INDIANAPOLIS — The scene at the final media timeout Wednesday night was one of frustration for Indiana women’s basketball.

Lily Meister banged her fist on her seat and the Hoosiers looked defeated.

Ranked No. 25 in the preseason, Indiana dropped its second straight game Wednesday night, 56-46, to Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Hoosiers again struggled in many ways that had already been showcased in the previous two games of the season. 

Ball control again caused significant issues for Indiana, limiting the Hoosiers from creating an offensive rhythm. The Hoosiers finished with 16 turnovers against the Bulldogs, their third game in a row in double digits. In their first three games, Indiana has a combined 61 turnovers. 

“Whether you want to call it focus lack of, or fatigue creeps in, we still, I think, are mature enough and old enough to know better and know how important taking care of the ball is.” Teri Moren said postgame.

Indiana’s troubles didn’t stop there. The shooting struggles continued, as Indiana finished 34 percent from the field (17-50). The 3-point shot failed to connect, particularly in the second half. The Hoosiers shot just 6-for-17 from outside, making only two triples in the final 20 minutes. 

The Hoosiers scored only nine points in the third quarter and nine in the fourth quarter. 

“Offensively, we gotta look a lot better,” Moren said. “It starts with taking care of the ball. It starts with embracing the physicality, but we gotta shoot the ball better. We had some great looks tonight that just didn’t go down. When was the last time this group had only six assists? You know, they shot 34 percent and 35 percent from the three-point line. We are not connecting right now on shots. It’s a hard game when you can’t score.” 

The hard truth is that Indiana’s offense has struggled similarly in the past two games. Harvard sped the Hoosiers up on the outside, and Butler did, too.

Credit to both the Crimson and Bulldogs’ defense, but this leads to the ball being poked around, a choppy offensive flow and little production.

“Harvard did the same thing,” Moren said. “We just talked to the kids about it. That is so bothersome to our staff, and I know our players. You could use the term soft. That’s part of the game planning for Indiana is to be super physical with our guards. They don’t like that.

“But we have to recognize that and bow up and be better. We just gotta be tougher. We gotta be more physical, embrace it, and realize that is what teams are doing to us. They are really trying to be physical, especially in the first couple of minutes of the game. It just stifled us. Yeah, it’s a problem.” 

Moren bluntly expressed her frustration after the game: Her team is rattled. This type of basketball hasn’t been seen in Moren’s program in a long time. A team with veteran leadership and pieces for a solid offense is searching for answers. Something is missing, and although it’s only been three games, rightful concerns have been raised after each game. 

Sydney Parrish knows it all starts in that locker room and that if Indiana wants things to change, changes must start from within. 

“We’re a veteran group, and this should really make us mad,” Parrish said. “We are so much better than that. So much better than that. And we know it. Coach knows it, our staff knows it, they’re pouring into us, and we have to show what we can do.”

(Photo credit: IU Athletics)

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