National Invitation Tournament
Indiana versus Penn State
3/20/1998 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Indiana versus Penn State
Indiana Women's Basketball
(21-11, 10-6 Big Ten - Third Place/tie)
1998 Women's National Invitation Tournament
Final Four
Semi-Final Round
March 20, 1998 - University Park, Penn.
Indiana University Women's Basketball team travels to Penn State (19-13 overall, 8-8 Big Ten Conference) for semi-final round action of the 1998 Women's National Invitation Postseason Tournament Friday, March 20. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. (EST), in the Bryce Jordan Center (15,300). The winner of Friday's game will face the winner of the LSU/Baylor -Oklahoma State semi-final in the championship game which will be played Tuesday, March 24.
MEDIA INFORMATION - IU Assistant Media Relations Director Shelli Stewart handles all requests regarding the Hoosiers' coaches and players. Interview requests should be made through Stewart who can be reached courtside during Indiana's games, or at the Hampton Inn (814-231-1590 ) in University Park, Penn.
OVER THE AIRWAVES - Indiana Women's NIT games can be heard live via radio broadcast on WGCT-FM (105.1). Broadcasts are handled by play-by-play announcer Mike Scott and feature scouting reports by Coach Jim Izard, a halftime show and a postgame wrap-up with Assistant Coaches Susan Dixon and Keila Whittington.
ABOUT THE HOOSIERS - Indiana finished the regular season 19-11 overall, 10-6 in Big Ten play and tied with Michigan and Purdue for third-place in the final conference standings. IU's third-place showing was its best in league play since the 1983 squad went 15-3 and was crowned Co-Big Ten Champions. Senior Quacy Barnes leads the Hoosiers, averaging 18.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. She is followed by junior Kristi Green who averages 11.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. As a team, Indiana is averaging 71.9 points and 36.6 rebounds per game while shooting 45 percent from the field, 35 percent from the 3-point arc and a blistering 75 percent from the free throw line.
ROUNDS ONE AND TWO - Indiana defeated first-round opponent Xavier 80-74 March 13 in Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers shot 51 percent from the field in opening round action and put four scorers in double figures. Quacy Barnes led IU with 18 points on perfect 8-8 shooting from the field. Teammate Dani Thrush contributed 17 points while Kristi Green added 14 and Rachael Honegger 11. Cindy Kerns just missed a triple double with eight points, eight assists and 10 rebounds. In second round action of the WNIT, the Hoosiers traveled to Toledo, Ohio to face the Rockets. The game went down to the wire with the Hoosiers on top 61-60. IU shot 46 percent from the field while holding Toledo to just 29 percent field goal shooting. For the fourth-straight game, Barnes led the Hoosiers with 16 points and seven rebounds. Honegger collected 13 points and six assists while Thrush added 11 points.
The Hoosiers vs. the 1998 Postseason NIT field - Of the 16 teams in the WNIT, Penn State is the only team that the Hoosiers have faced this season. Indiana split play with the Lady Lions in Big Ten play, losing 75-62 in University Park, Penn., Jan. 11, before defeating the squad 58-55 Feb. 8, in Bloomington. Quacy Barnes led the Hoosiers with 16 points in both games while PSU's Andrea Garner led her squad with 22 points on her home court and 15 points in Assembly Hall.
On PENN STATE - Penn State finds itself in the semi-finals after posting first and second-round wins over Villanova 68-61 and St. Joseph's 72-59 last weekend. The Lady Lions, 19-13 overall, have made a surge at the end of the season, advancing to the championship game of the Big Ten Tournament last month in Indianapolis as the No. 7 seed and have now won five of their last six games. Sophomore center Andrea Garner leads PSU, averaging 14.1 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Hoosier native Lisa Shepherd also averages double digits with 10.2 points per game. In WNIT play it has been Helen Darling who has given the Lady Lions a spark, scoring a career-high 21 points vs. Villanova before answering that with 20 points against St. Joseph's. As a team, Penn State averages 70.5 points and 37.0 rebounds per game while shooting 42 percent from the field. Coach Rene Portland heads the Penn State program and carries an 18 year 412-136 school record. Portland will be going for her 500th career win Friday evening vs. Indiana. The Series: Penn State holds a 10-2 series advantage over Indiana and the Hoosiers have never won in Happy Valley. However, in the two team's meeting last month, IU won 58-55 in Assembly Hall.
