Indiana University Athletics
#IUWBB Game 1 Preview: Gardner-Webb
11/14/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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GAME 1 |
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THE OPENING TIP
Indiana begins the 2014-15 season on Saturday, Nov. 15 in Assembly Hall against Gardner-Webb at 2 p.m. ET. The game can be heard online at IUHoosiers.com or WHCC105.com with Greg Murray on play-by-play. The contest is available as a live web broadcast on BTN Plus.
DID YOU KNOW?
• Indiana University is beginning its 44th season of women's basketball.
• Teri Moren begins her first year at the helm of the Hoosier program in 2014-15. Prior to Indiana, Moren spent the last four years at Indiana State University as head coach where she led the Sycamores to a Missouri Valley Conference championship and the program's first 20-win season in eight years in 2013-14 before taking the job at IU.
• Indiana's 2014-15 roster consists of 10 true freshmen and sophomores, making the Hoosiers the youngest team in the Big Ten based on eligibility. No other conference team has more than eight true freshmen and sophomores on their roster.
• The 2013-14 IU women's basketball team finished with a program record-tying 21 wins and played into the quarterfinals of the WNIT. The three national postseason tournament victories were the most ever in a single year in program history.
• Last year's freshman class, now sophomores, scored more points (1,466) than any other freshman class in the Big Ten and ranked in the top five nationally in point production among freshman classes. Indiana's freshmen accounted for 61.9 percent of IU's point production last season.
• Since 2012, attendance for home games in Assembly Hall has increased by over 50 percent. The 2013-14 season set an attendance record for Indiana women's basketball, ranking 35th nationally.
• The Hoosiers topped UIndy in exhibition play on Nov. 9, 88-49. All 88 points were scored by freshmen and sophomores, with 52 of those points being scored by freshmen.
• IU was led in scoring vs. UIndy by freshmen Tyra Buss (26 points) and Amanda Cahill (15). Cahill finished with a double-double as she also had 13 rebounds. Buss added five steals in the effort.
THE COACHES
Indiana
Teri Moren
Career Record: 199-130 (12th year)
Indiana record: 0-0 (1st year)
Gardner-Webb
Rick Reeves
Career Record: 418-395 (29th year)
Gardner-Webb Record: 151-157 (11th year)
GARDNER-WEBB AT A GLANCE
Indiana and Gardner-Webb meet for the first time ever on Saturday in Assembly Hall. The Runnin' Bulldogs are part of the Big South Conference and the GWU campus is located in Boiling Springs, N.C. Gardner-Webb went 16-14 last season and compiled an 11-9 record in conference games. GWU lost its two leading scorers from a year ago, but do return Jessica Heilig, a senior forward, who tallied 10.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in 2013-14. Olivia Parker also returns for the Runnin' Bulldogs as the junior forward scored 7.7 points per game last season and was second on the team in rebounding with 6.7 boards per contest. GWU's leader in assists last year, junior Candace Brown also returns in 2014-15.
THE Teri Moren ERA BEGINS
The 2014-15 season brings a new era to Indiana women's basketball as Teri Moren will begin her first year as head coach of the Hoosiers. Moren, a native of nearby Seymour, Ind., enters her 12th season as a head coach at the collegiate level. She spent the last four years at the helm of the Indiana State program in Terre Haute and led the Sycamores to a Missouri Valley Conference championship in 2013-14 and the program's first 20-win season in eight years. Her complete bio can be found later in this notes packet.
A SEASON TO REMEMBER
The 2013-14 Indiana women's basketball team tied the school record for wins with 21 victories last year and played into the quarterfinals of the WNIT. IU's three national postseason victories last season were the most ever in a single year in program history.
Indiana had its best start in school history going 14-0 for the longest winning streak the program has seen to begin last year. IU then earned its highest ever national ranking at No. 22 in the AP Top 25 Poll on Jan. 6, 2014. It was just the second time Indiana had ever been ranked in the AP Poll (last was 1993).
