Indiana entered the matchup on a three-game losing streak. In their losses to Illinois, No. 4 USC and Oregon, the Hoosiers averaged just 55.7 points per game. Over that stretch, Garzon averaged just 7 points, shot 26.4% from the field and 22.7% from long range per game.

Illinois' Adalia McKenzie (24) gets past Indiana's Chloe Moore-McNeil (22) and Lilly Meister to score during the Indiana versus Illinois women's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Despite leading by 10 points in the third quarter, IU women's basketball had careless mistakes, a familiar trend, leading to a 54-47 loss to Oregon.

The Hoosiers trailed by as many as 15 points in the first quarter, but even as they turned up their intensity to cut into the Fighting Illini’s lead, their efforts fell short. Indiana suffered a 54-68 loss to Illinois on Thursday inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington.