Indiana pulls it together to defeat Marian in home exhibition game

Indiana University debuted the 2026-27 team this evening in an exhibition game against reigning NAIA Champions, Marian University. Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall was scarce, much like the first quarter shooting by the Hoosiers. But Indiana got back on track, looking incredibly sharp in the end, putting together the 87-39 victory.

Indiana came out strong, hitting on their first two possessions, and then finished Q1 one for their next 20. The dreadful first quarter concluded with an 8-point deficit, 8-16.

It wasn’t until 3 minutes of Q2 had passed that the team figured it out and started playing quality basketball. 4th-year Guard Lenee Beaumont dropped a bucket at the 6-minute mark and then began her leadership role, handing out assists at will. IU’s offense finally kicked in and synched perfectly with an increase in defensive play. Indiana went on a 25-4 run to turn the tide 33-20 at the halfway point.

From there, the Hoosiers put it into overdrive and dominated on all fronts.

“The reason we have exhibitions and scrimmages is to get those nerves out, and we definitely had that,” said Assistant Coach Ali Patbeg after the game. “Defense is where it starts for us and in the 2nd Quarter, and even the 3rd Quarter, we had a different bump and aggressiveness to us defensively.”

Hoosier Nation might not recognize the on-court personnel and will have to re-learn players and jerseys this season. The team returns only 3 this year . . . Beaumont, Zania “Z” Socka-Nguemen, and Maya Makalusky.

IU started Beaumont (5), Kenzie Hare (22), “Z” (23), Malia Samuels, and Freshman Addy Nyemchek (55). Hare led with 18 points on 6 triples, and added 5 RBs and 8 assists; Nyemcheck scored 14 and 6 RBs; Z dropped 13 and had 9 boards; Beaumont had 5 points, 5 RBs, and 8 assists; Makalusky (3) came off the bench with 10 points; and Jessica Petrie (12) also from the bench, contributed 9 points and 8RBs.

As a team, Indiana finished the game shooting 48% from the field, hitting 12-30 from beyond the arc for 40%, 5-10 from the free throw line, pulling down 50 RBs, and assisting 29 times.

After shaking off the dust in an embarrassing first Quarter, the Hoosiers looked fantastic, playing as a team, quickly transitioning, and offering solid defense.

Next Up . . .

The Hoosiers kick off their non-conference schedule on Tuesday, November 3rd, hosting Florida Gulf Coast with a 7pm tip-off. The game coverage is televised on B10+ with local radio coverage on B97.