Indiana University Athletics
Indiana Battles It Out With No. 14/14 Purdue
1/3/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 3, 2006
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HOOSIER HEADLINES
• Indiana (8-5, 2-0) squares off with its arch rival No. 14/14 Purdue (10-2, 2-0) on Thursday, Jan. 5. in Bloomington. The Hoosiers and Boilermakers are tied atop the Big Ten standings at 2-0. Tipoff with the Boilermakers is set for 7 p.m. (EST) 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.
• Half a point in the SBC Crimson and Gold Cup standings is at stake when the two teams meet on Thursday. The series is currently tied with 2.5 points apiece. A total of 20 points can be won throughout the year. The winner of regular season head-to-head competition earns the point for its institution. Should the teams split or tie in regular season competition the point is split between the two institutions. If the two institutions do not compete in head-to-head regular season competition, the team that places higher at the Big Ten Championship will earn the point.
• The Boilermakers got the best of the Hoosiers last season, claiming a pair of victories (54-31 on Jan. 6 in West Lafayette and 62-58 (ot) on Feb. 20 in Bloomington). Purdue leads the all-time series, 36-22.
PURDUE AT A GLANCE
No. 14/14 Purdue enters Thursdays's game with a 10-2 record overall and a 2-0 mark in conference play. The Boilermakers are riding a six-game winning streak, and most recently upset then-No. 7/7 Ohio State, 61-59, on Sunday, Jan. 1 in West Lafayette.
Junior forward/guard Katie Gearlds (13.1 ppg), junior forward Erin Lawless (12.1 ppg) and senior forward Aya Traore (11.8 ppg) are the leading scorers for Purdue. In its last game vs. the Buckeyes, Traore put up a career-high 23 points to go along with sever rebounds. Her performance earned her Big Ten Player of the Week for the period ending Jan. 2. Sophomore forward Natasha Bogdanova leads the team in rebounding with 4.8 rpg.
As a team, Purdue leads the Big Ten in blocked shots (4.83 per game) and steals (11.00 per game). The Boilermakers also rank second in scoring defense (54.9), scoring margin (+15.0), and rebounding defense (31.3).
Head Coach Kristy Curry is in the midst of her seventh season at the helm of the Purdue program. Over the last six seasons, Curry has compiled an overall record of 163-46 including a 75-23 mark in Big Ten games. Prior to her arrival in West Lafayette, Curry had coaching stints as an assistant at Tulane (1991-93), Stephen F. Austin (1993-94), Texas A&M (1994-96) and Louisiana Tech (1996-99).
WHAT IT MEANS
An Indiana win would...
• Mark its third-straight Big Ten win of the 2005-06 season. The Hoosiers have not opened the season with three-straight Big Ten wins since the 2000-01 season (Ohio State, Michigan State and Minnesota.)
• Snap a five-game losing streak against Purdue in the all-time series
• Be its first win over a Top-25 team since Jan. 12, 2003, when it defeated then-No. 23 Ohio State, 54-50 in Bloomington
•Mark its first win over the Boilermakers since the 2001-02 season, and the first win over Purdue at Assembly Hall since 1997-98.
•Give the Hoosiers a 3.0-2.5 lead in the SBC Crimson and Gold Cup standings. Each sport can earn one point toward the overall championship. A total of 20 points can be won. The winner of regular season head-to-head competition earns the point for its institution. Should the teams split or tie in regular season competition the point is split between the two institutions (i.e. if each team wins two games in baseball the point is split). If the two institutions do not compete in head-to-head regular season competition, the team that places higher at the Big Ten Championship will earn the point.
VALENTIN ON THE VERGE OF NCAA RECORD
Senior Cyndi Valentin broke her own school record for consecutive free throws made on Sunday, Jan. 1, when she went 6-of-6 from the charity stripe, which extended her streak to 52. The previous school record (48) was set by Valentin during the 2004-05 season. The Bloomington, Ind., native is now on the chase for a bigger record, as she is just eight free throws away from tying the NCAA Division I record for consecutive free throws made (60) in a single season. The record that currently stands was set by Ginny Doyle of Richmond in 1992. The NCAA women's basketball (including Division II and III) record in this category was set by Valerie Kepner of Baldwin-Wallace from 1988-89. Valentin ranks fourth in the nation and second in the Big Ten in free throw percentage with an average of .971 (68-of-70).
