Indiana faced constant pressure in yet another battle with No. 8 Ohio State. The Buckeyes' full-court press forced the 10th-ranked Hoosiers into fits offensively. Indiana coughed up the ball a season-high 23 times.
The 23 turnovers turned into 21 points for Ohio State in the Buckeyes' 74-69 win. Indiana coach Teri Moren said this lack of discipline with the ball ultimately caused Indiana to drop its third game of the season.
"Twenty-one points off of our turnovers, that's the game," Moren said.
The Buckeyes played furious defense from the offset. They turned the Hoosiers over six times in the first quarter.
This pressure allowed Ohio State to take Indiana out of rhythm while the Buckeyes hit four of seven shots from behind the arc. The hot start gave Ohio State an 18-11 lead heading into the second quarter.
Indiana's ability to control the pace of the game in the second quarter allowed shooters such as Sara Scalia and Yarden Garzon to set their shots up and get going offensively. A more flowing offense in the second quarter allowed Indiana to outscore Ohio State by 12 points in the period and take a five-point lead into the locker room.
"Felt like we were in the driver's seat when we got to halftime," Moren said. "But we knew that Ohio State tends to be a very, very good third-quarter team."
The Buckeyes jumped all over Indiana to begin the second half. The Hoosiers had more turnovers (11) in the third quarter than points scored (10).
All the momentum Indiana had swung back to the Buckeyes' favor and they made Indiana play catch-up for the remainder of the game. Scalia's 25 points gave Indiana a chance at the end, but it wasn't enough.
"We just ran out of time," Moren said. "I think we were starting to make some things happen defensively."
Indiana is now 18-3 this season and 9-2 in Big Ten play. Next game is against Michigan State at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
