Coming off a loss in the Big Ten opener for the first time in eight years, Indiana women’s basketball coach Teri Moren knew she needed to shake things up.
IU had lost two of its last three: first to No. 10 Iowa State in the Coconut Hoops Championship in Florida on Nov. 30, then a demoralizing 78-57 loss to Illinois in Champaign on Dec. 5.
Moren had to turn things around. And fast.
“ I think the game at Illinois was, you know, something,” Moren said after Thursday’s 98-54 win over Louisiana-Monroe. “We needed to do something to mix it up a little bit.”
So, she shook up her starting lineup.
Moren was facing a short bench with just nine players available — Faith Wiseman was hit in the jaw in practice this week and ruled out, while Jerni Kiaku was out with the flu — IU needed help in the post.
Enter freshman Maya Makalusky, the reigning Indiana Miss Basketball from Hamilton Southeastern.
Makalusky had been a consistent defensive presence off the bench in Indiana’s first 10 games, with a bright spot of IU’s loss at Illinois being her six rebounds.
Moren wanted more of that defensive, gritty presence in the starting lineup. So, Makalusky made the first start of her young college career on Thursday night, taking sophomore Valentyna Kadlecova’s spot.
“What I asked her to do before the game was just be a great rebounder for us,” Moren said.“I said, ‘I need you to, we need you to guard and defend and we need you to rebound.’”
She did that and more.
Makalusky shined in a team-high 34 minutes, scoring a career-high 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting (6 of 10 from 3-point range) along with four rebounds and three assists.
“The 3s were just sort of icing on the cake on her performance,” Moren said.
It was a breakthrough night for the freshman, who averaged just 3.9 points per game coming into Thursday night. Now, it’s something she will need to maintain.
“It definitely feels great for your hard work to pay off, but the job’s not done,” Makalusky said. “I got to continue to maintain that role and do what I need to do to stay on the court. But I think it all comes back to my team giving me the confidence to step in in that role and to play confidently and to shoot those shots. I wouldn’t have scored as much as I did without my teammates hitting me.”
Makalusky had to adapt, too, with a depleted forward room. Starting center Zania Socka-Nguemen has been out since Nov. 30 with a lower body injury, and Wiseman’s jaw injury left the Hoosiers thin in the frontcourt.
So, when Edessa Noyan needed rest at the 5, Makalusky moved into the post. It’s not her usual position, by any means, but she held it down when needed, anchoring a small-ball lineup.
“Everyone has a role that they need to play in order for us to be successful,” senior Shay Ciezki, who led the Hoosiers with 31 points, said. “And that was just carried out in practice making sure that the next man has to step up. Maya was playing the five a little bit today, she was able to learn the plays in a couple days in that position.”
Moren didn’t commit to Makalusky staying in the starting lineup long-term — as the Hoosiers move into Big Ten play in a couple weeks, they may need to adjust again.
If Moren does decide to keep her in that spot, two freshmen will be in the starting lineup for the Hoosiers: Nevaeh Caffey has been starting for Indiana since the beginning of the season. It’s an atypical situation for Moren, who has historically opted for more veteran starters in her 11-year tenure as IU’s coach.
But Makalusky made a strong case on Thursday night.
“I thought she deserved to have an opportunity to be in the lineup tonight, because she talks. She has a great energy level,” Moren said. “Where Maya has to continue to improve, though, is still the defensive side of the ball, and she will. That just comes with experience…. It’s always special when you get that nod, you’re getting the lineup, and you have a good night, right? She had a night.”
Want more Hoosiers coverage? Sign up for IndyStar’s Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Maya Makalusky career high in points in first Indiana women’s basketball start
About the Author