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.
ONCE A BOILER, NOW A HOOSIER
Head coach Sharon Versyp will take a walk down memory lane when she sees the black and gold uniforms worn by Purdue on Thursday, as she once once donned the uniform herself.
Versyp attended Purdue from 1985-88, where she was a standout on the Boiler basketball team. The Mishawaka, Ind., native is one of seven players in Boilermaker history to be a four-year starter and her 1,565 career points still rank ninth in the Purdue record books. She also sits at fourth in single-game assists (12) and seventh in career assists (418).
This will be the first time Versyp (as a head coach or assistant coach) has faced her alma-mater.
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 (.890), 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 1,392 points.
DeMuth is not too far behind her, sitting in at No. 11 with 1,269 career points. DeMuth also sits at second in free throw attempts (579), second in free-throws made (433), third in steals (186), eighth in blocked shots (70), and 11th in rebounding (630). The Highland, Ind., native needs just 11 free throws to become IU's all-time leader in career free-throws made.
In addition, Hawkins and McKay are up and coming on Indiana's all-time blocked shot lists with 104 and 81, respectively. Hawkins also ranks seventh in career rebounding (693).
OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT
The Hoosiers started the Big Ten season off on the right foot with a two wins over Iowa, 65-53, on Dec. 29, and Penn State, 54-50, on Jan. 1 IU had not won a conference opener since the 2001-02 season and has not opened the season with back-to-back Big Ten wins since the 2001-02 season.
A LOT OF FIRSTS HAPPENED ON THE FIRST
It's fitting that the Hoosiers played Penn State on Jan. 1, because several "firsts" happened during the game. Those include:
• the program's first win in State College in the series history
•the first time Cyndi Valentin or Jenny DeMuth did not lead the team in scoring, snapping a 13-game streak in which one of them had team-high points. (Nikki Smith led the team with 15 points).
•the first time all season that IU overcame a halftime deficit to win
•the first time Indiana played a game on Jan. 1
REBOUNDING QUEENS
Indiana is one of two schools that boast three players that rank in the top-15 in rebounding among Big Ten teams. Senior Jenny DeMuth leads the way at the No. 6 spot (7.8 rpg), followed by senior Angela Hawkins at No. 11 (6.6 rpg.) , and freshman Whitney Thomas at No. 12 (6.5 rpg). Wisconsin is the only other school to have three player in the top rankings. With a +6.1 rebounding margin, the Hoosiers rank third in the conference behind Ohio State (+7.4) and Wisconsin (+7.2).
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.
DEMUTH NEARS SCHOOL RECORD
Highland, Ind., native Jenny DeMuth is just 11 free throws shy of breaking the school record in career-free throws. She has 433 made during her career. The current record (443) is held by Denise Jackson, who played for the Hoosiers from 1981-84.
THE CYNDI AND JENNY SHOW
Prior to the Penn State game on Jan. 1, seniors Jenny DeMuth and Cyndi Valentin had accounted for team-high points for 13-straight games, dating back to last season. On the year, Valentin has produced the highest scoring output in nine games, while DeMuth has held the honor three times. The tandem is currently the highest scoring duo in the Big Ten, as they combine for 31.7 points per game.
Sophomore Nikki Smith snapped the streak, as she led the team with a game-high 15 points at Penn State.
PROMOTIONS
Thursday's game against Indiana-Purdue, is "Take A Kid To The Game Night". Fans that attend the game will receive one free youth admission with the purchase of an adult ticket ($5). Fans can also purchase hotdogs for just $1 while supplies last.
NEXT GAME
Indiana is back in action on Monday, Jan. 9 when it takes on No. 15/15 Minnesota. Tipoff with the Golden Gophers is set for 7 p.m. 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.
