Assembly Hall has been kind to the Hoosiers so far this season, but playing on the road is an entirely different animal. Indiana headed south to Fort Myers on Tuesday afternoon, defeating the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, 82-64, to continue their undefeated start to the season.
Although the Hoosiers finished with an 18-point victory, that reality was nearly in jeopardy during the first 10 minutes of the game. Indiana committed six of its 15 turnovers in the first period, giving FGCU momentum, which resulted in a three-point deficit going into the second quarter.
Down by three, the Hoosiers relied on their stars, Lenée Beaumont and Shay Ciezki, who got to the basket with ease during the first half, finishing with 12 and 13 points apiece. Indiana would go on to hit five 3-pointers in the half to take a 34-28 lead heading into the locker room.
“We got a little bit sped up, didn’t make the right reads, and probably had some careless turnovers,” Indiana head coach Teri Moren said following the win. “I thought once we got to halftime… the kids might have taken a deep breath and came out in the third quarter with being much more aggressive.”
To begin the season, their weaknesses have shown during the third quarter; however, Tuesday afternoon was a promising display of complementary basketball. Coming out of the break, the Hoosiers were in the zone, scoring a season-high 28 points on an efficient 71 percent from the field in the period. Similar to the first half, Beaumont and Ciezki led the way on the offensive end, combining for 20 points on a perfect 7 of 7 from the field.
“Good third quarter for us, I thought we came out and did a lot of really good things,” Moren said. “Our kids adjusted out of halftime.”
With the Hoosiers up 24 going into the fourth, Moren emptied the bench, a decision she would later regret. After a quick 5-0 run to start the period by the Eagles, the starters were quickly subbed back into the game to preserve the lead.
“I’m not happy, I’m disappointed that we couldn’t leave those bench guys in,” Moren said. “I really wanted to rest Beau[mont] and rest Shay, they have to come in and be more ready.”
Once again, the story of the game was the perimeter shooting of the Hoosiers. The team knocked down 10 3s, nine of which came from Beaumont and Ciezki. On the defensive side of the ball, the Hoosiers held the Eagles to just four 3s on a 25 percent mark from beyond the arc, making it extremely difficult for FGCU to claw its way back into the game.
The scoring came almost entirely from Beaumont and Ciezki, who finished with 23 and 26 points, respectively. This is the third straight game that Beaumont has surpassed the 20-point mark, and the 15th consecutive game that Ciezki has scored in double digits.
“I think back to all the time my freshman year, how I would have been beyond happy for 5-10 minutes a game,” Beaumont said postgame. “Being able to look at the stat sheet and see that I’m playing heavy minutes is a blessing.”
Indiana closed it out with a Valentyna Kadlecova 3-pointer to truly put the game out of reach, with just under three minutes remaining. With a win, the Hoosiers improve to a perfect 6-0 on the season. Up next, they will stay in Fort Myers, as they take Gonzaga in the opener of the GEICO Coconut Hoops on Friday at 1:30 p.m. EST.
