Indiana answered with an 18-1 run. Samuels turned a steal into a transition assist to Nyemchek, and Alisa Williams followed with a second-chance basket after collecting two offensive rebounds on the same possession.
The Hoosiers led 28-10 after one quarter, shooting 55% from the field with six offensive rebounds and just one turnover.
Indiana’s offense slowed in the second.
The Hoosiers committed five turnovers and went 1-for-7 from beyond the arc, scoring 13 points after their 28-point opening period. Battle supplied five of those points, including a 3-pointer off a feed from Hare that pushed Indiana’s lead to 37-16 with 5:20 remaining before halftime.
Samford matched Indiana’s 13 points in the quarter, but the Hoosiers still entered the break ahead 41-23. Socka-Nguemen had 12 points at halftime after making six of her first seven shots.
Indiana continued to struggle from outside early in the third quarter. The Hoosiers missed their first six 3-point attempts of the half, allowing Samford to remain within 45-29 with 5:24 left in the period.
Indiana found its separation closer to the basket.
Maya Makalusky twice found Nyemchek for layups during the quarter. After the second pushed Indiana’s lead to 47-29, Hare added a layup and Samuels converted a steal into a transition basket. Battle later drove to the rim to cap a 10-0 Indiana run and make it 55-29.
Hare connected from beyond the arc with 11 seconds left in the third before Samford’s Natalie Barnes answered at the buzzer. Indiana entered the fourth ahead 62-34.
The Hoosiers removed any remaining doubt by scoring the first 18 points of the final quarter. Socka-Nguemen finished with an 8-for-11 shooting performance, while Nyemchek added six fourth-quarter points. Makalusky’s lone 3-pointer of the night helped Indiana stretch the lead to 46 before Samford scored the game’s final 10 points.
Indiana shot 50.9% overall and held Samford to 27.6%. The Bulldogs made just five of their 23 attempts from beyond the arc and never led. Kayte-Madison Bjornstad paced Samford with 12 points and seven rebounds.
The Hoosiers host Milwaukee on Sunday.
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