Fourth quarter. Just under 3:30 remaining. Indiana trailed by one. Shay Ciezki knocked down a huge 3 to take the lead, her third from beyond the arc of the period. Assembly Hall erupted with cheers and applause as the Hoosiers would hold onto the lead and notch their fourth conference victory of the season…all in the month of February.
But this afternoon was not just a regular game. It was Senior Night.
Before Indiana defeated Oregon 72-65, Assembly Hall celebrated two Hoosiers for Senior Night on Sunday. Shay Ciezki and Jerni Kiaku. Both players have had drastically different years, but both Ciezki and Kiaku have made tremendous impacts on the team's recent momentum.
“It is such a good feeling having someone that we know we can trust,” junior Edessa Noyan said about her teammate Ciezki.
“I think [Ciezki’s year] has by far been one of the most impressive single seasons that any kid in the Big Ten has had,” head coach Teri Moren said about the senior guard. “...[She]’s a good teammate, she’s very coachable, she is not afraid to work. She’s been a true pleasure to have the opportunity to coach. Those are the things we’re certainly gonna miss.”
Ciezki’s senior season has been nothing short of excellent. Her 23 points per game is the sixth best in the nation, and the best among Big Ten scorers. She shoots over 46% from beyond the arc, which is the second highest rate in the country, only behind UConn’s Azzi Fudd. Ciezki has been the go-to scorer for the Hoosiers no matter how much time is on the clock nor what situation IU is facing. But especially on Senior Night, No. 10 was called up.
“It was just an emotional day overall. I had a couple of tears in the beginning, walking with my family,” Ciezki said about the pre-game ceremony. “Definitely after, I think it kinda set in that this is gonna be my last go around here. So just to be able to get a win and play with these girls. I know we have another home game, but it definitely feels surreal.”
But this season has had plenty of ups and downs.
“I’m proud of this team,” Ciezki said while fighting back tears. “I had no idea what we were gonna do in the beginning of the season. I didn’t even know if we were gonna have a full team when Lenee [Beaumont] and I came back on campus, talking about the portal and stuff. And we got this group together. I think everyday has just been a challenge. We faced so much adversity, especially for our younger girls. It’s unbelievable to see the positions that we put them in and they’re thriving right now. Our record might not show it, but, I mean, they’re doing an incredible job.”
Ciezki looked over to Noyan seated beside her.
“We’re putting a lot on their shoulders,” Ciezki said. “Especially with our transfers. Edessa [Noyan] coming in, first year, the growth that she’s had…it’s unbelievable. That’s probably the biggest thing that I see with my season. Not just the individual things. But what this team has done. How they have affected me. And how I can carry that after this.”
Ciezki’s impact on the court continuously proves to be impeccable. But the love she has for her teammates and from her teammates stands out amongst the rest.
But for Kiaku, this season has been vastly different from her teammate, Ciezki. Kiaku, playing her lone season at IU after transferring from Duquesne, is not a dominant scorer. She did not see the floor all that often off the bench. In the Hoosier’s first three games of the year, Kiaku did not play more than six minutes once.
“She gets it. She understands,” Moren said. “She’s always had this sort of underdog mentality which makes her really, really special. Those people out there that doubt her, it just makes her want to play harder. Work harder. But what I’ve been most impressed with her: she’s been a great shot in the arm for us off the bench. She’s so trustworthy. When you put her out there you know what she’s gonna do…that’s where I’m so proud of her.”
Kiaku’s growth as a player is evident in her playing time throughout the season. Despite being a senior, she didn’t receive 15 plus minutes a night, consistently, until late January. And while her stats might not say it, her coaches and teammates will: Kiaku is a difference maker for this Hoosier team.
The seniors’ leadership and trust in the youth have carried over to confidence.
“I just feel like I found my place in the team,” Noyan said. “It took a long time but I just feel like everybody’s trusting me more…everything’s clicking.”
Ciezki and Kiaku will have one final game in Assembly Hall on Saturday against Ciezki’s former team, the Penn State Nittany Lions.
“Just another game…it’s just another game for us and that’s exactly how I’m gonna treat it. Still got people on the team that I played with back in the day, but it’s a big game for us to get in the Big Ten Tournament,” Ciezki said.
Before hosting Penn State, Indiana heads to Piscataway, NJ to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. The team, currently at the bottom of the Big Ten standings. With a chance to clinch a berth in the conference tournament, Indiana will need their seniors, yet again.
