Indiana’s Shay Ciezki makes a dream come true in Women’s March Madness win vs. Utah

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Indiana women’s basketball guard Shay Ciezki had never made the NCAA Tournament until this year, and when she got her chance, she took full advantage.

Ciezki put up 16 points as the No. 9-seeded Hoosiers beat the No. 8 Utah Utes in the first round of March Madness on Friday, winning 76-68.

“(It’s) such a surreal moment,” Ciezki said before Friday’s game. “When you’re a kid you dream of playing in March, and the last two seasons I wasn’t able to get there.”

The junior, who is from Buffalo, N.Y., and was a three-year captain in high school, transferred to Indiana from Penn State last offseason, putting trust in Hoosiers coach Teri Moren and her new team. Ciezki was a key piece for the Hoosiers during the regular season, averaging 11.6 points per game and shooting 37.7% from 3-point range. 

“The whole culture is different (in Bloomington) than where she came from,” her mother, Lisa Ciezki, who was in the stands for Friday’s win, said of her daughter’s new college team. “They just embrace women’s basketball so much.”

The team captain’s impact ranged far beyond the statsheet against Utah, as she was constantly making hustle plays, communicating with her teammates and conducting the offense.

In addition to her 16 points, she added three assists and two rebounds.

Ciezki’s Hoosiers will face the winner of No. 1 South Carolina and No. 16 Tennessee Tech on Sunday afternoon at Colonial Life Arena.

Carter Braun is a student in the University of Georgia’s Sports Media Certificate program.