Shay Ciezki’s Hot Streak In Final Quarter Lifts Indiana Past Upset-Minded Northwestern

Shay Ciezki scored 13 of her 20 points in the final period as Indiana slipped by Northwestern in Evanston.

Indiana guard Shay Ciezki handles the ball during a game at Northwestern on Jan. 8, 2025. / Indiana athletics

EVANSTON, Ill. – Entering Wednesday’s Big Ten Conference game at Northwestern, Indiana's women's basketball team had won six of its last seven games. The only loss was a respectable 11-point defeat at the hands of unbeaten No. 1 UCLA last Saturday.

Northwestern, on the other hand, had lost four of its last games – with three of the defeats occurring in heavy losses to Big Ten teams.

Easy win for the Hoosiers, right? Think again.

A game Wildcats team welcomed to the Hoosiers to Welsh-Ryan Arena on Wednesday. It was only through the heroics of guard Shay Ciezki that Indiana was able to survive with a 68-64 victory.

Ciezki scored 13 of her game-high 20 points in the fourth quarter. Included was a 3-pointer with 1:05 left in the game that put Indiana up for good.

Indiana (11-4, 3-1) survived despite a 39.3% performance from the field. The Hoosiers got help from Karoline Striplin’s 13 points off the bench. Sydney Parrish had 12 points and Yarden Garzon had 10 points to bolster the Hoosiers’ cause.

Northwestern (7-9, 0-5) got a good performance from Taylor Williams who had 15 points and 13 rebounds. Melannie Daley led Northwestern with 17 points.

Indiana led 46-41 entering the fourth quarter, but had to stave off several Northwestern efforts to take the lead from the Hoosiers.

Ciezki’s heroics began at the 6:36 mark when she converted a traditional three-point play to stretch Indiana’s lead to 51-46 after the Wildcats had made it a single-possession deficit.

After Northwestern got within two again, Ciezki answered with a 3-pointer to give Indiana another boost.

Northwestern took a 59-58 lead with 1:34 left in the contest, but Ciezki responded again with a stepback 3-pointer to put Indiana up 61-59. That clutch bucket proved to be the one that put the Hoosiers up for good.

After Northwestern closed the gap to two points again in the final seconds, Ciezki put the game in Indiana’s pocket for good with a pair of free throws with four seconds left to provide the final points and winning margin.

Indiana's Sydney Parrish drives past Northwestern's Taylor Williams during Indiana's 68-64 victory at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Jan. 8, 2025. / Indiana athletics

It didn’t seem that Indiana would need late game heroics after a 20-11 first quarter. Parrish scored seven of her points in the opening period as the Hoosiers held the Wildcats to just five field goals.

Northwestern returned the favor in the second quarter as Indiana struggled to score just five field goals in that period. The defensive-minded Wildcats closed the gap to 31-26 by halftime.

Northwestern tied the game by the 4:40 mark of the third quarter only to have Indiana respond with a 6-0 run fueled by 3-point makes by Garzon and Ciezki.

Indiana stays on the road as they face No. 23 Iowa at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday.

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• WHAT MOREN SAID: Here's the full transcript of coach Teri Moren's postgame press conference after Indiana women's basketball lost 73-62 to No. 1 UCLA Saturday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. CLICK HERE