Indiana University Athletics
Gophers Come Calling (2-5-03)
2/5/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
February 5, 2003
Hoosiers Host High-Scoring Gophers
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• Minnesota Game Notes CLICK HERE! • Player Notes CLICK HERE!
Bennett's Pocketbook Takes A Hit
Indiana head coach Kathi Bennett made a pledge to donate $5,000 of her own money to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation if the Hoosiers set a new single-game attendance record when they hosted Wisconsin on January 24.
The existing record of 5,503 fans was shattered in the contest, as 7,986 people came through the gates for the game.
Battling A Giant
The Indiana women's basketball team (9-10 overall, 2-7 Big Ten) returns home to host No. 15/16 Minnesota at 1 p.m. (EST) on Sunday at Assembly Hall.
The game will be televised by Fox Sports Chicago, with Dave Eanet handling play-by-play and Toni Roesch providing analysis.
The game can be heard live on the radio on 105.1 WHCC Radio in Bloomington, with Jeremy Gray calling all the action.
The broadcast can also be accessed live by visiting iuhoosiers.com, then going to the women's basketball schedule page. Once on the schedule page, click on the "listen live" icon for the Minnesota game.
Giant Killers
Under Kathi Bennett, Indiana has defeated two top-10 teams, three top-15 teams and six top-25 teams. IU is 4-2 in its last six games vs. ranked Big Ten teams, including a 73-63 win over then-No. 15 Minnesota at Assembly Hall last year.
The Hoosiers held Big Ten Player-of-the-Year Lindsay Whalen to 16 points in the game, as Indiana got solid production from its bench. Jill Hartman scored eight points and Jamie Gathing added six points and five rebounds in only 14 minutes of action off the bench.
Last Six Games vs. Ranked Big Ten Teams
Date Oppt. Result, Score
2/2/03 No. 14 Penn State L, 69-55
1/12/03 No. 23 Ohio State W, 54-50
12/14/02 No. 6 Purdue L, 53-51
3/4/02 No. 23 Penn State W, 75-72
3/3/02 No. 7 Purdue W, 55-41
2/17/02 No. 15 Minnesota W, 73-63
Last Week
Indiana is coming off a 69-55 loss at the hands of Penn State in which Kelly Mazzante went for 33 points to lead the homestanding Lady Lions.
Kristen Bodine led the Hoosiers with 13 points and Jill Hartman added 12 points on 3-of-3 shooting from three-point range.
In what began as a very close and up-tempo game, Penn State created some breathing room for itself with a run late in the first half and early in the second.
The Hoosiers rallied to whittle a 21-point Penn State lead down to 10 points with 3:12 left, but the Lady Lions scored the last four points of the game to seal the 14-point victory.
All Good Things Must End
Cyndi Valentin's streak of 25 consecutive made free throws came to an end in State College last week when she missed the second of her two free throws in the second half of Indiana's loss to Penn State. Valentin's streak stands as an Indiana freshman record and is the second-best mark for any player ever at IU.
Longest Free-Throw Streaks at Indiana
1) Kristi Green (1998) - 31 consecutive
2) Cyndi Valentin (2003) - 25 consecutive
3) Jenny DeMuth (2002) - 18 consecutive
3) Lisa Furlin (1993) - 18 consecutive
5) Kristi Green (1996-97) - 14 consecutive
6) Kali Kullberg (2002) - 12 consecutive
Seniors Stepping Up Lately
Indiana's senior class is beginning to improve on the offensive side of the court.
Seniors Kristen Bodine, Jill Hartman and Lisa Eckart rank as the team's top three scorers over the last two games, with Bodine leading the way at 17.0 points per game. Bodine has also averaged 5.0 assists and 4.5 rebounds in the last two games.
Hartman Getting Into The Groove
Jill Hartman has recorded double-figure scoring totals in each of her last two games, scoring 15 points at Iowa and 12 points at Penn State. Hartman averaged 4.0 points per game prior to this recent outburst.
Hartman entered the 2002-03 season as Indiana's single-season three-point field goal percentage record-holder (.625 as a sophomore) and career three-point field goal percentage record-holder (.404 pct.)
Jill Hartman In The Last Two Games
Points Per Game 13.5
FG-FGA (Pct.) 10-for-19 (.526 pct.)
3FG-3FGA (Pct.) 4-for-5 (.800 pct.)
Jill Hartman Prior To The Last Two Games
Points Per Game 4.0
FG-FGA (Pct.) 25-for-80 (.313pct.)
3FG-3FGA (Pct.) 9-for-38 (.237 pct.)
Bodine Also Groovin'
Kristen Bodine has also become more effective offensively recently and even posted an Indiana career high with 21 points against Iowa last Thursday. She has seen her numbers jump dramatically in the last two games after enduring a brutal slump just prior.
Kristen Bodine In The Last Two Games
Points Per Game 17.0
FG-FGA (Pct.) 14-for-29 (.583 pct.)
3FG-3FGA (Pct.) 2-for-8 (.250 pct.)
