Indiana University Athletics
IU Takes on Marquette in WNIT Quarterfinals
3/22/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 22, 2006
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HOOSIER HEADLINES
• Indiana (19-13, 9-7) will battle Big East foe Marquette (20-10, 9-7) in the quarterfinals of the WNIT on Friday, March 24 in Milwaukee, Wis., at the Al McGuire Center. Tipoff with the Golden Eagles is set for 8 p.m. (EST) and can be heard locally on WHCC-FM 105.1 with Jeremy Gray calling all the action and Sara White providing color.
• This will be the third meeting between the two squads in the all-time series, with Indiana holding a 2-0 advantage. The last meeting was during the 1991-92 season with IU claiming a 67-59 win in Bloomington.
• Indiana is making its fourth appearance in the WNIT and its first since the 2000-01 season. With its victory over ISU in the second round on March 20, IU made its best post-season advancement since 1997-98 when it advanced to the semifinals of the WNIT.
SCOUTING MARQUETTE
The Marquette Golden Eagles are 20-10 on the year and are coming off a 69-63 victory against Iowa State in the second round of the WNIT on Monday, March 20 in Ames, Iowa. The 2005-06 season marked the first for the Golden Eagles in the BIG EAST Conference, where they finished tied for sixth with a record of 9-7.
Three Golden Eagles average double figures as forward Christina Quaye (13.4), freshman Krystal Ellis (10.5) and junior Jasmine McCullough (10.0) lead the way for Marquette on the offensive end. Quaye also ranks first in rebounding with 6.0 boards per game. Point guard Carolyn Kieger ranks seventh in the nation in assists per game with 6.5. Kieger and Quaye were second team all-conference selections, while guard Krystal Ellis was voted to the league's all-freshman squad.
Terri Mitchell is in her 10th season as head coach of Marquette. She owns a 189-108 record overall. She was an assistant with the Golden Eagles for six seasons before taking over the helm. A four-year letterwinner at Duquesne, she also served as a graduate assistant at Arizona State during the 1989-90 season.
INDIANA IN THE WNIT
The Hoosiers are 7-3 in WNIT play and earned their highest finish in 1991 after capturing a runner-up finish. Below is a breakdown of IU's all-time WNIT success:
1991 (then called the NWIT)
Indiana 110, UAB 71 (quarterfinals)
Indiana 80, Houston 76 (semifinals)
Santa Clara 71, Indiana 68 (finals)
1998
Indiana 80, Xavier 74 (first round)
Indiana 61, Toledo 60 (quarterfinals)
Penn State 70, Indiana 42 (semifinals)
2001
Indiana 66, Middle Tennessee 63 (first round)
Western Kentucky 64, Indiana 63 (quarterfinals)
2006
Indiana 67, Rice 57 (first round)
Indiana 68, Indiana State 62 (second round)
ROAD WARRIORS
IU's win over Indiana State on Monday, March 20, marked its eighth road win of the season, which is five more than the Hoosiers had in 2004-05. The single-season record for road wins is nine, which was set in 1978-79.
COMMON OPPONENTS
Even though they are in two separate conferences, the Hoosiers and Golden Eagles shared seven common opponents during the 2005-06 season, including three Big Ten, three BIG EAST opponents and Conference-USA foe Rice. Results against these teams were almost identical in that IU and Marquette both lost to Notre Dame and Louisville and defeated Wisconsin, Penn State, Illinois and Rice. The only different outcome was Marquette defeated Cincinnati and the Hoosiers fell to the Bearcats.
WONDERFUL WHITNEY
Whitney Thomas, a freshman team All-Big Ten honoree has consistently been one of IU's top players. Thomas not only ranks tied for first on the squad in rebounding (7.2), but she also has averaged 8.8 rebounds in IU's last five games and has shot .474 (18-of-38) from the field.
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 she has started in 31 of IU's 32 games this season.
SCORING SPREE
Cyndi Valentin has scored in double-figures for six-straight contests, dating back to IU's last regular season game at Iowa on Feb. 26. The 5-8 guard has also notched 20 points or more in four of those six contests.
ONE MORE TO 20
The Hoosiers are one win shy of reaching the 20-win plateau this season. In the history of IU women's basketball, IU has only produced four 20-plus wins in a single season. This feat happened in 1978-79 (21), 1980-81 (21), 1997-98 (21) and 2000-01 (20). In addition, head coach Sharon Versyp is no stranger to 20-plus wins, as she has hit this milestone in her last three seasons at Maine. She went 25-6 in 2002-03, 25-7 in 2003-04 and 20-10 in 2004-05.
SHARP-SHOOTING SMITH
Sophomore guard Nikki Smith ranks 11th in the Big Ten in three-point shooting at .363 percentage (58-of-160). Smith tied her career-high 18 points when she went 4-of-6 from three-point range against then-No. 20/21 Minnesota on March 3 at the Big Ten Tournament. The Sylvania, Ohio, native has made a lot improvement from last season, as she averaged only 1.8 ppg in 2004-05
Smith's 58 three-pointers this season is the most by any Hoosier since the 1997-98 season when Kristi Green was 65-of-173 on the year and also ranks sixth in the IU record books for three-pointers made in a single season.
UP NEXT
A win over Marquette would move the Hoosiers into the semifinals of the WNIT, where they would take on the winner of the Pittsburgh vs. Virginia game. Game date, site and time will be announced at a later date.
