Indiana University Athletics
INDIANA HEADS TO FLORIDA
12/8/1998 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
INDIANA HEADS TO FLORIDA
THIS WEEK - Indiana packs its bags and heads to the sunshine state where the team will compete in the Hatter Classic Friday and Saturday, Dec. 11-12, in DeLand, Fla. The Hoosiers will face Wright State Friday, Dec. 11 at 8 p.m., before meeting either tournament host Stetson or Alcorn State Saturday, Dec. 12.
THE HOOSIERS - Indiana improved its record to 6-3 with wins over Evansville and Indiana State last week. The Hoosiers defeated the Purple Aces 77-73 Dec. 3, before downing the Sycamores 73-63 Dec. 6, in the seventh-annual Big Four Classic. Senior Cindy Kerns led IU in scoring in both games with a career-high 28 points against Evansville and another 21 points against Indiana State. In the two games, the forward shot an astounding 71 percent (20-for-28) from the field. Against Indiana State, the team as a whole shot a season-best 56 percent from the field.
LEADERBOARD - The Hoosiers are currently averaging 71.4 points and 38.4 rebounds per game while shooting 45 percent from the field. Individually, Cindy Kerns leads the Hoosiers' offense, averaging 14.1 points per game. Junior Kay Morgan and freshman Jill Chapman follow with 12.4 and 10.8 scoring averages per game, respectively.
ON WRIGHT STATE - Prior to Wright State's game versus Dayton on Dec. 9, the Raiders are 1-4. WSU has defeated Canisius in the preseason but has lost games to Youngstown State, Xavier, Cincinnati and Miami. The Raiders are led in scoring by sophomore forward Reggen Stewart who is averaging 13.6 points per game. Junior forward Jess Van Der Geest is the team's leading rebounder with an average of 6.6 boards per game. As a team, Wright State is averaging just 56.4 points per game and shooting 37 percent from the field. The Raiders are coached by Lisa Fitch who is in her second season with the program and holds a 10-22 school record. The Series: The Hoosiers are 2-0 against Wright State. Last season IU defeated the Raiders 68-46 in the championship game of the Hampton Inn and Fazoli's Classic in Bloomington.
STETSON VS ALCORN STATE - Host Stetson enters the tournament with a 2-3 record while Alcorn State has gotten off to a 5-2 start. The Hatters are led in scoring by sophomore guard Cher Dyson who is averaging 15.4 points per game while the Lady Braves are being led by Tukeya Mackey and Quersition Haynes who are each averaging 11.4 points per game. Stetson is coached by Dee Romine who is in her sixth season with the program. Shirley Walker is in her 20th season at Alcorn State. The Series: Indiana has not played either school.
HEAD COACH JIM IZARD - Head Coach Jim Izard is in his 11th season at the helm of the Indiana program where he owns a 171-126 (.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 333-175 (.657).
TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT - All but one of IU's nine games this season have been decided by 10 or fewer points, including five games settled by five or less. Indiana's 103-61 win over East Tennessee State has been its largest margin of victory.
CLUTCH KERNS - Senior tri-captain Cindy Kerns has become one of the clutch players down the stretch for the Hoosiers. Against Indiana State last Sunday, Kerns led IU with 14 second-half points which included six of seven shooting down the stretch. Kerns has led IU in scoring in three games this season and in rebounding in four. Currently she leads the team in scoring (14.1 ppg), rebounding (7.4 rpg) and in field goal percentage (58 percent).
TOUGH DEFENSE - The Hoosiers have yet to allow an opponent to shoot 50 percent from the field and boast a 39 percent field goal percentage defense.
LONG DISTANCE THREAT - As Indiana's explosive 3-point shooter, junior Kay Morgan has quietly put together a string of six-straight double-figure scoring games. Currently, she leads IU and the Big Ten with 21 3-pointers. Not just a shooter but also a passer, Morgan carries a 1.58-1:00 assist to turnover ratio.
SHE'S GOT GAME - Senior Dani Thrush's play this season has been intense, aggressive and fun to watch. The 5-9 guard currently leads the team in assists (4.2 per game) and steals (2.8 per game) while averaging 9.7 points and 5.4 rebounds 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 before rebounding with a school record 75 percent season average.
AROUND THE BIG TEN - The Hoosiers are currently second in the
Big Ten in 3-point shooting, averaging 5.78 treys per game. Individually,
Dani Thrush ranks third in the league with 2.78 steals per game and seventh
in assists with 4.22 per game. Cindy Kerns leads the league in field goal
percentage with a .580 clip and is 10th in both rebounding (7.4 rpg) and
in free throw percentage (.744). Kay Morgan is fifth in 3-point field goal
percentage (.382) while Jill Chapman ranks sixth with 1.11 blocks per game.