IU finished non-conference play with a perfect 13-0 record, the most non-Big Ten regular season wins in program history and just the fourth Indiana team to finish non-conference play without a loss.
SUPER SOPHOMORES
As freshmen in 2013-14, sophomores Taylor Agler, Jenn Anderson, Larryn Brooks, Alexis Gassion, Lyndsay Leikem and Karlee McBride combined to score 1,466 points, the most by any freshman class in the Big Ten and ranked in the top five nationally in point production among freshman classes last year. That point total accounted for 61.9 percent of IU's scoring output last season. All six return to the roster in 2014-15.
BROOKS HAS BIG FRESHMAN YEAR
Indiana sophomore Larryn Brooks had one of the most productive seasons by any freshman in the history of the program last year. She broke the IU freshman scoring record, tallying 554 points (7th on school single season list), breaking a 34-year-old freshman record held by Dorothy Reffel who scored 454 points in 1979-80. She was the first freshman in program history to ever eclipse 500 points in a season. Brooks also set freshman marks for 3-pointers made with 67 (T-4th), assists with 154 (3rd) and free throws made with 129. Brooks led the Hoosiers in scoring (16.3 ppg), field goals made (179), 3-point field goals made, 3-point field goal percentage (.379), free throws made, free throw percentage (.832) and assists.
Brooks earned Second Team All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors last season. She was the first Hoosier to earn second team all-conference honors since 2011 (Jori Davis) and just the fifth freshman ever at IU to be named to the conference's all-freshman squad and the first since 2006 (Whitney Thomas).
2014-15 SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS
The 2014-15 IU women's basketball schedule features 17 home games in Assembly Hall, including nine Big Ten opponents. With the addition of Maryland and Rutgers to the conference, the Big Ten schedule returns to an 18-game rotation for the first time since 2009-10. IU will host six straight home games to begin the year in November, marking the first time Indiana has ever had six home games in the month of November. The non-conference schedule will feature four contests against in-state teams, all taking place in Assembly Hall.
Big Ten play will begin on Dec. 28 when IU hosts Rutgers for the first time as a Big Ten opponent. Other conference teams that will visit Assembly Hall include Michigan State (Dec. 31), Ohio State (Jan. 8), Wisconsin (Jan. 11), Maryland (Jan. 25), Purdue (Feb. 2), Northwestern (Feb. 5), Illinois (Feb. 11) and Nebraska (Feb. 21). The Big Ten Tournament will return to the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Ill. on March 4-8, 2015 and will feature 14 teams for the first time ever.
FRESH FACES
IU welcomes four freshmen to the roster in 2014-15 in Tyra Buss, Amanda Cahill, Maura Muensterman and Jess Walter. Buss was a two-time Ms. Basketball selection (2013, 2014) in the state of Illinois while Cahill (Ohio), Muensterman (Indiana) and Walter (Michigan) were Miss Basketball runner-ups in each of their home states last year.
Tyra Buss • 5-7 • Guard • Mt. Carmel, Ill./Mt. Carmel
Buss finished her high school career with 4,897 points, an Illinois state record and the second-most points ever scored by a high school girls basketball player in the United States. She also holds Illinois career records in free throws made (1,185), scoring average (38.0) and field goals made (1,644). During her senior year, she averaged 45.8 points, 6.7 steals, 5.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game while shooting 65 percent from inside the arc, 39 percent from 3-point range and 82 percent from the free throw line. She was named Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year and a Parade High School All-American in 2014.
Amanda Cahill • 6-2 • Forward • Clyde, Ohio/Clyde
Cahill finished her prep career with over 2,000 career points and over 1,000 career rebounds. She was named Ohio D2 Player of the Year three times (2012, 2013, 2014) and led Clyde High School to a 99-6 (.943) record during her four years and played in two final fours in the Ohio state basketball tournament. As a senior, she averaged 20.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 3.2 steals per game while shooting 68 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range.
