INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Shay Ciezki had 22 points and seven assists, Nevaeh Caffey scored nine of her 13 in the fourth quarter, and No. 13 seed Indiana overcame a 20-point deficit to beat Nebraska 72-69 on Wednesday in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.
Indiana (18-14) has won four in a row and is 7-2 following its 0-10 start in Big Ten play.
No. 12 seed Nebraska (18-12) has lost seven of its last nine games and may have seen its NCAA Tournament bubble burst.
Amiah Hargrove led the Cornhuskers with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Britt Prince had 20 points and eight assists. Logan Nissley scored 12 and Jessica Petrie added 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Ciezki had her 21st game this season with at least 20 points and passed Mackenzie Holmes (692 points, 2022-23) for second on Indiana’s single-season scoring list with 694 points this season.
Lenee Beaumont made two 3s in an 8-0 spurt that gave Indiana a 68-67 lead — its first of the game — with 1:06 left. Prince missed a pull-up jumper before Ciezki darted to the rim for a layup with 32 seconds to go. Hargrove had an offensive rebound and putback that made it a one-point game with 17 seconds remaining before Caffey made two free throws to cap the scoring.
Prince and Nissley missed potential tying 3-point shots in the closing seconds.
Beaumont scored 11 of her 14 in the second half and Edessa Noyan had 12 points and 10 rebounds for Indiana, which trailed 45-25 late in the second quarter.
Then-No. 25 Nebraska beat the Hoosiers 78-73 at home Jan. 8 to snap an eight-game skid in the series, which Indiana leads 14-7.
Up next
Indiana: Plays 11th-ranked and fifth-seeded Ohio State in the second round on Thursday.
Nebraska: Awaits a potential postseason invitation.
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