Indiana returned home after a west coast road trip firing on all cylinders, defeating Nebraska with ease 76-60.
This was the Hoosiers first home win since its matchup with Wisconsin all the way back on December 28th 2024, making the "pink out" Assembly Hall crowd pleased from start to finish.
The biggest difference in this one was 3-point shooting, as Indiana went an impressive 13-for-30 mark, while Nebraska, a team who came into this one shooting over 35% went just 3-for-11.
Yarden Garzon followed up her 35-point performance against Washington with 19 against the Huskers, shooting 5-of-9 from beyond the arc.
Chloe Moore-McNeil, Karoline Striplin and Sydney Parrish were the other three double-digit scorers, putting up 15, 13 and 11 respectively.
Moore-McNeil was also impactful in other aspects of the game, specifically playmaking as she dished out seven assists throughout the game.
These were a part of the 25 assists IU throughout the game, an extremely impressive number as just four of the Hoosiers' 29 made field goals weren't created by an assist.
The Hoosiers' defense was also impressive, as it forced 17 Nebraska turnovers in what ended up being an all-around impressive showing from Teri Moren's group.
Here's how it happened in the game that improved Indiana to a 14-7 and 6-4 in Big Ten play.
IU HOLDS DOUBLE-DIGIT HALFTIME LEAD BEHIND 3-PT BARRAGE
After the first 20 minutes of play Indiana had hit eight threes, while Nebraska hit zero, creating a huge difference in this one early on.
This started in the first quarter, as IU went 4-of-8 from three in the period, Parrish making her presence known early with six points in the first 10 minutes.
It wasn't just Parrish, as Moore-McNeil hit one from downtown in the first, though none seemed bigger than Henna Sandvik's 3-pointer as it beat the first quarter buzzer and gave IU momentum heading into the second.
The Hoosiers finished the first 7-of-15 from the field int he first, Nebraska going a better 6-of-12, though that didn't include a single 3-pointer.
The second is when IU really got things going though, as the Hoosiers started the quarter on a 13-0 run that included three shots from beyond the arc, including Garzon's first made basket of the day.
This gave Indiana a 32-14 lead with the three ball the biggest difference, though Nebraska would fight back in the final six minutes of the second.
The Huskers even cut it to just a single-digit lead for Indiana yet, with another 3-pointer, Indiana got its lead back up to 12 before the halftime buzzer.
This was from Garzon's third three of the quarter, giving her nine points and a tie for the highest point total of the first half.
IU shot just 6-of-15 from the field in the second quarter, yrt its 4-of-7 mark from three kept up the hot start from beyond the arc. Nebraska shot 4-of-10 an turned it over six times, as it just wasn't able to compete with Indiana's shot making ability early on, with turnovers making it even worse.
This allowed IU go get out to a comfortable lead, one that it used to its advantage in the second half.
HOOSIERS CRUISE TO VICTORY WITH SOLID 2ND HALF
While Nebraska tried to cut into the Indiana lead several times after the half, Indiana wouldn't falter, keeping the Huskers at bay in route to a double-digit victory.
The third quarter was back-and-forth throughout, with neither team able to sustain a run, though that meant Indiana kept at least an 11 point lead for all 10 minutes.
While the Hoosiers played solid, their 3-point shooting was nothing special, as they used their 2-point offense in stark contrast to the first half.
Striplin was a major factor, scoring eight points in the third on 4-of-5 shooting, all coming from inside the arc.
Indiana totaled 9-of-17 from the field for the period, going just 1-of-7 from three, but that wasn't an issue because of the large lead it built before the half.
Nebraska went 6-of-12 in the third including its first made 3-pointer, going 1-of-2 from downtown, though turning it over five times preventing it from making a comeback.
Indiana held a 57-41 lead going into the fourth, meaning that all it had to do was hold on and it would get its first home win of the 2025 calendar year,
It did exactly that, as the Hoosiers used both defense, as well as a reemergence of 3-point shooting to win this one with ease.
Nebraska had one real attempt at a run, starting the quarter with a 7-0 stretch that cut the Indiana lead to nine, though IU responded immediately.
Shay Ciezki hit a three and was followed by a Garzon triple, pushing the Indiana lead back up to 15 in two possessions, effectively ending Nebraska's shot at getting back in the game.
After this it was all Hoosiers, as they walked away with this one-sided win after finishing the fourth with a 7-for-16 mark from the field and a 4-of-8 clip from deep.
Nebraska finished 8-of-16 and 2-of-4, finally getting things going from three, but it was too little too late as Indiana was dominant for the vast majority of this one, finishing with the 76-60 home victory.
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