Indiana University Athletics
INDIANA HOSTS EVANSVILLE
12/2/1998 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
INDIANA HOSTS EVANSVILLE
THIS WEEK - The Hoosiers are back in action this week, hosting Evansville Thursday, Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m., in Assembly Hall before traveling to Terre Haute Sunday, Dec. 6 to participate in the seventh-annual Big Four Classic. Indiana will meet Indiana State at 3 p.m., following a 1 p.m., game between Purdue and Ball State. Tickets are $5 for the Classic which will be held at Indiana State's Hulman Center.
THE HOOSIERS - Indiana improved to 4-3 on the season after defeating Western Kentucky 79-77 last Friday in Assembly Hall. Three Hoosiers scored in double-digits in the game, led by junior Kay Morgan's five 3-pointers and 20 points. Senior Dani Thrush netted 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds while senior Cindy Kerns chipped in 13 points. For the season, four Hoosiers are averaging double-figures, led by freshman center Jill Chapman's 13.1 points per game. Kay Morgan follows with 12.1 points per game while Cindy Kerns and Dani Thrush follow with 11.1 and 10.9 scoring averages, respectively.
CLASSIC HISTORY - Sunday's games mark the seventh year that the Big Four Classic has been held. The Classic began as way to provide exposure for women's basketball and to showcase the talent of Indiana's four NCAA Division I public institution's programs. The Hoosiers are 6-0 in the Classic and 3-0 vs. the Sycamores. Last year, IU defeated Ball State 79-64.
ABOUT EVANSVILLE - The Lady Aces bring a 3-1 record into Assembly Hall with wins over Murray State, Belmont and Eastern Illinois. Sophomore center Shyla McKibbon leads her team, averaging 18.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. Teammates Alison Langham and Lisa Eckart are also averaging double-digits with 15.8 and 13.0 points per game respectively. As a team, Evansville is averaging 80 points per game and outrebounding their opponents 41.8 to 29.8 boards per game. The Lady Aces are coached by Kathi Bennett who is in her third season with the program. The Series: The Hoosiers lead the all-time series 6-0. Last season IU defeated the Lady Aces 79-63 in Evansville.
ON INDIANA STATE - Prior to its Dec. 2 game against Dayton, ISU is 3-0 with wins coming over Eastern Illinois, Southeast Missouri State and IUPUI. Senior Amy Amstutz leads the Sycamores, averaging 13.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Jennifer Goetz is the only other double-figure scorer with 10.0 points per game. The Sycamores are coached by Cheryl Reeve who begins her fourth season with the ISU program. The Series: The Hoosiers have won the last five straight games and lead the the all-time series 21-7.
HEAD COACH JIM IZARD - Head Coach Jim Izard is in his 11th season at the helm of the Indiana program where he owns a 169-126 (.574) overall record and a 77-97 (.445) mark in the Big Ten Conference. As Indiana's all-time winningest coach, Izard has guided his teams to nine winning seasons, two NCAA post-season tournament appearances, a runner-up finish in the NWIT post-season tournament and most recently, a trip to the Final Four of the WNIT last season. His 17-year career record stands at 331-175 (.657).
FORGET THE JITTERBUGS - Freshman Yasi Radmanovich is the first to admit that she may have had the case of the jitters in her first six games in a Hoosier uniform. But, after having scored just 11 points to open the season, all of that nervousness disappeared last Friday against Western Kentucky as the 6-2 forward entered the lineup when starters Jill Chapman and Cindy Kerns fouled out with three minutes left on the game clock. With the game on the line, Radmanovich stepped in to score six of the team's final eight points to lead the Hoosiers to a 79-77 victory over the Lady Hilltoppers.
LONG DISTANCE THREAT - So far this season talk around Bloomington has centered around the rookie performance of IU's leading scorer and freshman center Jill Chapman. But with a team as deep in depth as Indiana's is, it's not a surprise to see other players step up and shine. One of those bright spots has been the play of Kay Morgan. In IU's last two games, the 5-6 guard has lit up Assembly Hall for 10 3--pointers, going 10-17 from behind the arc for an impressive 59 percent accuracy. Equally as impressive is the fact that she also dished out seven assists against Western kentucky while committing zero turnovers.
SHE'S GOT GAME - Senior Dani Thrush is well on her way to earning IU's "do everything" award as she has put up impressive numbers in several statistical categories. Currently, Thrush leads the team in assists (4.4 per game), steals (3.1 per game) and
free throw percentage (.857), while also averaging 10.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
BEYOND THE ARC - After beginning the season shooting just 27 percent from the 3-point line, the Hoosiers have rebounded to net 22-48 (46 percent) 3-pointers in their last two games. For the season, the Hoosiers are averaging 5.9 treys per game.
FREE THROW WOES - Traditionally an excellent free throw shooting team, the Hoosiers have gotten off to a shaky start, connecting on just 65 percent of their shots from the charity stripe. Last season IU started off slow also, shooting just 63 percent from the free throw line but rebounded with a season school record 75 percent season average.
BENCH PLAY - Even with just 11 active players on the roster, Indiana's depth has not been in question. After seven games the Hoosiers have utilized every player, including 10 players who have played in all but two games.
AROUND THE BIG TEN - The Hoosiers currently lead the Big Ten in 3-point shooting, averaging 5.86 treys per game. Individually, Dani Thrush ranks second with 3.14 steals per game and fifth in assists with 4.43 per game. Jill Chapman ranks fourth in field goal percentage with a .577 clip and third in blocks with 1.43 per game, while Cindy Kerns ranks eighth in rebounding with 8.0 boards per game.
DOWN TO THE WIRE - Indiana's three losses have been by seven or fewer points. Against No. 10 Rutgers, the Hoosiers had a chance to tie the game with 2:02 remaining before losing by seven points 60-53. Versus Florida, Indiana was down by two points with :24 left on the clock before losing by five 72-67. Then, against Akron, the Hoosiers were forced into overtime before losing by three 70-67.
ROOKIE SURPRISE - Freshman Jill Chapman has made an immediate impact for the Hoosiers, leading the team in scoring in four games and in rebounding in three. Through seven games, the 6-5 center has scored in double digits in all but two games and has collected a double-double in two games. For the season, Chapman is averaging 13.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.
