Indiana University
Oakland
Hoosiers Cruise Past Oakland, 85-55
11/9/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 9, 2013
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| Game Highlights | Curt Miller Postgame Press Conference
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana women's basketball team opened the 2013-14 season with an 85-55 triumph over Oakland on Saturday night in Assembly Hall. IU scored its most points in a season opener since 2002.
Freshman Larryn Brooks led all scorers with 19 points as Tabitha Gerardot added 14 for Indiana.
Sasha Chaplin set the tone early scoring Indiana's first six points of the ballgame. As Indiana led 10-9 early, Gerardot and Brooks hit back-to-back layups to extend the Hoosier lead to five. After an Oakland field goal, Brooks connected from beyond the arc and later added a free throw before Milika Taufa capped off a 10-2 Indiana run with a layup to give IU a 20-11 edge with 12:21 to play.
Gerardot then caught fire hitting 3-point field goals on back-to-back Hoosier possessions to give Indiana its first double-digit lead of the game, 26-15.
The Hoosiers later extended that lead to as much as 16 points in the first half before going into the halftime break leading, 48-35. Indiana's 48 first half points were the most points scored in a half in the Curt Miller era.
"For a young team, it was a little boost of confidence that we came out and executed in the first half and got the game up tempo," head coach Curt Miller said. In the second half, IU slowly began to build on its lead. Oakland stayed an arm's length as IU led 61-46 with 11 minutes to play. Brooks, Deloach and Lyndsay Leikem scored on three straight layups for Indiana before Brooks polished off an 8-0 Hoosier burst with a pair of free throws to give the home team a 69-46 lead with 6:36 remaining. The Golden Grizzlies halted the run briefly with a field goal before Deloach scored in the paint again at the 5:30 mark to make it 71-48. After another Oakland field goal, Nicole Bell put the nail in the coffin with a 3-point field goal from the top of the key to give IU a 24-point cushion.
The Hoosiers outscored Oakland 24-9 in the final 10:03 to preserve the win on opening night.
"It's an exciting young team," Miller added. "Tonight was a high and there's going to be peaks and valleys this year, but we are going to keep fighting and keep preparing and I'm excited for them. But we'll get back at it tomorrow for now a two game road swing for us. It's important that this program starts to learn to win on the road. "
Brooks shot 6-of-10 from the field, 2-of-3 from beyond the arc and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. She added seven boards, four assists and a blocked shot.
Indiana's 85 points are the most scored by an Indiana team since Feb. 19, 2009 when the Hoosiers tallied 85 points at Northwestern.
IU outrebounded the Golden Grizzlies by a plus-20 margin, 50-30, and outscored Oakland in the paint, 44-26.
The Hoosiers will next head to IPFW to take on the Mastodons on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. ET.
Postgame Notes
• Indiana scored 85 points, the most points scored by an IU team since Feb. 19, 2009, when the Hoosiers tallied 85 points at Northwestern.
• The 85 points scored by Indiana are the most in a season opening game for an IU team since the Hoosiers downed Wofford, 90-34, to open the 2002-03 season on Nov. 22, 2002.
• The 30-point win is Indiana's largest margin of victory since the Hoosiers downed UT Martin, 80-46, on Dec. 9, 2009.
• IU scored 48 first half points, the most points Indiana has scored in a half in the Curt Miller era. It was the most points scored by a Hoosier team in a half since IU scored 55 second-half points vs. Virginia on Nov. 26, 2009.
• The Hoosiers shot 49.3 percent as a team on the night, marking the best field goal percentage for IU since shooting 53.2 percent against IPFW on Nov. 26, 2012.
• IU won the rebounding battle by a plus-20 margin, 50-30. The 50 boards are the most for Indiana since grabbing 52 boards at Murray State last season on Nov. 12, 2012.
• Indiana connected on 9-of-22 3-point field goals, shooting 40.9 percent from beyond the arc.
• IU controlled the interior, outscoring Oakland in the paint, 44-26. The Hoosiers also topped the Grizzlies in points off turnovers, 14-4, second chance points, 13-7, and fast break points, 34-12.
• The Hoosier bench contributed 34 points to Oakland's 12.
• Of the 85 points scored, 62 of them came from first year players in the program.
• Freshman Larryn Brooks led all scorers with 19 points, shooting 6-of-10 from the field, 2-of-3 from beyond the arc and 5-of-6 from the free throw line. She also added seven rebounds, four assists and a blocked shot.
• Senior Tabitha Gerardot tallied 14 points on the night with six boards and a pair of assists. She shot 5-of-11 from the field and 2-of-4 from beyond the arc.
• Redshirt sophomore Kaila Hulls finished with nine points and seven rebounds to go along with three assists.
• Senior Milika Taufa came off the bench to score eight points and grabbed seven boards to lead all Hoosier reserves in scoring. She shot 4-of-7 from the floor.
• Senior Simone Deloach and freshmen Lyndsay Leikem and Alexis Gassion all tallied six points off the bench as Karlee McBride added five points.
