{"id":1565,"date":"2021-12-07T04:03:16","date_gmt":"2021-12-07T04:03:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bloomingtonnews.online\/?p=1565"},"modified":"2022-03-14T09:48:40","modified_gmt":"2022-03-14T09:48:40","slug":"great-bounce-back-game-as-iu-women-trounce-the-lady-lions-to-open-big-10-conference-play-70-40","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bloomingtonnews.online\/?p=1565","title":{"rendered":"\u201cGreat bounce back game\u201d as IU Women trounce the Lady Lions 70-40 to open Big 10 conference play"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Indiana came back with a vengeance this evening to dismantle Penn State in front of a home crowd at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The final score was 70-40, and all 5 IU starters finished with double digit points, including Senior Guard Nicole Carda\u00f1o-Hillary, who has recently struggled offensively, scoring just 2 collective points over the previous 2 games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carda\u00f1o-Hillary was on fire tonight, scoring 14, including 3-6 from beyond the arc. Those perimeter points provided her with the milestone of more than 200 career made 3-pointers (202). She added 7 rebounds and 5 assists during the evening, although her stats don\u2019t tell the story of the physical play she endured to achieve these stats. Carda\u00f1o-Hillary was resilient, bouncing back from a number of times getting knocked in the head by her PSU counterparts. Her spirited defensive play caused a number of Penn State turnovers, resulting in several fast-break points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Indiana Hoosiers guard Nicole Cardano-Hillary (4) steals the ball from Penn State during an NCAA women’s basketball game on 12\/6\/21 in Bloomington, IN (Photo by Jeremy Hogan\/The Bloomingtonian)<\/sub><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

When asked about how it feels to get back into offensive productivity, Carda\u00f1o-Hillary replied, \u201cFeels great! I kept getting awesome passes from my teammates and everything was clicking.\u201d She had a huge smile on her face when she confidently added, \u201cThis is a great way to start off the beginning of conference play.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were a lot of smiles to go around, and Indiana Head Coach Teri Moren had the closest look to a game-day smile that she has donned in quite a while when she stated, \u201cGreat bounce back game,” during the post -game press conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coach Moren was happy to see the baskets fall for her Hoosiers, and was grateful for the win, although she has already established that this week\u2019s practice will address turnovers. IU turned the ball over 18 times against Penn State, just 6 less than the 24 they committed last week in their loss to #2 NC State.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWant to be under 11 [turnovers per game].\u201d said Coach Moren. \u201cWe have to figure out how to fix that.\u201d The goal for this year\u2019s team is to average 80 points per game, she said, \u201ccould\u2019ve [gotten there tonight] if we had done a better job at protecting the ball.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, Coach Moren identified more effort being required on the transition offense. She mentioned everyone on the team being guilty of not consistently getting downcourt quickly enough on the fast break. The Hoosiers had 30 Defensive Rebounds and 9 steals against the Lady Lions, but appeared a bit rusty converting to offense. This week, she plans to reinforce the commitment to sprinting down the court in what she describes the \u201cget it and go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hoosiers looked to be the team their fans have believed they are this entire season, despite some challenging losses. But let\u2019s be honest, even while shooting horribly, IU has remained competitive until the end of each game this year. Coach Moren explained that while there are some serious goals for the team this year, that a lot of this is new. \u201cWe did a lot of firsts last year,\u201d Coach referencing the Elite 8 accomplishment and high national ranking. \u201cWe [are still] learning to manage the expectations. We don\u2019t have to be anything extraordinary of what we are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from tonight\u2019s win is the confidence demonstrated by the Hoosiers after a rough trio of games. The hunger to bounce back and play as a team was evident in tonight\u2019s game, and not many can doubt that these women possess the confidence that they can play with anybody in this league.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forward Mackenzie Holmes scored 16 and had 6 rebounds; Guard Ali Patberg scored 15; Cardano-Hillary scored 14; Forward Aleksa Gulbe scored 11; and, All American Guard Grace Berger scored 10 points. Mackenna Marisa scored 21 and added 5 rebounds to lead the Lady Lions. Next up, #10 Indiana hosts Fairfield on Thursday evening at 7pm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Indiana Hoosier guard Ali Patberg (14) drives against Penn State Nittany Lions guard Maddie Burke (15) during an NCAA women’s basketball game on 12\/6\/21 at Bloomington’s Assembly Hall. (Photo by Jeremy Hogan\/The Bloomingtonian)<\/sub><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n