Indiana University Athletics
Louisville Preview (12-02-04)
12/2/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
• This will be the ninth meeting between the two teams with Indiana holding a 6-2 edge over the Cardinals.
• Friday's game is "Take a Kid to the Game Night." Fans that buy one adult ticket will get will get a free youth ticket. The game will also be part of the Jill's House Benefit.
Volunteers will be on hand accepting donations to benefit Jill's House, which is a program designed to provide a temporary, home-like residence for patients undergoing outpatient therapy at the Indiana University Proton Therapy facility in Bloomington. Jill's House is named after former Bloomington resident and IU student Jill Behrman who was abducted while riding her bicycle in May of 2000. <>
> <>
ON THE AIR
The game will be broadcast on 105.1 WHCC Radio Bloomington with Jeremy Gray calling all the action. Fans can also access the broadcast via the IU website, iuhoosiers.com. Click on broadcasts on the left hand side and follow the instructions.
AN INDIANA WIN WOULD.....
* Be its third straight home win of the 2004-05 season
* Improve Indiana's record to 7-2 in the all-time series with Louisville
AN INDIANA LOSS WOULD.....
* Be its second in a row
* Be its first at home
* Push the series record to 6-3 versus Louisville
DEJA VU
The 2004-05 IU women's basketball team will look almost identical to last season's squad as it returns 11 members, including four starters from 2003-04. The Hoosiers welcome two new faces to the mix in Nikki Smith, a 5-9 guard from Sylvania, Ohio, and Kelli Agness, a 5-4 walk-on guard from Indianapolis, Ind.
DYNAMIC DEFENSE
Indiana's stifling defense has put them first in two categories among Big Ten Conference teams: scoring defense and field goal percent defense. The Hoosiers defense has only allowed opponents to score an average of 42.8 points per game. In addition, over the course of four games, IU has only allowed opponents to make and average of .269 percent from the field with a 57-for-212 shooting effort.
Blocks are another strong point for the Cream and Crimson as they rank fourth in the conference with 5.25 blocks per game.
GATHING GEARED UP
After sitting out the 2000-01 and 2003-04 seasons due to medical redshirts, Indiana senior Jamie Gathing received her sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA office this past summer and is back back in action for the Hoosiers for the 2004-05 season.
Gathing has gotten the starting nod in all four of IU's games and currently averages 3.8 ppg and 5.5 rpg. She was also named to the Hampton Inn Classic All-Tournament Team on Nov. 28 and garnered the tournament MVP honor.
A 6-0 forward from Kankakee, Ill., Gathing was a member of the Big Ten Foreign All-Star Tour. The tour took place in Australia and the All-Stars finished with a perfect 4-0 record. Gathing averaged 5.3 ppg and 4.5 rpg while with the All-Stars.
Gathing averaged 7.7 ppg in Indiana's final three games during her junior year. In her sophomore campaign, she contributed with an excellent defensive effort in the Hoosiers' win over Penn State in the championship game of the Big Ten Tournament. Her career-high 12 points came against Western Kentucky in only 17 minutes of action on November 17, 2001. She grabbed a career-high nine rebounds against the same opponent two years prior on November 19, 1999.
HAWKINS A REBOUNDING QUEEN
Junior Angela Hawkins has dominated the boards for the Hoosiers this season. The Winter Haven, Fla., native has led the team in rebounding the past three games. She is averaging 8.0 rpg, good for sixth in the conference.
NEARING A MILESTONE
With just 12 more wins this season, head coach Kathi Bennett 300 career wins. The fifth-year head coach has compiled a record of 64-58 while in Bloomington. Here is a look at how her wins have added up over her 16 years as a head coach:
1988-88 Marycrest 18 wins
1989-96 Wis. Oshkosh 155 wins
1996-00 Evansville 51 wins
2000-present Indiana 64 wins
Total 288 wins
VALENTIN'S STREAK SNAPPED
On Saturday, Nov. 27, junior guard Cyndi Valentin snapped her streak of consecutive free throws made when she missed the back end of two free throws at the 18:08 mark in the first half. While her streak of 48-straight makes from the charity stripe came to an end, her effort still stands as a school record.
Prior to IU's game vs. the Bruins Valentin's last miss was against Michigan State on January 2, 2004
The Bloomington, Ind., native passed Pat Graham's mark of 38 consecutive to become Indiana's all-time leader in free throws made consecutively for either men or women.
OFF THE BENCH BOYD
Sophomore forward Annika Boyd has been productive off the bench during the Hoosiers' first four contests.
Boyd came up big for the Hoosiers when they played No. 8/8 Baylor as she pitched in nine points, which was the second-highest scoring effort on the team. In IU's match-up with Belmont, the Minneapolis, Minn., native came off the bench to score a game-high 11 points.She is currently averaging 5.0 ppg and 1.8 rpg.
BLOCKED OFF
For the first time all season, Indiana did not record a single blocked shot in its match-up with Arkansas on Dec. 1. Prior to this game, the Hoosiers had registered at least five blocked shots a game.
The Hoosiers had a season-high 10 blocked shots in its season-opener at Baylor on Nov. 8.
MOVING UP THE CHARTS
Two Hoosiers are on the rise on Indiana's all-time blocked shot lists. Assistant coach Quacy Barnes is the all-time leader with 289 blocks. Here is a look at where junior forward Angela Hawkins, and sophomore center Sarah McKay rank among blocked shots:
Blocked Shots:
4. Sue Hodges 126 1978-81
5. Shirley Bryant 93 1992-95
6. Rachelle Bostic 65 1981-84
Angela Hawkins 65 2003-present
Sarah McKay 65 2004-present
MARK THE DATE NOW
February 20, 2005 will be a big day for Hoosier women's basketball. Indiana hosts Purdue at 2 p.m., but the rivalry is hardly the story. When the Hoosiers and Boilermakers tangle, fans will have an opportunity to help fight cancer simply by showing up.
In honor of IU women's basketball fans, Vera Bradley Designs will donate $10,000 for breast cancer research if the Hoosiers 'Pack the Hall' with 10,000 people.
TUNE IN
Five of IU's games this season will be televised, including four home games and one on the road. The Penn State game on Jan. 16 at 2 p.m., the Michigan State game on Jan. 30 at 2 p.m., and the Purdue game (also Pack the Hall Night) on Feb. 20 at 2:00 p.m., will all be shown live from Assembly Hall on WTIU, while the Ohio State game set for Jan. 20 at 7 p.m., will be aired on a tape delay basis starting at 8 p.m.
Additionally, Fox Sports Net-Chicago will air the Jan. 27 match-up against the Fighting Illini in Champaign, Ill., at 8 p.m..
BRUTAL SCHEDULE
According to the latest Associated Press (11/29-12/5) Top 25 Poll the Hoosiers will take on five ranked teams, three of which are Big Ten schools:
Rank Team Date/Result
No. 9 Baylor L, 47-60
No. 11 Ohio St. Jan. 20 & Feb. 6
No. 14 Michigan St. Jan. 30
No. 15 Purdue Jan. 6 & Feb. 20
No. 18 Minnesota Jan. 2 & Feb. 24
NEXT GAME
Indiana will be back in action when it heads to Terre Haute, Ind., to take on in-state rival, the Indiana State Sycamores. Game time is slated for 7:00 p.m. and will be broadcast live by Jeremy Gray on WHCC 105.1.