Rebounds Per Game 4.5
Assists Per Game 5.0
Kristen Bodine in the Six Games Prior
Points Per Game 5.3
FG-FGA (Pct.) 8-for-41 (.195 pct)
3FG-3FGA (Pct.) 6-for-21 (.286 pct.)
Rebounds Per Game 2.3
Assists Per Game 2.2
Bloomington is Watching
Indiana has always been at or near the bottom of the Big Ten in home attendance, but the Hoosiers are starting to get hometown support that they have not gotten in the past.
The Hoosiers have seen 16,748 fans come through the gates of Assembly Hall this year in their eight home games (2,094 average). The total attendance figure is already greater than last year's 13-game total of 15,318.
Indiana set a school record on January 24 when 7,986 fans saw the Hoosiers host Wisconsin. Just two weeks prior to that, 2,845 fans game through the gates to see Indiana battle Ohio State. That mark was good for seventh on IU's single-game attendance chart.
Top Ten Single-Game Attendance Records
1) 7,986 vs. Wisconsin 1/24/03
2) 5,503 vs. Purdue 1/29/1999
3) 5,003 vs. Purdue 1/25/1998
4) 3,414 vs. Purdue 1/7/2001
5) 3,213 vs. Michigan 1/16/1998
6) 3,004 vs. Ohio State 1/31/1997
7) 2,845 vs. Ohio State 1/12/2003
8) 2,728 vs. Purdue 3/6/1992
9) 2,569 vs. Purdue 2/10/1995
10) 2,268 vs. Ohio State 2/18/1996
Looking For Wins
Indiana has lost its last six games. Among the reasons for the recent slump are:
• The Hoosiers are allowing the opposition to score 70.2 points per game, up from 58.0 points per game prior to IU's last six contests.
• At 10.0 ppg, Lisa Eckart is the only Hoosier averaging double-figure scoring over the last six games.
• Indiana is shooting .338 pct. as a team from the field, while allowing the opposition to covert on .483 pct. of its field goals.
• Indiana is losing the free throw war (free throws have accounted for 9.7 points per game for Indiana, but have accounted for 17.0 points per game for the opponents)
• The Hoosiers have been outscored in the first half by 54 points over the last six games.
Last Six Games Previous 13 Games
Oppt. Points/Game 70.2 58.0
Oppt. FG Pct. .483 (146-302) .341 (264-774)
Oppt. 3 FG Pct. .422 (27-64) .259 (53-205)
Indiana 3 FGA/Game 19.3 14.6
Rebounding Margin -4.5 +4.4
Jenny DeMuth FG Pct. .306 .481
Cyndi Valentin FG Pct. .274 .400
Falling Behind Early
The Hoosiers are getting behind early in games. In the last six games, opponents have outscored Indiana, 212-158 in the first half.
Adding to that is the fact that the Hoosiers are 1-9 when trailing at the half this year, including an 0-6 mark in Big Ten play when trailing at the half.
The Hoosiers have trailed at the half of each of their last six games, and are averaging 26.3 points in the first half during that span.
In Indiana's nine wins this year, the Hoosiers have outscored the opposition, 278-231 in the first half. In Indiana's nine losses, the Hoosiers have been outscored in the first half by a margin of 268-233.
Adventures In Free Throw Shooting
Free throw shooting has been a very real problem for the Hoosiers all year, as they rank 11th in the Big Ten with a .670 team percentage.
Indiana was 11-for-25 against Wisconsin from the line, including a 7-for-20 showing in the second half.
Earlier in the year, IU had a 10-for-23 showing against Purdue and a 5-for-13 effort against Illinois. Both of those games were decided by five points or less.
Recruiting Class Ranked
Indiana's incoming crop of freshmen has been tabbed as a top-25 recruiting class by All-Star Girls Report recruiting service.
The Hoosier crop was ranked 23rd nationally and is headlined by Indianapolis native Carrie Smith (Brebeuf Jesuit) and by 6'7 Canadian Sarah McKay.
Monroeville native Leah Enterline (Heritage HS) also joins the class, along with Lincoln, Neb., product Jamey Chapman and Minneapolis' Annika Boyd.
This Year's Freshmen Shining As Well
Indiana head coach Kathi Bennett has started a true freshman in every game this year, and the freshman class has been one of the Hoosiers' most productive units.
Scoring By Class
Class (# of Players) PPG RPG APG
Seniors (5) 26.0 11.9 6.9
Juniors (1) 1.6 2.8 0.4
Sophomores (2) 13.6 5.9 2.5
Freshmen (5) 21.6 15.9 2.2
Indiana's Comebacks
The Hoosiers have trailed in the second half in five of their nine wins this year. Here is a look at IU's largest comebacks this year.
Ball State-67, Indiana-62 with 4:03 remaining W, 103-95 (2 OT)
Northwestern-31, Indiana-23 with 19:28 remaining W, 62-52
Ohio State-41, Indiana-31 with 9:05 remaining W, 54-50
Michigan-45, Indiana-29 with 16:50 remaining L, 71-68
Injury Update
Freshman forward April Williams remains on the sidelines with a partial tear of the MCL in her knee. Williams sustained the injury in practice on January 14. She should return in early to mid February.
