By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Teri Moren won’t back off.
You know that, right?
Indiana’s coach keeps demanding. Even amid excellence, and the No. 14 Hoosiers are in a run of dominance with 12 straight victories and counting, the latest Sunday’s 91-69 dismantling of Nebraska on the road, there are — always — coaching points.
“You keep coaching them,” Moren says. “You talk about things that are happening. It’s not that we’ll ever be perfect, but we want to execute at a high level. Take good shots, high-percentage shots. Execute. Be efficient in half court.
“Defensively, make things hard for (opponents).”
The Hoosiers are receptive to all of it, and it shows. They are 13-1 overall, 4-0 in the Big Ten and tied with No. 4 Iowa atop the conference standings.
“This is a mature group,” Moren says. “A veteran group. They’ve been in a lot of high level, intense games. We understand how good this league is.”
For perspective, Nebraska had been undefeated in conference play, and got shredded despite the home court advantage of Pinnacle Bank Arena.
“It’s about keeping our energy and following the game plan,” guard Sara Scalia says.
IU once again dominated with offensive firepower. It rocked the Cornhuskers with 60.7 percent overall shooting, 60.9 percent from three-point range. This followed its 15-for-15 opening against Michigan three days earlier at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
“Nothing surprises me with this group as far as their ability to knock down shots,” Moren says.
On Sunday, forward Sydney Parrish had 20 points on 6-for-7 three-point shooting. She added six rebounds. All-American forward Mackenzie Holmes had 22 points and six rebounds. Scalia had 19 points, six rebounds and seven assists. Chloe Moore-McNeil had 16 points. IU’s 14 three-pointers were a program record for a road game. It added 22 assists.
Defensively, the Hoosiers had seven steals and forced 19 turnovers.
Still, IU remains a work in progress. Every championship team is forever growing and building, because if it’s not, potential will never come.
“We’ve continued to improve,” Moren says. “That’s what you want. You want to get a little better every day. We have inside of every game.
“There have been moments of frustration and disappointment. In game film, there are plenty of things we point out that we have to get better. There are also a lot of good things we showcase we’re doing well.”
As far as frustration, the Hoosiers committed 14 turnovers against Nebraska. Even more critical, free throw shooting remains a concern. IU was 9-for-14 (64 percent) at Nebraska. It is 69.6 percent for the season, which ranks 12th in the Big Ten. Northwestern leads at 79 percent.
The Hoosiers work on it. Because they do, vulnerability can become strength.
To win a championship, it has to.
“(Moren) tells us to stay confident,” Holmes says. “We work on (free throws) in practice. I have to be better, especially down the stretch. I have to continue to have confidence. Don’t get sped up. Coach continues to instill confidence in us because she knows how much we work on it in practice.”
The Michigan game was a case study of Indiana at its offensive best — to a point.
“I loved how we shared the ball in the first quarter,” Moren says. “I loved how fast we played. We knew we had to strike first. We talked a lot about being the aggressor. I loved our mindset.”
Love had its limits after Michigan settled in and ramped up its defensive pressure.
“They forced us to do some different things offensively,” Moren says. “What I learned about our team was we have to be better at executing against pressure, and not be forced to get out of our continuity offense we want to run.”
Big leads, Holmes says, are never an excuse for complacency and backing off. Killer instinct means burying opponents, and if it hurts their feelings, too bad.
“It shouldn’t be hard (to keep pushing),” Holmes says. “Every team is capable of getting back in the game.”
The Hoosiers were ruthless against Nebraska. They will try for more Wednesday night at home against Penn State (10-4, 1-2 B1G). Another large crowd is expected. IU ranks second in the Big Ten in attendance at 8,973 at 17,000-plus Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Moren wants more.
“My goal is to have more sellouts. I want to see more people in the rafters. We still have more work to do.”
Much work has already been done. Moren, who has won 213 games in 10 Cream ‘n Crimson seasons, and her staff have built the Hoosiers into a consistent national power. They reached the Elite Eight a couple of seasons ago. Last year, they were a No. 1 NCAA tourney seed with a Big Ten regular season title and a top-5 national ranking on their resume. Home games have become must-see events.
“All the credit goes to the players now and in the past,” Moren says. “They have turned this program into a competitive one, one that our crowd enjoys watching.
“We try to play fast, try to play disciplined. We play hard regardless of the score. And if you meet our players off the floor, they are even more terrific as people. It’s special.”
A win over Penn State would set up a huge showdown against Iowa (15-1) next Saturday at a sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes lead the Big Ten in attendance at 14,998.
IU isn’t thinking about that yet.
“We’ve always had that one-game mentality,” Moren says. “It’s about what’s ahead of us.”