Indiana women’s basketball was reeling from a 34-27 halftime lead by the University of Illinois Chicago on Friday night.
The Hoosiers, who shot 10 for 32 from the field and 2 for 11 from 3-point range in the first half, were in desperate need of a difference maker in the second half.
Senior guard Shay Ciezki was the difference for Indiana. Something seemed to trigger for Ciezki, who exploded after the break. The Buffalo, New York, native outscored the entire UIC team 25-22 in the second half and led Indiana to a 72-56 victory Friday night.
In the first half, Ciezki was 3 for 8 from the field with 10 points. She also made Indiana’s only two successful 3-point attempts in the first half, going 2 for 4 from beyond the arc.
In the second half, Ciezki dropped 25 points, more than half of Indiana’s 45 total in the period. Her shot was lethal, scoring 9 for 13 from the field and 5 for 6 from long range in the third and fourth periods. She even recorded 18 straight points for Indiana from the second half of the third quarter to the start of the fourth.
Overall, Ciezki scored 35 points in the Hoosiers’ win, her highest point total with the Cream and Crimson. She shot 12 for 21 from the field and 7 for 10 from 3-point range, coming up with all but two of Indiana’s nine made 3-point shots.
“Shay had a night,” head coach Teri Moren said postgame, chuckling lightly.
The Penn State transfer ran the offense all night, acting as Indiana’s primary ballhandler and main shot creator. While others mainly looked for open teammates to pass to on the perimeter, Ciezki often attacked the paint — drawing multiple and-one opportunities — and the 3-point line.
Ciezki’s best scoring performance in an Indiana jersey came in clutch, as all other Hoosiers combined for 16 for 39. Redshirt sophomore guard Lenée Beaumont shot 2 for 6 from the field, freshman guard Nevaeh Caffey and sophomore guard Valentyna Kadlecova were a combined 3-for-13 shooting.
Sophomore forward Zania Socka-Nguemen was the only other Hoosier to shoot over 50% from the field Friday night. She went 8 for 13 from the field, earning a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds in 33 minutes played.
For the first time in the 2025-26 season, Indiana and its brand-new roster faced real adversity from an opponent. Down 7 points at halftime, Hoosier fans got the chance to see how the squad would react to its first real test. Among them was Moren.
“I was as interested probably as you guys to see how we would respond,” Moren said. “When you have so many new faces, so many new pieces that have not met adversity yet, you’re always curious to how they’re gonna respond.”
Still, Ciezki couldn’t have done it alone. Socka-Nguemen was successful inside the paint, but more players will need to share in the outside success if Indiana wants to be competitive in Big Ten play.
For now, however, Indiana can revel in the fact that they have both a star and leader in Ciezki. Even after her best performance as a Hoosier, her postgame press conference answers were filled with “we’s”.
“With ‘Z’ (Socka-Nguemen) being open, we have shooters on the outside,” Ciezki said. “They had to guard everybody tonight and I was able to knock down some shots.”
Follow reporters Savannah Slone (@savrivers06 and srslone@iu.edu) and Max Schneider (maxschn@iu.edu) and columnist Sean McAvoy (@sean_mc07 and semcavoy@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana women’s basketball season.