Indiana University Athletics
Indiana Heads to Evanston to Battle Wildcats
1/10/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 10, 2006
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HOOSIER HEADLINES
• Indiana (8-7, 2-2) looks to get back on track as it hits the road for a game against Northwestern (4-10, 0-4) on Thursday, Jan. 12 in Evanston, Ill. Tipoff with the Wildcats is set for 7 p.m. (CST) and can be heard locally on WHCC-FM 105.1 with Jeremy Gray calling all the action. WXLW-AM 950 will also pick up the game and fans can follow the game on Gametracker at IUHOOSIERS.com.
• This will be the 54th meeting between the Hoosiers and Wildcats, with NU holding a 28-25 advantage in the all-time series. Indiana won both meetings last season (53-42 in Bloomington on Jan. 13, and 54-53 in Evanston on Feb. 13)
• Senior guard Cyndi Valentin tied the NCAA Division I record for consecutive free throws made in a season (60) after going 4-of-4 from the line on Monday, Jan. 9. The Bloomington, Ind., native needs just one more free throw to break the Division I record and two more to snap the all-time (Division II and III) women's basketball record.
SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN
Northwestern carries an overall record of 4-10 and an 0-4 mark in conference play into Thursday's game. The Wildcats have dropped five straight games and own a 3-5 record when playing at home this season. NU recently fell to Illinois, 64-55, in Champaign, Ill., on Sunday, Jan. 8.
Senior forward Ifeoma Okonkwo leads the way for the Wildcats in scoring and rebounding with 13.6 ppg, and 7.9 rpg, respectively. Junior A.J. Glasauer is second on the team in scoring with 11.7 ppg.
As a team, Northwestern ranks fourth in the Big Ten in assists (15.79 per game) and fifth in steals (9.64 per game) and offensive rebounds (12.79 per game). Individually, sophomore guard Nadia Bibbs sits at fourth in assists (4.00 per game), while Glasauer ranks sixth (3.64 per game). Additionally, Okonkwo ranks 11th in scoring and fifth in rebounding among conference players.
Head coach Beth Combs is in the midst of her second season with the Wildcats. She has compiled a record of 9-35 at Northwestern and a 53-80 mark overall. She served as the head coach of Colgate University from 2002-04 before coming to Northwestern. A native of Decatur, Ill., Combs attended the University of Illinois and played basketball for the Fighting Illini.
WHAT IT MEANS
An Indiana win would...
• Mark its third Big Ten win of the 2005-06 season, which would match its conference win total from last year
• Mark its second-straight conference win on the road
•Move the all-time series to 28-26, with Northwestern holding the slight advantage
VALENTIN TIES NCAA CONSECTUIVE FREE THROWS RECORD
Senior Cyndi Valentin made history on Monday, Jan. 9, against then-No. 15 Minnesota when she went 4-of-4 from the free throw line to tie the NCAA Division I single-season consecutive free throw mark (60). Valentin is now tied with Ginny Doyle of Richmond, who set the record in 1992. The NCAA women's basketball (including Division II and III) record in this category is 61, and was set by Valerie Kepner of Baldwin-Wallace from 1988-89. Valentin ranks second in the nation in the Big Ten in free throw percentage with an average of .974 (76-of-78).
Looking even further, Valentin is also on track to break the NCAA Division I career record of 66, set by Doyle from 1991-92, and the NCAA women's basketball career mark of 69, set by Jamie Visness in 2002-03 of Division III Concord-Moorhead.
RECORDS WERE MADE TO BE BROKEN
Another record was broken on Jan. 9 against Minnesota, when senior Jenny DeMuth connected on all 10 of her free throw attempts to move into first in the IU record book for career free throws. DeMuth surpassed Denise Jackson's mark of 443 and currently has 446 free throws made in her career.
MOVING ON UP
Seniors Jenny DeMuth, Angela Hawkins, Cyndi Valentin and junior Sarah McKay are on the rise in the IU record books this season.
Valentin, who recently broke her own school record and already holds the school and Big Ten record for career free-throw percentage (.892), is also on track to finish her career among the top-five scorers in IU history. The Bloomington, Ind., native currently sits at ninth overall in the all-time scoring list with 1,415 points, and sixth in career free throws attempted (372).
DeMuth is not too far behind, sitting in at No. 11 with 1,300 career points. DeMuth also sits at second in free throw attempts (598), third in steals (189), eighth in blocked shots (71), and eighth in rebounding (647).
In addition, Hawkins and McKay are up and coming on Indiana's all-time blocked shot lists with 106 and 81, respectively. Hawkins also ranks seventh in career rebounding (710).
CLOSE CALL
In their past two games, the Hoosiers have come close to knocking off two Top-25 teams in then-No. 14 Purdue and then-No. 15 Minnesota. IU lost to both teams by a combined total of 10 points. Three of Indiana's seven losses this season have been by five points or less.
FOUR SCORE
Through 15 games, IU has had four players score in double figures on three occasion this season, something that never happened during the 2004-05 season. The Hoosiers dropped their first game to then-No. 15 Minnesota when accomplishing this feat. IU now carries a 2-1 record with them when four player reach double-digit scoring.
