Hoosier Women's Basketball Head Coach Teri Moren Said 'It Just Wasn't Our Night' After a Hard Loss to Nebraska

Indiana's shooting slumped as they went 2-for-23 on three-pointers in their 72-55 loss to the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Although Indiana head coach Teri Moren said she's disappointed, she will always bet on her players to regroup before the next one.

LINCOLN, Neb. — Indiana dropped its fourth game and only its second Big Ten game of the season falling 72-55 to the Nebraska Cornhuskers on the road.

"It was just not our night," Indiana head coach Teri Moren said.

The Cornhuskers snapped a six-game losing streak against the Hoosiers after Indiana shot a season low 31.9 percent from the field. Three-pointers weren't executed either as the team went 2-for-23.

"We never gave up," senior guard Grace Berger said. "Obviously we had a really hard night. We weren't good on defense. We weren't good on offense. We weren't making any shots but you know we're going to fight until the final buzzer. Win or lose, we're going to fight all 40 minutes."

Berger was the Hoosiers' leading scorer with 20 points. Graduate student guard Nicole Cardaño-Hillary and senior forward Aleksa Gulbe both added 10 a piece in a loud Pinnacle Bank Arena.

"Even though there weren't that many people there that were for us tonight, I think it was still an exciting environment to play in," Berger said.

In the first quarter, Indiana led 8-5 as part of an 8-0 run with graduate student guard Ali Patberg at the head of it with four points.

It was back and forth basketball for the remainder of the quarter until Nebraska built up a four-point lead at the buzzer.

The lead swapped six times in the second quarter, and the score was tied twice. The Cornhuskers won the tug of war on the scoreboard and eventually pulled away by five points.

Indiana entered a shooting drought and didn't score for the remainder of the quarter as Nebraska led 34-26 at the half.

"We've usually been able to rely on our defense, and our defense was honestly probably a lot worse than our offense," Berger said. "For a team that takes a lot of pride on that end, I think it's really disappointing for all of us."

Indiana never backs down and managed to climb their way back up on a 7-0 run closing the gap to four points.

The fourth quarter caved in for Indiana as they went a whole seven and a half minutes before scoring a field goal. 

Sophomore guard Jaz Shelley drew the foul from Cardaño-Hillary, which got Moren passionate and on her feet resulting in a technical foul.

"I never like to let my frustrations get the best of me because then I stop coaching my basketball team," she said. "Every now and then, a spirited conversation with an official can do good."

Shelley finished the night tied with junior guard Sam Haiby at 10 points each. Shelley also finished with a team-high three steals.

"She's a solid guard in the Big," Moren said. "I thought tonight collectively, they were in complete control for most of the game." 

This is only the second time this season the Hoosiers have allowed an opponent to get above 69 points. Although Berger admits that five games in 11 days can be exhausting, it's nothing the Hoosiers haven't seen before. It will serve them well down the stretch.

"We'd play a game every single day if we could," Berger said.

Moren said she's not pleased with the quick turnarounds and the lack of time to prepare between each game, but as young, healthy adults, her team should be good to play fresh on Thursday

"We can't use fatigue," Moren said. "That'll never be an excuse for us. We're competitors."

Up next, Indiana will return home to face the Northwestern Wildcats on Thursday, Feb. 17. 

"My bet is on my guys always that we're going to bounce back on Thursday," Moren said.

Related stories on Indiana women's basketball

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• INDIANA BREAKS TOP 5 IN AP POLL: Indiana is now ranked No. 5 in the AP Top 25 Poll passing up Michigan as the highest ranked Big Ten team. Maryland, Ohio State and Iowa round out the remaining conference teams in the poll. CLICK HERE.
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