, playing arguably its most complete game of the season.

Exactly one week later, against another formidable foe in Bloomington, the Hoosiers stumbled. It didn’t take Moren long to diagnose what’s been missing.

“It’s focus,” Moren said. “That’s what missing. We’re not a very focused team. I think when we’re really focused, hyper-focused, like we were against Ohio State, we know what we’re capable of.”

Shortly before tip-off, during Indiana’s senior night recognition, Chloe Moore-McNeil held a bouquet of flowers as she embraced each member of the coaching staff. She chuckled and shared an especially long hug with Moren, who’s often lauded the fifth-year guard’s toughness.

But Thursday night, Moren thought it was lacking. In the fourth quarter, Maryland senior guard Shyanne Sellers almost singlehandedly squashed Indiana’s chance for a comeback. Sellers scored 21 of the Terrapins’ 28 points, splashing three of her four attempts from beyond the arc and shooting a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line.

Indiana junior guard Yarden Garzon — who scored a team-high 18 points — was tasked with guarding Sellers in the first half, but once she reached four fouls, Moren gave Moore-McNeil the assignment. She called it a “safe bet.” Instead, Sellers exploded.

“She’s a pro,” Moren said. “They get cooking like that when they feel it. They see one go in, and then another go in, and then things start to feel real easy for them.”

Early in the fourth quarter, she slightly nudged Moore-McNeil with her right arm to create space and popped back for a 3-pointer. Moren said she told Moore-McNeil “nobody should come in here and push you off.”

“You got to stand your ground and not let teams bully you like that,” Moren said. “Do I wish we were more physical? Absolutely.”

Sydney Parrish, who finished with 13 points and four rebounds, was honored alongside Moore-McNeil and Karoline Striplin for senior night. She too emphasized the need for more physicality.

“We have to prepare for it,” Parrish said, “because once March hits, I think every team turns into that aggressive, gets-up-into-you type team.”

Moren said the lack of focus and physicality have been focal points of discussion from the coaching staff, but she said there’s an onus on the players to take accountability. While Moore-McNeil and Parrish are Indiana’s two most experienced players, Moren said they need to ask themselves if they’re doing enough from a leadership standpoint.

Throughout Moren’s tenure, there’s been no shortage of assertive voices. She cited Ali Patberg and Grace Berger as being two of her best leaders and an example for the current players to follow.

“They were such great competitors that they held each other accountable, but they didn’t care about hurting feelings,” Moren said of Patberg and Berger. “They wanted to win.”

Now 17-11 and 9-8 in Big Ten play, Indiana sits ninth in the conference ahead of the regular season finale. The Hoosiers travel to West Lafayette on Sunday to face Purdue before preparing for the Big Ten tournament, which begins on March 5 in Indianapolis.

Indiana doesn’t have the luxury of extensive time for soul searching. In Moren’s eyes, the direction the Hoosiers will take next comes down to focus.

“You got to be able to dig your heels into the ground, and you just got to play,” Moren said. “You got to be able to guard, you got to be able to rotate. You got to be able to help each other, and that takes an incredible amount of focus.”

(Photo credit: IU Athletics)

Category: Women's Basketball

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