BLOOMINGTON — Lilly Meister knew that when she trained for this season, she was taking over for one of the best players in IU history.

Meister joined the IU Women’s Basketball program in 2022 and backed up Mackenzie Holmes, the program’s leading scorer, for two years. Meister saw how Holmes dominated the paint, winning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 2022-23, and scored almost at will in the paint.

Big shoes to fill. Perhaps impossible shoes to fill.

“I think the biggest question is: How are we going to replace Mackenzie Holmes?” said IU coach Teri Moren. “And the answer to that question is you’re not going to replace Mackenzie Holmes. You’re going to have to have players like Lilly Meister.”

Meister only made one start before this season, in 2023 when Holmes was injured in the NCAA tournament. She has stayed the course in the new world of college sports where transfers are easy and unlimited.

Now dominating the painting in IU wins 95-27 against Maryville Wednesday evening, she begins to see the fruits of her labor. Meister scored six of the Hoosiers’ first eight points and finished with 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting in 17 minutes.

“We’re in a different time with athletics, where if you don’t get the playing time that you want or think you deserve, those kinds of kids who wait and continue to work and get good gains, you know, those are the times where you’re really, really proud of those kinds of kids,” Moren said. “She deserves this moment to have a night where she can shine.”

With two years as Holmes’ apprentice, Meister’s mentality helps him transition from reserve to starter, being the one trusted to set the tone.

“Her confidence has been a lot better this year and she’s a great player. We all have confidence in her,” junior guard Yarden Garzon said. “We know what she’s capable of. She’s always consistent.”

After the match, Meister said confidence was what she had worked on more than anything in the months leading up to that moment.

“A lot of it comes from who I’m surrounded by, you know, my coaches and my teammates,” Meister said. “They see me. They see me at my worst basketball state, and if they can still have that much confidence in me, there’s no reason why I can’t do it myself. And I think that it’s just me who learned that.”

Ultimately, no one will replace Holmes. But with this revamped team, Moren doesn’t want a Holmes replica. She wants a consistent and dominant big who will play the game her way.

“She just needs to stay steady for us,” Moren said of Meister. “I don’t want her to feel like she has to be anyone other than Lilly.”

“Seamless” transitions for transfers Shay Ciezki, Karoline Striplin

Moren couldn’t have asked for a better transition for his two incoming transfers: Shay Ciezki (Penn State) and Karoline Striplin (Tennessee).

Both came from programs where they were crucial pieces — Ciezki was a full-time starter for the Nittany Lions, while Striplin got key rotation minutes for the Volunteers. Here it is no different.

“Everything went well,” Moren said. “(Ciezki’s) transition to Indiana from Penn State, just like Strip’s transition from Tennessee, was seamless. Those two kids, I feel like they’ve been here the whole time.”

Ciezki was an elite 3-point shooter at Penn State, averaging 11.5 points per game on 36.8% shooting from beyond the arc. With the addition of Ciezki, the Hoosiers made up for the 3-point shooting they lost with Sara Scalia.

Ciezki was immediately put into the starting lineup and switched between pointer and shooter throughout the game. She played 30 minutes and adjusted perfectly to the pace the Hoosiers like to play, scoring 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting — including a transition layup off a cross-court pass from Sydney Parrish.

Ciezki, alongside five-year guard Chloe Moore-McNeil, has emerged as the leader of what is currently a depleted guard room. Lenee Beaumont is out with a lingering knee injury sustained over the summer, while Lexus Bargesser is out with a foot injury with no immediate timetable for her return. While Moren called Beaumont’s injury more cautious on Wednesday, those are two rotation players the Hoosiers may not have for the start of the season.

“Shay is a female dog, I mean, she’s a fighter, she’s a competitor,” Moren said. “She’s strong with her voice. She can pull it. She can facilitate it. I thought she tried to become more of a facilitator in the second half, which I liked. She’s durable, you know, you can playing for a lot of minutes “She’s also coming off a sprained ankle, you know, from practice. “

Striplin scored five points on 2-of-7 shooting, playing 15 minutes of rotation behind Meister. The Tennessee transfer showed his resiliency on the boards with six rebounds.

“The strip was really good,” Moren said. “Her 2-for-7 tonight is not indicative of how Karoline Striplin has been training for us. I mean, she’s been really, really good, and so she feels really confident with Lily and Karoline. “

This article was originally published on the Indianapolis Star: First impressions of Indiana women’s basketball after exhibition victory