POSSIBLE STARTERS:
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Yr. |
| F | #44 | Rachael Honegger, | 5-11, | So. |
| F | #45 | Cindy Kerns, | 6-2, | Jr. |
| C | #42 | Quacy Barnes, | 6-5, | Sr. |
| G | #4 | Dani Thrush, | 5-9, | Jr. |
| G | #21 | Kristi Green, | 5-2, | Jr. |
POSSIBLE STARTERS:
| ||||
| Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Yr. |
| F | #34 | Christine Portland, | 5-9, | Jr. |
| F | #50 | Em Clements, | 6-3, | Sr. |
| C | #40 | Andrea Garner, | 6-3, | So. |
| G | #10 | Jamie Parsons, | 5-8, | Sr. |
| G | #30 | Helen Darling, | 5-7, | So. |
HISTORY 101 - Although this is the inaugural TCWIBA Women's National Invitation Tournament, the Hoosiers have made two previous appearances in postseason NIT play. The last, in 1991, Coach Jim Izard led the Hoosiers to a runner-up finish in the WNIT finals in Amarillo, Texas. Indiana defeated UAB and Houston en route to the finals where they lost to Santa Clara 71-68.
HEAD COACH JIM IZARD - Head Coach Jim Izard is in his 10th season at the helm of the Indiana program where he owns a 165-122 (.574) overall school 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 and two NCAA post-season tournament appearances.
LOOKING AT 500 - Head Coach Jim Izard will be coaching in his 500th career game Friday evening at Penn State. Currently, he carries a 16-year career record of 328-171 (.657). Ironically, Penn State's Rene Portland will be looking for her 500th career victory that same evening.
BIG TEN TOURNAMENT - As the No. 4 seed, Indiana lost to No. 5 seeded Purdue 65-56 in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament Feb. 28. Indiana led 34-30 at the half but only managed six field goals on 29 percent shooting in the second half. Quacy Barnes led all scorers with 22 points while also collecting seven rebounds. Rachael Honegger netted 11 points and Kristi Green added 10.
20/20 VISION - With two victories in postseason play, the 1997-98 Hoosiers have become the first IU team since the 1980-81 squad to top 20 wins in a season. With 21 wins, the Hoosiers tie the 1980-81 and 1978-79 teams for the most school wins in a single season.
HIND SIGHT - The Hoosiers proved their critics wrong when they ended the league season tied for third place in the conference standings. Last November, the Big Ten coaches tabbed Indiana to finish ninth in the final standings.
ALL-BIG TEN - Both Quacy Barnes and Kristi Green were named to the 1997-98 All-Big Ten first and second teams. Barnes was voted to the eight-member first-team by both the coaches and the media while Green was selected to the second-team by both the coaches and media.
LAST HURRAH - Quacy Barnes saved her best for last Feb. 22 when she exploded for 29 points in the Hoosiers final regular season game at Michigan State. Not only did she equal her career high for points scored, but she broke the school record for field goal percentage in a game. Barnes went 12-13 from the field, shooting 92 percent.
SMARTY PANTS - Junior Kristi Green was named to the 1998 GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-District V team and is now in consideration for Academic All-America honors. Green's selection marks the fourth-straight year that an IU player has landed a spot on the elite five-member team.
NOT IN OUR HOUSE - With 14 home victories, the Hoosiers set a new Assembly Hall record for home court wins in a season. Indiana lost just two games on its own turf, to Colorado State (75-63) and to Michigan (78-73). Only the 1972-73 team has won more times at home with 15 victories in the old Men's Gym.
