What Teri Moren Said After Indiana's 90-55 Win Against Oakland

Indiana women's basketball coach Teri Moren spoke to the media after the Hoosiers concluded their nonconference slate with a win.

Indiana Head Coach Teri Moren talks with Valentyna Kadlecova (15) during the Indiana versus Oakland women's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana women's basketball coach Teri Moren spoke to the media after the Hoosiers defeated Oakland 90-55 in their last nonconference game of the season.

Here is what Moren had to say in brief comments to the press:

Opening statement ...

Moren: A good win as we break here for a few days and then come back and have to prepare for Wisconsin (on Saturday). We had a few game goals throughout. I did want to get under ... I felt like 10 turnovers was reasonable. We didn't get that goal. But I wanted 20 plus assists. Got the 27 today. The kills, as you guys know, is a three stops in a row. The kids ... they wanted eight of those. We got nine of those today. So lot of kids got to play. Balanced scoring.

We knew the 1-3-1 was going to be a little bit of a mystery. There's just not a lot of rules to it that we could find, other than they just try to be disruptive and turn you over. But I thought we handled it really well. I thought we got some really good shots. They didn't go down like we would have liked them to, especially in the first half, but I think we found a way to have great balance throughout. So pleased, I thought more pleased in the second half than I was the first half, without question, defensively. Give our kids credit. Sometimes these are interesting games right before the holidays. You can be sloppy. They can check out a little bit, but I thought for the most part, our kids did a great job of staying focused in what we were trying to do.

On what's encouraging going into Big Ten play ...

Moren: It's given Jules (LaMendola) and Henna (Sandvik) and Strip (Karoline Striplin) has played better for us. So I think it's given those kids that we have on our bench that are waiting to come in and have an impact. Lex (Lexus Bargesser). I think it's been really good to see those kids get a lot of time and meaningful time. We've been without (Sydney) Parrish, so it's going to be nice to have her back. But I just think overall, it's we've tried to get back to being cleaner offensively. I think being more engaged defensively.

We've really tried to take the days that we've had off, when there was a six day break or a seven day break and go back and really work on the fundamentals of being a good basketball team. That's offensively and defensively. We've been able to install some stuff too as well. So we're trying to take advantage of that. I do think that this is a very motivated group as we break for the holiday and return to play Wisconsin.

On confidence in the bench and whether subbing deep into the bench will continue ...

Moren: It'll just really depend right on the game and the flow and the rhythm. I will say this. I think there's great confidence in those kids. Lexi and Jules, Henna, Strip. I think it's a matter of us being confident that we can count on those guys. They know what their role is. They also know what their jobs are. And again, it's nice to be able to have some depth.

We haven't been a team historically that has played eight or nine guys, but we feel like we can do that with this group. It's great that Jules has gotten better. It's great that Lexi has gained some rhythm and got back into playing shape. And I think Strip has just played really well. Maybe it was the Penn State game, but she's playing with a tremendous amount of confidence right now, which is really good for us.

On Sydney Parrish's return ...

Moren: I think she was really excited to be back and be with her team. She's the ultimate competitor. So for her to be out there today and play the minutes she did and play aggressive like we've seen Syd play was a really good sign for us. Throughout this week, with prepping and what not, she's felt really, really good. Happy to have her back. No question.

On whether there's been one thing to identify that has improved since the start of the season ...

Moren: I don't know that I could would pinpoint one area. I think that again, from the beginning, I think we felt like there were going to be some ebbs and flows and peaks and valleys with the new team, but I will say this, there's no doubt that we've become a better basketball team in the last month and three to four weeks. And that's good as we head into Big 10 play. It's a daunting league with tremendous players, coaches, and we want to be playing our best basketball in March, not at the beginning of the season.

It's been good for us to grow as a team and I think improve as a team. We still have a lot of improvements to make, but it feels good to be able to take a break right now feeling like we can all catch our breath and be somewhat satisfied that we've finished non-con in the right way today. Because, like I said, these games can be tricky if you're not careful. And I thought our kids did a great job of staying focused for 40 minutes.

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