Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Tangle With Lady Lions on Thursday
2/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 7, 2006
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HOOSIER HEADLINES
• Indiana (12-10, 6-5) battles Penn State (10-12, 4-7) on Thursday, Feb. 9 in Bloomington at Branch McCracken Court at Assembly Hall. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. and can be heard locally on WHCC-FM 105.1 with Jeremy Gray calling all the action. Fans can follow the game on Gametracker at IUHOOSIERS.com.
• This will be the 28th meeting between the Hoosiers and Lady Lions, with PSU holding a 23-4 advantage in the all-time series. Indiana won the first meeting this season, 54-50, in State College on Jan. 1.
• Jenny DeMuth is three steals shy of breaking the school record for career steals (210). The senior guard/forward currently has 208.
A LOOK AT PENN STATE
The Lady Lions, sport a 10-12 record overall and a 4-7 mark in Big Ten play coming into Thursday's game. Penn State most recently dropped a 72-61 decision to No. 8/8 Purdue on Feb. 5 in State College. The Lady Lions are 3-6 when playing on the road and have claimed Big Ten wins over Wisconsin, Northwestern, Iowa and Michigan.
Junior forward Amanda Brown leads Penn State in scoring with 16.1 ppg and rebounding with 7.4 rpg. She is also third in the Big Ten and ranks 10th nationally in field-goal percentage (.612). Brown netted 29 points last time out for PSU on a 12-of-14 effort from the field. Sophomore guard Kamela Gissendanner and junior guard Adrienne Squire also average double figures for Penn State with 15.8 ppg and 11.8 ppg, respectively. Squire leads the nation in free-throw percentage as she has gone 65-of-68 (956) from the charity stripe this season. Freshman guard Brianne O'Rourke leads the conference in assists with 5.55 per game.
As a team, Penn State ranks second in the league in blocked shots (4.82 per game), tied for second (with IU) in rebounding defense (33.0) and third in free throw percentage with a .746 clip from the charity stripe (353-of-473).
During her tenure at Penn State, head coach Rene Portland, the 2004 WBCA/Russell Athletic National Coach of the Year, has compiled an overall mark of 675-242 (736). In her 25 years with the Lady Lions, Portland has coached four first-team Kodak All-Americans, four conference player of the year and one Wade Trophy winner. Portland has also served as the head coach at Colorado (1978-80) and Saint Josephs (1976-78).
WHAT IT MEANS
An Indiana win would...
• Mark its seventh Big Ten win of the 2005-06 season. The Hoosiers have not won seven conference games since the 2001-02 season.
•Be its fourth conference home win this year.
•Be its second-straight win over the Lady Lions in the all-time series. IU has never won two consecutive games over PSU.
DEMUTH ON VERGE OF ANOTHER IU RECORD
With the career free-throws record (473) under her belt, senior Jenny DeMuth has her eye on another school record, as she is just three steals away from breaking the career steals mark. Currently DeMuth has 208 steals. Former IU standout and current Youngstown State head coach Tisha Hill (1989-92) holds the record now with 210 steals. DeMuth is the only Hoosier that ranks among the top five in both categories (free throws and steals.)
LAST TIME VS. PENN STATE
The Indiana women's basketball team snapped Penn State's 26-game home conference winning streak with its 54-50 win at the Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pa., on Jan. 1.On the first day of the New Year, Indiana started strong as it set a number of firsts for the Hoosier program. Indiana grabbed its fourth win against the Nittany Lions, first since 2002, and first victory in State College. The win also marked the first time since 2001 the Hoosiers started 2-0 in the Big Ten. Sophomore guard Nikki Smith netted 15 points and turned in a 6-of-11 shooting effort to lead IU, while four total Hoosiers registered double-digit points in the record-setting victory.
TURNAROUND SEASON
Indiana is on pace to have a big turn-around season. With five regular-season games left, the Hoosiers have already claimed two more overall and three more Big Ten wins this year. IU is the most improved team in the conference after finishing 10-18 overall and 3-13 in league play in 2004-05. The last time IU followed a losing season with a winning season was in 2000-01. The Hoosiers were 10-18 in 1999-00 and followed that season with a 20-11 mark in 2000-01. The school record for one-year turnaround was set in 1978-79 when IU was 21-14 overall after finishing 7-16 in 1977-78.
TOP OF HER CLASS
Whitney Thomas is a Big Ten Freshman of the Year candidate. Thomas not only leads all freshman in rebounding (7.0), but she also ranks third in steals (1.32), and 10th in scoring (6.1) and field-goal percentage (.456).The Bloomington, Ind., product recorded her third career double-double (12 points, 13 rebounds) against Ohio State on Jan. 19. She is the only freshman in the league to have recorded more than one double-double. Thomas has four double-digit rebounding efforts this season, and has started in all 22 of IU's games this season. Only three other Hoosier four-year players have started every game during their freshman year. The list includes: Jill Chapman (1999-02), Linda Cunningham (1983-86), Kris McGrade (1991-94).
LAST THREE GAMES TREND
Four IU athletes have shot exactly .500 from the floor in the Hoosiers' last three games including Cyndi Valentin (19-of-38), and Whitney Thomas (5-of-10).
CONFERENCE STATS
Through 11 conference games, Indiana has made its mark among the top five of eight categories among Big Ten teams. IU ranks second in scoring defense (57.4, third in field goal percent defense (.389), rebounding defense (33.0), three-point field goal percentage (.291), fourth in steals (9.09), defensive rebounds (24.10) and fifth in turnover margin (+0.82), and rebounding margin (+1.4).
DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORING
Seven Hoosiers have reached double-digit scoring at least once throughout the season. Cyndi Valentin had recorded the most with 19, while Jenny DeMuth has 18, Whitney Thomas and Angela Hawkins have seven, Nikki Smith has six and Carrie Smith and Sarah McKay have one. Valentin holds the longest double-figure scoring streak this season, as she scored in double-figures for 16 straight games dating from Nov. 25- Jan. 22.
BIG TEN TOURNAMENT TIME
Tickets for the 2006 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 at bigten.org.
NEXT GAME
Indiana finishes its three-game home stand on Sunday, Feb. 12 against Northwestern for its final regular season home game. Tipoff with the Wildcats is set for 2 p.m. The game 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. Sunday is the sixth annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD). NGWSD is an event designed to inform young women/children on the importance of education and emerging roles in athletics. From 12-2 p.m. in Assembly Hall various Indiana University athletic teams and organizations on campus and throughout the community will have interactive booths in which youth may participate in. Pre-game festivities are free of charge. Admission to the game is $5 for adults, $3 for youth, and groups of 20 or more are $2 per person. Tickets can be purchased on the day of the game or by calling 1-866-IUSPORTS.