FAN FANCY - The 23,184 fans passing through the Assembly Hall turnstiles this season shattered the old school season attendance record of 16,204 set in 1994-95. Playing 16 games at home, the Hoosiers averaged 1,449 fans per game overall, and 2, 266 enthusiasts per game for Big Ten play.
BEHIND THE ARC - The Hoosiers destroyed the old school record for 3-point field goals made this season sinking 202 treys. Indiana broke last year's season mark of 148 3-pointers Jan. 31, vs. Ohio State. IU currently ranks first among Big Ten schools for 3-point baskets and is 12th nationally. IU averages 6.3 3-point field goals per game overall and 6.7 in league play.
BARNSTORMING - In the Hoosiers final regular season game vs. Michigan State, Quacy Barnes became the first IU player in 10 years and just the sixth ever to score 500 points in a season. Barnes has scored 577 points this year.
STINGY DEFENSE - According to the latest Big Ten statistics, the Hoosiers ranked third in the league in scoring defense, allowing an average of just 66.3 points per game. Purdue led the league by holding its opponents to 63.8 points per game.
KAY FROM TREY - Of Kay Morgan's 276 points this season, 168 of those have been scored from 3-point baskets (60 percent). Currently, Morgan is 56-142 (.394) from long distance.
ON THE NATIONAL FRONT - After having led the nation in free throw percentage most of the season, junior Kristi Green fell out of the NCAA's number one spot to rank second with a .908 free throw percentage. The 5-2 point guard has connected on 99-109 free throws this season.
BLOCK PARTY - Senior Quacy Barnes currently is second in the league for blocked shots with 1.8 swipes per game. The school record holder for blocks, she boasts a 267 career total and is just two blocks away from moving into second place all-time in the Big Ten record books.
HALFTIME TALES - When Indiana is leading or tied at the half its record stands at 18-2, but when the Hoosiers must come from behind, they are 2-9.
TIDBITS - The Hoosiers are 14-2 when scoring more than 70 points...7-9 when scoring less than 70...IU is 14-4 when outrebounding its opponents...7-7 when being outrebounded... Indiana was 9-4 in the month of December...5-5 in January...5-2 in February and is currently 2-0 in March.
IMPROVEMENT AT THE CHARITY STRIPE - After starting off the year shooting just 63 percent from the charity stripe, IU steadily improved to lead the league and rank eighth nationally at 75 percent. Unshakable at the line are Kristi Green (91 percent), Kay Morgan (93 percent), Rachael Honegger (79 percent) and Dani Thrush (78 percent).
LITTLE GREEN MACHINE - Kristi Green continues to rack up playing time, averaging 38.3 minutes of action per game. The 5-2 point guard has played 40 minutes in 17 games and went to the bench just a total of 14 minutes (less than a minute a game) through 17 Big Ten games.
SETTING RECORDS - The Hoosiers broke four Big Ten Conference team season records, including three in three-point shooting. IU made 107 three-point field goals, a Big Ten mark. The average of 6.7 made per game along with 18.6 attempted per contest were also Conference games only records. The Hoosiers' .777 free throw percentage also set a new Big Ten mark.
"Q" SCHOOL - Indiana's 6-5 center Quacy Barnes has led the team in scoring in 22 games and has scored in double digits in every game. Currently, she is averaging 18.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while shooting 58 percent from the field. In addition, Barnes has collected six double-doubles this season and has scored 20-plus points in 10 games.
INJURY UPDATE - Freshman Tara Jones is out for the rest of the season after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament in practice Feb. 5. The 5-11 guard underwent surgery to repair the tear Feb. 17. Freshman Melissa Yuska is out indefinitely after suffering a concussion Feb. 20 when she collided with a teammate in practice.
BARNES COLLECTS 1,000th - Senior Quacy Barnes became just the 13th player in Hoosier history to score 1,000 career points Dec. 8, when IU defeated Evansville. Barnes currently has 1,422 career points to rank seventh all-time in scoring.