Bitten By The Injury Bug
Starting guard Kali Kullberg went down in practice on December 17 with a torn ACL and is out for the season. She underwent surgery on December 30, and will not be able to take a medical redshirt, as she played in too many games to qualify.
With Kullberg out of the lineup, head coach Kathi Bennett is faced with the daunting task of coaching with only one point guard on her roster (Kristen Bodine, who tore her ACL last year and is still not quite at 100 percent herself).
Earlier in the season, junior LeeAnn Stephenson also suffered a torn ACL in practice. The quickest player on the Indiana roster, Stephenson underwent surgery and is redshirting the season.
Defense Tops Big Ten
Kathi Bennett is a coach that stresses defense, and her Hoosiers have responded. Indiana leads the Big Ten in field goal percentage defense and is second in three-point field goal defense, limiting the opposition to .381 shooting from the field and .297 shooting from beyond the arc.
In addition, the Hoosiers rank third in the conference in scoring defense, limiting the opposition to only 61.8 points per game.
Who's It Going To Come From?
One of the best things that Kathi Bennett has had to work with this year is the fact that scoring punch has come from several different sources this year.
Against Iowa, Kristen Bodine became the fourth different Hoosier this year to score more than 20 points in a game, joining Jenny DeMuth, Lisa Eckart and Cyndi Valentin.
Five different Hoosiers have scored 17 or more points in a game this year, with eight players reaching double figures.
On top of that, four different Hoosiers have posted double-doubles this year and eight different Hoosiers have led the team in scoring in a game this year.
Kullberg Named Athlete Of The Year
Freshman point guard Kali Kullberg was named as the Orono Sun-Sailor's Athlete of the Year for 2002.
The Orono, Minnesota, native finished her career at Orono High School as the all-time leading scorer in school history (either boys or girls), despite playing with two broken wrists during her junior season.
Kullberg is out for the year after tearing her ACL in practice on December 17.
Bennett Coaches 400th
When the Hoosiers faced Illinois on January 2, it marked the 400th game of Kathi Bennett's career as a head coach.
In her 15 years as a head coach, she has won a Division III National Championship, a Big Ten Tournament Title, seven conference championships, made eight NCAA Tournament appearances and has five 20-win seasons to her credit.
Bennett Second-Fastest to 40
Indiana head coach Kathi Bennett picked up her 40th win at the helm of the Hoosier program when Indiana handed Eastern Kentucky a 61-49 defeat on November 25.
Having reached the 40-win mark in her 65th game as the head coach of the Hoosiers, she became the second-fastest to 40 wins in Indiana history.
Fastest to 40 wins at Indiana
1) Bea Gorton (1971-76) 46 games
2) Kathi Bennett (2000-present) 65 games
3) Jim Izard (1988-2000) 71 games
4) Maryalyce Jeremiah (1980-85) 73 games
5) Joy Malcholdi (1976-80) 82 games
Road Weary
The Hoosiers logged some serious miles during the nonconference portion of the schedule. After opening the season at home, Indiana traveled to Anchorage, Alaska for the Great Alaska Shootout. The Hoosiers then visited Tallahassee, Fla., to battle Florida State before returning home to host Georgetown. The Hoosiers concluded their odyssey by traveling to Denton, Texas to do battle with North Texas.
The Hoosiers traveled 5,662 miles to and from Anchorage, then 1,596 miles to and from Tallahassee, only to travel an additional 1,788 miles to and from Denton. All tolled, Indiana covered 9,046 miles over a span of 18 days.
DeMuth Sets School Record
Sophomore guard Jenny DeMuth set a new school record in the Hoosiers' 103-95 win over Ball State by draining all 14 of her free-throw attempts in the contest.
The prior record was held by Lisa Furlin, who went 12-for-12 in a game against Wisconsin in 1993.
Denise Jackson holds the school record for total free throws made in a game with 15.
World Traveler
Indiana's travel situation in the early part of the season may seem a bit much, but it is nothing new to senior forward Jill Hartman. Hartman toured Europe this past summer as a member of the Big Ten All-Star team that compiled a perfect 5-0 record.
Home Grown Hoosiers
Since taking over at the helm of the Indiana program prior to the 2000-01 season, Kathi Bennett has made a point of bringing in some of the top talent from the state of Indiana. On the current roster, Bennett has brought in the runner-up for the state's 2001 Miss Basketball award (Jenny DeMuth) and four Indiana All-Stars (DeMuth, Kristen Bodine, Brigett Branson and Cyndi Valentin.)
Valentin's Day
Freshman Cyndi Valentin made quite an impression in her first go-around in front of the Indiana faithful. The local product from Bloomington South High School won the three-point shooting contest at Midnight Madness in front of over 12,000 fans at Assembly Hall.
Valentin emerged from the women's half of the bracket by edging Kristen Bodine, then defeated men's champion Ryan Tapak in the event final.
What’s Next
Indiana hosts Iowa at 7 p.m. (EST) on Thursday at Assembly Hall.
The game is a rematch of January 30th's 78-62 Iowa win at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
As is the case with all Indiana games, it can also be heard live in Bloomington on 105.1 WHCC Radio and on theinternet at iuhoosiers.com with Jeremy Gray calling all the action.
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