IU women still cold from 3-point range. But still winning big. 'They just didn't go down.'

BLOOMINGTON — Indiana clanged 3-pointer after 3-pointer Sunday. Open looks in the halfcourt and transition rattled out and missed the mark with equal frequency.

Teri Moren didn’t care.

The Hoosiers’ coach wanted her team to keep putting up shots, even as one after another bounced out against Wisconsin. It didn’t matter that IU missed eight of its last nine attempts from deep in the first half, including seven in a row at one point. The final tally of 8-for-20 was bolstered by a hot day from Yarden Garzon (4-of-5) and slight improvement after the break.

In a season where so much has gone right for the No. 6 Hoosiers, outside shooting has been shaky, one of the few inconsistent areas over the past two months. It suggests that — even at 16-1 after a 93-56 blowout of the Badgers in front of the largest crowd for a regular-season game in program history — the Hoosiers have the capacity to be better.

“We got great shots in the first half,” Moren said. “They just didn’t go down for us. Two things that we tell all of them to have is a short memory and (to) keep shooting.”

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On the season, Indiana is shooting 34.5% from deep, buoyed by some hot early-season performances. Since Big Ten play restarted Dec. 29, it’s 28.2% (24-for-85). Sara Scalia has made five of her past 28 attempts. Chloe Moore-McNeil’s last make from beyond the arc was Dec. 18. Garzon leads the team with 49.4%. No one else is better than 37.5%.

The amount of attention Mackenzie Holmes draws on the low block and improvement at passing out of double teams means the Hoosiers’ guards consistently get quality shots.

IU has the personnel, in theory, to be an above average 3-point shooting team. Moore-McNeil was an unspectacular but respectable 31% as a sophomore. Scalia shot 41.3% from deep a year ago at Minnesota, and made at least three four times this season before falling into an prolonged slump and eventually out of the starting lineup.

In that way, Scalia is something of a microcosm of the Hoosiers’ perimeter game: productive at the beginning of the season, less so in conference play, and implored by Moren not to be discouraged because the open looks are there. All that’s left for a player and team with a proven ability to make 3-pointers is to cash in.

“I loved how Sara — we’re trying to get her back on track,” Moren said. “She did hit the one. It went for her, but she stayed so aggressive, and that’s what you want. You want those kids not to bat an eye when they’re open and to stay aggressive in the moment. I’m not worried about the Syd Parrishes and Yarden and Chloe. They’re gonna keep shooting, but we gotta get Sara, and she will.”

Of course, one could reasonably make the case it doesn’t matter how well the Hoosiers shoot from the outside. They have one of the most dominant post players in the country in Holmes, who scored 29 points on 11-of-15 shooting against Wisconsin. She’s averaging 21.2 points per game while shooting 68.8% from the field. All but six of her 215 attempts have been 2-pointers.

Grace Berger, back as IU’s primary ball handler since returning from a knee injury Jan. 8, is a capable shooter, but thrives off of pick-and-rolls, attacking the basket and finishing or dishing as the defense collapses on her. She prefers mid-range shots. It’s a formula that has worked recently.

Indiana showed an ability to win perimeter-oriented games early in the season. Recently, the Hoosiers have opted for bully ball with Holmes down low. There were nights, like against North Carolina in December, it all came together. They’re still waiting on another performance like that, and Moren thinks it’s inevitable.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IU women's basketball beats Wisconsin even with cold shooting