Maura Muensterman • 6-0 • Guard • Evansville, Ind./Mater Dei
Muensterman led Evansville Mater Dei to back-to-back state championships in 2012 and 2013, followed by a runner-up finish in 2014. She holds the Indiana high school record for career assists (774) while playing the wing position rather than being a point guard. Muensterman finished her prep career with 2,306 points, the 11th-best career scoring mark in Indiana high school girls basketball history. She earned a spot on the junior and senior Indiana All Star squads during her career. As a senior, she averaged 22.5 points, 8.4 assists, 7.1 rebounds, 2.9 steals and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 54 percent from the field and 52 percent from 3-point range.
Jess Walter • 5-11 • Guard • Midland, Mich./Midland
Walter averaged 18.0 points, 5.9 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 3.9 steals and 1.3 blocks per game as a senior at Midland High School last year while leading the Chemics to a 21-3 record with a conference and district championship. She hold Midland records for most points in a season, most 3-pointers made in a single season and most assists in a season.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM #IUWBB'S 88-49 EXHIBITION WIN OVER UINDY
• All of IU's 88 points were scored by freshmen and sophomores and 52 of the 88 were scored by freshmen.
• Indiana used an 18-3 run over the last 3:54 of the first half and 4:15 of the second half to go up 51-28. The Hoosiers held Indianapolis without a field goal for a period of 8:09 during the run.
• The Hoosiers got excellent production from their bench with 33 bench points and outscored Indianapolis 33-0 in bench points.
• Indiana outscored Indianapolis 46-18 in points in the paint, 16-2 in fast break points, 30-8 in points off turnovers and 14-5 on second chance points.
• Indiana committed just eight turnovers while forcing Indianapolis into 20 turnovers.
• Freshman Tyra Buss led the Hoosiers with 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting and tallied five of Indiana's 13 steals in the game.
• Freshman Amanda Cahill posted a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds with three assists and two steals while shooting 6-of-8 from the field.
HOW TO WATCH THE HOOSIERS
The Hoosiers will play on national television a guaranteed three times during the regular season and up to five times total. IU's three guaranteed televised contests will be at Minnesota on Jan. 18 at 3 p.m. ET, vs. Maryland at 3 p.m. on Jan. 25 and vs. Purdue on Feb. 2 at 8:30 p.m. Indiana's matchups against Nebraska (Feb. 21) and at Rutgers (March 1) are considered wildcard TV games and will be given television designation in February. All of IU's remaining games except four (Nov. 21, Dec. 3, Dec. 14, Dec. 20) will be available for viewing online through BTN Plus.
ATTENDANCE RECORD SET IN 2013-14
Since 2012, attendance in Assembly Hall for Indiana women's basketball has risen by over 50 percent. Last season, IU fans set a school record for attendance for women's basketball as the Hoosiers averaged 2,708 fans per game. That total ranked 35th nationally.
HOME SWEET HOME
Indiana had a 14-4 record last year in games played in Assembly Hall, marking the program's most home wins in a single year since 1997-98. In IU's 18 home games last year, the Hoosiers outscored their opponents by 154 total points for a +8.6 scoring margin while averaging 72.9 points per game inside of Assembly Hall.
HIT THE GASSION PEDAL
Sophomore guard Alexis Gassion played in all 34 games last year, starting 32, and finished her freshman campaign averaging 8.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. But the Fairborn, Ohio, native really turned it on in the final 13 games of the season. During that 13-game stretch, Gassion averaged 12.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 37.9 percent from 3-point range, connecting on three or more field goals from beyond arc seven times during that span. She twice scored 22 points to set a career high last season and accomplished her first career double-double at Minnesota on Feb. 27.
TAYLOR MADE HOOSIER
Sophomore guard Taylor Agler started all 34 games in 2013-14 as a freshman. She ended the year averaging 7.8 points per game and tied for the team lead in steals (1.1 spg). She shot 36.6 percent from 3-point range, connecting on 49 3-point field goals which is the third-most 3-pointer made by a freshman in school history. She scored in double figures six times, including a career-high 21 points at Iowa on Jan 25. Against the Hawkeyes, Agler connected on 6-of-8 3-point field goals, adding three assists and a steal.