FREE THROWS KEY IN GAMES WON
Free throw shooting has truely been vital to Indiana winning its eight games this season. The Hoosiers average an .821 clip (133-of-162) from the free throw line in games won, and seven student-athletes carry a perfect 1.000 mark in these games. In comparison, IU has only made .684 (104-of-152) shots from the charity stripe in its seven losses this year.
REBOUNDING QUEENS
Indiana is one of two schools that boast three players that rank among the top-15 in rebounding among Big Ten teams. Senior Jenny DeMuth leads the way at the No. 4 spot (7.9 rpg) followed by senior Angela Hawkins at No. 10 (6.9 rpg.) , and freshman Whitney Thomas at No. 15 (6.4 rpg). Wisconsin is the only other school to have three players in the top rankings.
CALLING ON CARRIE
Junior forward Carrie Smith is usually one of the first Hoosiers called upon off the bench. Smith has proved to be one of the bench leaders this season, as she has been the leading scorer in seven contests. Smith currently ranks sixth on the team in scoring with 3.5 ppg.
PUT ME IN COACH
Senior guard Cyndi Valentin leads the Big Ten in minutes played with 36.27 minutes per game. Valentin has played 40-plus minutes in five contests this year, including IU's overtime loss to Purdue on Jan. 5.
GET AHEAD WITH FIVE
IU is a perfect 8-0 this season when leading with five minutes remaining in the game. The Hoosiers also have an unblemished record when IU hits at least eight three-pointers (1-0), when scoring 70+ points (2-0), and when tying in offensive boards.
ROAD WARRIORS
IU's win over Penn State on Sunday, Jan. 1, marked its fourth road win of the season, which is one more then the Hoosiers had in 2004-05. The single-season record for road wins is nine, which was set in 1978-79, and IU last won five road games during the 2000-01 season.
SHARP-SHOOTING SMITH
Sophomore guard Nikki Smith ranks seventh in the Big Ten in three-point shooting with a .372 percentage (29-of-78). Smith set a new career-high in points when she went 5-of-7 from three point range to finish with 17 points against Eastern Michigan on Dec. 7. Smith was two points shy of her career-high in IU's last outing as she led the team with 15 points.
The Sylvania, Ohio, native has made vast improvement from last season, as she saw action in 18 games and averaged only 1.8 ppg.
FEELING IT FROM THE FREE THROW LINE
Head coach Sharon Versyp has stressed the importance of getting to the free throw line and connecting on these opportunities all season long. The Hoosiers have been productive from the charity stripe through 15 games, as they have gone 237-of-314(.755). This number ranks second among other Big Ten teams and 21st nationally.
Indiana has vastly improved in this area, as it finished the 2004-05 season as the seventh-best free-throw shooting team in the conference (707).
FRESHMAN SENSATION
Freshman forward Whitney Thomas has not let first-year jitters get to her during her Hoosier debut. She currently ranks third on the team in rebounding (6.4 rpg) and fifth in scoring (6.6 ppg). She also is the highest-ranked freshman among Big Ten players in rebounding, and ranks 13th overall.
Most recently, she recorded her second career double-double (13 points, 11 rebounds) against Cincinnati on Dec. 17. She has three double-digit rebounding efforts this season, and has started in all 15 of IU's games this season.
COUNT ON CYNDI
With six 20-plus point scoring performances under her belt this season, Valentin currently has 24, 20-plus scoring performances to her name, which ranks fourth in school history. Indiana's all-time leading scorer, Denise Jackson, has the most in school history with 36.
Valentin is accustomed to putting up a bulk of Indiana's points, as she was the only Hoosier to score 20 points or more in a single game during 2004-05. She posted a total of seven 20-plus point efforts throughout the year.
VITAL VALENTIN
Not only does senior guard Cyndi Valentin lead IU in scoring (17.0), but she also ranks first on the team in assists (3.6) and steals (1.8) per game.
Only two other Hoosiers have finished as the team's leader in points, assists and steals. Diann Nestel finished the 1977-78 season with 13.3 points, 1.7 assists, and 1.9 steals, while Karna Abram led the 1986-87 squad with 23.3 points, 4.1 assists, and 1.3 steals per game.
BIG TEN TOURNAMENT TIME
Tickets for the 2005 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament on March 2-6 at Conseco Fieldhouse are on sale now through the IU ticket office. Call 1-866-IUSPORTS for more information or check out the tournament website on bigten.org.
LISTEN UP
In addition to all of the Hoosiers' games airing on WHCC 105.1, Indiana women's basketball fans will also have the opportunity to hear nine of the Hoosiers' remaining games on ESPN 950 during the 2005-06 season: (Jan. 12 vs. Northwestern; Jan. 22 vs. Michigan; Jan. 26 vs. Illinois; Jan. 29 vs.Michigan State; Feb. 2 vs. Wisconsin; Feb. 5 vs. Ohio State; Feb. 12 vs. vs. Northwestern; Feb. 19- vs.Purdue; Feb. 29 vs. Iowa.
NEXT GAME
Indiana completes its two-game road swing when it travels to Columbus, Ohio, to take on No. 8/8 Ohio State on Thursday, Jan. 19. Tipoff with the Buckeyes is set for 7 p.m. (EST) and can be heard locally on WHCC-FM 105.1, with Jeremy Gray calling all the action. Fans can also follow the game on Gametracker on IUHOOSIERS.com.
