Shay Ciezki has ‘kill switch,’ but IU women’s basketball needs to support her

BLOOMINGTON — Shay Ciezki has a “kill switch.”

She’s an emotional player. She takes things personally. And as Indiana women’s basketball was fighting more than it should’ve for every point against Mid-American Conference opponent Eastern Michigan, she knew she needed to find a new gear to put the Hoosiers over the edge.

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“I think, as an athlete, that just comes with a competitive edge, I think that all great athletes should take things personally,” Ciezki said after IU’s hard-fought 74-67 win. “It’s just that winning mentality. At the end of the game, it definitely was closer than we wanted, the switch kind of gets flipped and just go into, like, kill mode. And you want to win the game, whatever that takes.”

And that switch helped Ciezki push Indiana to a victory. She finished with a team-leading 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting — her 11th straight game with 20 or more points — playing a full 40 minutes.

Ciezki, as the only starter who returned for the Hoosiers in 2025-26, has been the consistent force the Hoosiers have desperately needed so far this season. The Hoosiers’ offense runs through her, and she leads the Big Ten and is fifth in the country with 24.9 points per game.

“I don’t know that nationally right now, anybody’s talking about what a season she’s having for us,” IU coach Teri Moren said. “It’s been very, very special, and hopefully she can continue to play like this throughout Big Ten play, because we’re certainly going to need it. Here in nonconference, she’s had a special kind of season that we’re all very, very proud of, but also grateful for, because she has turned into our go-to.”

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But Indiana is still looking for a consistent complement to Ciezki’s play on the floor.

The Hoosiers have one more tune-up nonconference game against Western Carolina on Dec. 21 before fully entering Big Ten play. Indiana’s league…

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Publish date : 2025-12-14 21:57:00

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