As autumn blossoms and temperatures drop, basketball season comes into view. The Indiana faithful piled into Assembly Hall on Tuesday night, ready to get their first glimpse of the new-look women's basketball team in regular season action. The Hoosiers handled Lipscomb, beginning the 2025-26 season with a convincing 80-46 win.
Indiana settled in to close the first quarter on a 17-5 run. Making her Indiana debut, sophomore Zania Socka-Nguemen scored eight first-quarter points and finished the night with 19, which was second among all Hoosier scorers.
“I was just playing basketball,” Socka-Ngueman said postgame. “I’m just grateful to be in this position.”
Contrary to Indiana's exhibition game against Missouri S&T, head coach Teri Moren emphasized interior scoring, leading to 56 points in the paint. The Hoosiers shot 20% from 3-point range. They had open looks, but they did not capitalize consistently.
Indiana led 43-20 at halftime, expanding its advantage by turning defense into offense. It scored 14 first-half points off of eight turnovers. Lenee Beaumont, who missed the 2024-25 season with injury, finished the game tied with Virginia transfer Edessa Noyan for a team-high three steals.
“I love it that we created those (turnovers),” Moren said postgame. "But I would give us a solid C tonight defensively, outside of the first quarter."
Indiana did not pull away as decisively in the third quarter as it did in the first half, outscoring Lipscomb by three points and getting into foul trouble. This forced Moren to keep the Hoosiers' starting five on the floor for longer than expected.
“The third quarter was not a good quarter for us,” Moren said. “We didn't get enough stops. It was also a really good lesson for us as we move forward. I do think that this is a group that is still learning to play with each other.”
Shay Ciezki, one of Indiana's five returners from last season, heated up after halftime. She led all Hoosier scorers with 22 points, 14 of which came in the second half. After a Lipscomb timeout, Ciezki scored five straight points to swing momentum back in Indiana's favor.
“I just think it goes to show with my teammates' support for me,” Ciezki said. “I thought we did a great job sharing the ball tonight, it was just a fun game.”
Indiana tightened up defensively even as its reserves entered the game. The Hoosiers held the Bisons to 12% from the field in the fourth quarter after allowing shots to fall at a 58% clip in the third quarter.
The momentum carried into the end of the game as well, even after Moren cleared the bench. The Hoosiers held Lipscomb to just 12 percent from the field in the final quarter, much improved from the 58 percent third. Indiana looks to keep building chemistry with a new-look roster as the non-conference portion of the season progresses. Next is a home game at 7 p.m. Friday versus UIC.