STRATMAN JOINS HOOSIERS
During the offseason, Indiana added transfer Liz Stratman to the roster. Stratman transferred to Indiana from Butler, where she was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year for the 2013-14 season. The 6-2 Stratman was a force for Butler in 2013-14 as she swatted a BIG EAST-leading 79 blocks to average 2.7 blocks per game en route to earning the top conference defensive honor. She also averaged 13.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while shooting 52.0 percent from the field, the third highest shooting percentage in the BIG EAST. Stratman played in 29 games, making 28 starts.
The New Palestine, Ind., native scored in double figures 19 times and had five games of 20 or more points last season for the Bulldogs. She led the team with eight games of 10 or more rebounds and rejected two or more shots in 19 contests. Stratman finished the year with six double-doubles.
Stratman played high school basketball at Heritage Christian in Indianapolis, Ind. She helped lead HC to two 2A state championships in 2008 and 2009. Stratman was named 2011 Female Athlete of the Year and City Player of the Year by the Indianapolis Star as she averaged 16.8 points and 9.7 rebounds per game as a senior.
WHAT WAS LOST
Indiana graduated five seniors in 2014, including a pair of starters and four key post players for the Hoosiers. Tabitha Gerardot scored 8.7 points per game for IU last year and was second on the team in rebounding (5.5 rpg). Simone Deloach shot 48.9 percent from the field and grabbed 6.1 rebounds per game to lead Indiana in both of those categories. Including those two along with post players Sasha Chaplin and Milika Taufa and guard Andrea Newbauer, the Hoosier lost nearly 43 percent of their rebounding total from a year ago.
MOREN BRINGS LOYD, STARKEY AND WIERZBA TO BLOOMINGTON
After taking the head coaching job in August, Teri Moren set out to bring in a staff to keep Indiana's momentum going. She added assistants Curtis Loyd, Todd Starkey and Rhet Wierzba to the Hoosier coaching staff.
Curtis Loyd
Loyd brings 18 years of collegiate coaching experience and he knows the Big Ten well as he spent the last four years on staff at Minnesota. Loyd oversaw the Gopher defense during his tenure and in 2013-14 Minnesota led the Big Ten, ranked 32nd nationally and set a school record for field goal defense (.369). The Gophers ranked second in the conference in scoring defense (63.5 ppg). Loyd also has coached at Akron, Virginia, Arizona and Colorado State. He helped Virginia to three NCAA Appearances and CSU to two, including a Sweet Sixteen run with the Rams in 1999 as the team finished with a 33-3 record.
Todd Starkey
Starkey, a former NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year and four-time Southern Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year, brings 10 years of head coaching experience to Bloomington. Starkey spent the last 10 years at the helm of the Lenior-Rhyne University women's basketball program where he is the winningest coach in program history. He led L-R to three conference titles during his tenure, including one last year. Starkey's Bears went 24-7 last season as the program made its fourth NCAA appearance in six years. In 2008-09, Starkey led Lenior-Rhyne to one of the greatest seasons in school history, finishing the year at 27-5 with SAC regular season and tournament titles. He was named the 2009 WBCA Division II Coach of the Year that season.
Rhet Wierzba
Wierzba joins the IU staff after having spent the 2013-14 season on Moren's Indiana State coaching staff in Terre Haute. He helped lead the Sycamores to a Missouri Valley Conference Championship last year and a WNIT appearance. Prior to that he spent three seasons at Mercer as an assistant, leading the program to a 20-12 record in 2012-13 with a postseason berth after a combined eight wins total the two years prior. Wierzba spent three years as director of operations at Maryland (2007-10) and during his tenure there, the Terrapins made two Elite Eight Appearances and won an ACC title. Wierzba spent one year at Evansville as Director of Operations on the men's side and was a graduate assistant one year at Austin Peay, his alma mater.
Media Contact: Ryan Sheets, rmsheets@indiana.edu