BIG TEN STATS - Several Hoosiers have placed themselves among the league's statistical leaders in the latest Big Ten Conference weekly release (includes all games).
| Quacy Barnes | 2nd Blocked Shots 1.80 |
| | 3rd Field Goal Percentage 58.0 |
| | 6th Scoring 18.0 |
| | 11th Rebounding 6.5 |
| Kristi Green | 1st Free Throw Percentage 90.8 |
| | 6th 3-point FG Percentage 37.3 |
| | 3rd 3-point FG Made 1.97 |
| | 3rd Assist/Turnover Ratio 1.52 |
| Kay Morgan | 2nd 3-point FG Percentage 39.4 |
| | 5th 3-point FG Made 1.75 |
| Dani Thrush | 7th Assists 4.07 |
| | 8th Assist/Turnover Ratio 1.34 |
TRIPLE PLAY - Junior Dani Thrush narrowly missed collecting a triple-double twice this season. Against Northwestern, Jan. 4, Thrush scored 12 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out a career-high 10 assists. In the Hoosiers season opener versus Ball State Nov. 16, Thrush had 10 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Through five league contests, Thrush is averaging 5.4 assists per game.
SINGING IN THE HALL - Sophomore Lisa Wube regularly sings the National Anthem before home volleyball and women's basketball games but received a unique chance to sing it to a crowd of 17, 357 Jan. 18, before Indiana's men's game versus Purdue. How did she do? Well, let's just say that she received an appreciative handshake at halftime from famed rocker John Mellencamp.
GREEN RECOGNIZED - Point guard Kristi Green was named Co-Big Ten Player of the Week twice in the month of January. Most recently, Green was named Jan. 26 after she helped lead IU to upsets over No. 6 Illinois and No. 23 Purdue, averaging 16.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game for the week. Against the Illini, she collected 20 points and eight rebounds while against Purdue, she scored a team-high 18 points, earning MVP of the annual Barn Burner/Purdue series. Green was also named Jan. 5 following a three-game performance which helped lead the Hoosiers to a 3-0 league start. Green shared the honor with Illinois' Ashley Berggren. For the week, Green averaged 17 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game while shooting 48 percent from the field, 47 percent from the 3-point arc and 88 percent from the charity stripe. Against Minnesota, Green scored a career-high 26 points while shooting 64 percent from the field.
QUICK RECOVERY - After undergoing surgery to correct a tachacardia problem (rapid beating heart) Nov. 13, sophomore Rachael Honegger returned to the court just three days later to play 13 minutes in IU's win over Ball State.
THE TALL AND SHORT OF IT - Co-captains Kristi Green and Quacy Barnes hold the distinction of being the shortest and tallest players in the Big Ten Conference. Point guard Green stands 5-2, while post player Barnes measures in at 6-5.
THE SMART OF IT - Kristi Green also holds the honor of having the highest grade point average among Big Ten women's basketball players. The junior business major boasts a 3.86 GPA.
HOOSIERS INK CLASS OF 2002 - The Hoosiers have announced the signing of Jill Chapman, Heather Cassady and Yasmina (Yasi) Radmanovich to national letters of intent to play basketball for Indiana next season. Chapman, a 6-5 center out of Blackford High School in Monpelier, Ind., is a three-time all-conference and all-sectional honoree. As a junior, she averaged 19.5 points, 15 rebounds and six blocked shots per game. Cassady, a 5-7 point guard from Peoria, Ill., led Dunlap high school to the elite eight in the Illinois state tournament as a junior while averaging 16 points and eight assists per game. A NIKE All-American, she boasts 1,315 career points and 646 career assists heading into her final season. Radmanovich is a 6-2 forward out of Vacaville, Calif., who plays at Will C. Wood High School. Last season, she averaged 16 points and 15 rebounds per game. A two-time team MVP, she was named all-league as a junior while guiding her team to a 24-6 record.
FAX ON DEMAND -- Media members can access information on the Hoosiers 24-hours a day, seven days a week with the Big Ten's Fax-On-Demand service. Call 770/399/3066 from the handset of your fax machine and then follow the voice prompt instructions. (Press 282 for the Big Ten code; request cell 1430 for Gamenotes, 1431 for stats/results and 1433 for most recent box score.
