BLOOMINGTON- Shay Ciezki has a kill switch.
She is an emotional player. She takes things personally. And like Indiana women’s basketball fought harder than it should have for every point against its Mid-American Conference opponent Eastern Michiganshe knew she had to find new equipment to put the Hoosiers over the edge.
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“I think as an athlete it comes with a competitive advantage, I think all great athletes should take things personally,” Ciezki said after Hard-fought victory for IU 74-67. “It’s just that winning mentality. At the end of the game, it was definitely closer than we wanted, the switch kind of flips and just goes into kill mode. And you want to win the game, whatever it takes.”
And that change helped Ciezki push Indiana to victory. She finished with a team-leading 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting – her 11th straight game with 20 or more points – playing a full 40 minutes.
Ciezki, like the only returning starter for the Hoosiers in 2025-26, has been the consistent force the Hoosiers have desperately needed so far this season. The Hoosiers’ offense runs through it, and it leads the Big Ten and is fifth in the nation with 24.9 points per game.
‘I don’t know nationally right now, no one’s talking about the season she’s having for us,’ IU coach Teri Moren said. “It’s been very, very special, and I hope she can continue to play like that throughout the Big Ten game, because we’re definitely going to need it. Here outside of conference, she’s had a special type of season that we’re all very, very proud of, but also grateful for, because she’s become our benchmark.”
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But Indiana is still looking for a consistent complement to Ciezki’s play on the court.
The Hoosiers have one more non-conference tune-up game against Western Carolina on Dec. 21 before fully entering Big Ten play. Indiana’s first league game was lackluster, suffering a 78-57 loss to Illinois.
As the Hoosiers head into the league, the defensive pressure, especially on Ciezki, will intensify. Ciezki will be double- or even triple-teamed because she is at the top of everyone else’s scouting report.
So Hoosiers need someone to turn to when that happens.
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“I think offensively we have to find ways to get away from the ball when we put it inside,” redshirt sophomore. Lénée Beaumont said. “Or if they turn Shay down hard, like most teams are going to do in the future. You know, areas for improvement are sure on both sides.”
Beaumont, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, has shown flashes of becoming that reliable player alongside Ciezki. She is one of the Hoosiers’ vocal leaders and averages 15.2 points per game, along with 4.8 rebounds. She scored another 15 points on Sunday against Eastern Michiganbut committed a foul late in the match after getting a technical problem.
Edessa Noyan has also stepped up in recent games, especially with the starting center Zania Socka-Nguemen with a leg injury at least until Christmas. Noyan scored 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting as the Hoosiers fed offense through her, but her minutes were limited by foul trouble.
Maya Makalusky, a freshman, who shone in his debut in the starting lineup Thursday with 22 points, still had his 3-point touch Sunday with three 3-point shots for nine points. His minutes, however, were also limited by foul trouble.
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“I think she would tell you she’s still learning a ton about what it takes to play at this level,” Moren said. “But the thing about Maya is she’s a real competitor and she wants to know what she has to do, one to get on the floor, two to stay on the floor, and how she can help us win games.”
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Still, this IU team is a work in progress. The Hoosiers returned less than 20% of their scores from 2024 to 2025, with eight new facesincluding six transfers, in the building this season.
But the standard remains the same.
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“We have a tradition here,” Moren said. “We have a standard of how we’re going to play and what our fans are used to, and they’re used to watching us, regardless of the scoreboard, play hard and try hard for 40 minutes, and that’s not going to change. That’s the standard, and that’s our job, and my job to continue to send that message.”
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This article was originally published on the Indianapolis Star: Shay Ciezki scores points leaderboard and Indiana women’s basketball team to help
