By Nick Jenkinson-SCINN Sports Director
The Indiana Hoosiers Women’s Basketball team tips off the 2026-27 Regular Season hosting the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles this evening at 7 PM inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall with the game streaming on Big Ten Network Plus.
This will be the third meeting between the two teams as the two meetings took place in Fort Myers, Florida which is the home of Florida Gulf Coast University. Florida Gulf Coast beat the Hoosiers 73-69 on December 21, 2011, and The Hoosiers won beat the Eagles 82-64 on November 25, 2026.
The Eagles and the Hoosiers battle for the first time in Bloomington, but this is not the first time Florida Gulf Coast has played in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Eagles lost to the Oklahoma Sooners 73-70 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on March 23, 2024, coached by Karl Smesko who is now the Head Coach of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream who reached the WNBA Finals this season falling the Golden State Valkyries in seven games.
Head Coach Raina Harmon begins her second season as Head Coach at Florida Gulf Coast. The Eagles were 16-16 a season ago and 11-7 in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Junior Guard Sanai Douglas averaged 11.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists as a sophomore and was named third team All-Atlantic Sun. Douglas along with Junior Forward Eve Alexander and Senior Guard Denika Lighthouse were named to the All Atlantic-Sun Preseason Team for the upcoming season.
Florida Gulf Coast has a 13-player roster with 6-0 Freshman Elle McCullough from Brownsburg, Indiana and Brownsburg High School. McCullough averaged 15.1 points, 4.3 rebounds 2.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game as a Senior for a Brownsburg team who finished 12-10 a season ago. The Eagles represent Florida, Louisiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Michigan, Brazil, Australia, The Bahamas, and Canada. 5-11 Junior Lilly Zeinstra from Byron Center, Michigan played her first two seasons for the Butler Bulldogs and will face the Hoosiers for the third time in her career and the second year in a row inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Indiana beat defending NAIA National Champion Marian University from Indianapolis last Wednesday Night 87-39. Four Hoosiers scored in double figures with Kenzie Hare leading the way 18 points and six three pointers. Freshman Addy Nyemcheck added 14 points. Zania Socka-Nguemen added 13 points and Sophomore Maya Makalusky scored 10 points. The Hoosiers trailed 14-8 after the first quarter and dominated with a Teri Moren staple which is defenses leading to offense and dominating the Knights for the final three quarters.
Indiana finished 18-14 a season ago and returns four players in Lenee Beaumont, Maya Makalusky, Zania Socka-Nguemen and Sydney Fenn who has missed the last two season with knee injuries. The Hoosiers brought four players out of the transfer portal who a combined 378 games played and 139 career starts. Kenzie Hare and Alisa Williams come over from Iowa State, Jess Petrie from Nebraska and Malia Samuels from USC and all four made the NCAA Tournament at their previous school.
The Hoosiers added third year Canadian Forward Ashlynn Anderson who played at Fanshawe College in Ontario averaging 15.9 points 13.4 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game shooting 56 percent from the field Anderson was named the Fanshawe and OCAA women’s athlete of the year and led the Falcons to the OCAA Championship.
In addition to Addy Nyemcheck who was named a McDonald’s All-American in High School at Red Bank Catholic in New Jersey. The Hoosiers added GiGi Battle who led DME Academy in Daytona Beach, Florida to the Chipotle Nationals Tournament Title and was named the MVP in April that was played at Hamilton Southeastern High School in Indianapolis. Ashlinn James was named Kentucky Miss Basketball out of Assumption High School in Louisville. Canadian guard Camille Pangonis who is 5-11 and played at Fort Erie International Academy and Australian Zoe Jackson who suffered a knee injury this summer and will miss this season.
Indiana Head Coach Teri Moren enters her 13th season in Bloomington with a 264-126. The Seymour, Indiana native has led the Hoosiers to 10–20-win seasons along 7 NCAA Tournament appearances and 2018 WNIT Championships. The Hoosiers have advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament all seven times. Moren is in her 24th season overall with 463 wins at the University of Indianapolis, Indiana State and IU.
Indiana struggled in the first quarter in the exhibition game against Marian where they could not by a bucket but settled down and were able to what Teri Moren coached teams always do which is lock down on defense and get stops and turnaround and score on offense. If the Hoosiers get off to a good start tonight there are high expectations with this mix of players that they can get back to the NCAA Tournament this season.