Indiana University Athletics
#IUWBB Game 13 Preview: No. 24 Michigan State
12/30/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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GAME 13
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THE OPENING TIP
Indiana welcomes No. 24 Michigan State to Assembly Hall on Wednesday, Dec. 31 for a New Year’s Eve bout at 7 p.m. ET. The game can be heard on IUHoosiers.com with Greg Murray on the call. The contest is also available as a live web broadcast on BTN Plus.
DID YOU KNOW?
• Indiana holds a 6-1 all-time record in games played on New Year’s Eve.
• The Hoosiers ended non-conference play with a 10-1 record, marking the fifth time in program history that IU has won 10 or more non-Big Ten regular season games in a single year.
• With those 10 non-conference victories, it marked the first time in program history that Indiana has won 10 or more non-Big Ten regular season games in back-to-back years.
• In three of the last four games, Indiana’s bench has scored 32 points or more, including a season-high 48 points at Oakland on Dec. 20. In eight games this year, IU’s reserves have outscored the opponent’s.
• The Hoosiers have dished for 20 or more assists in six games this year, marking the most games of 20 assists or more in a single season since 2005-06.
• Indiana forced Rutgers into 18 turnovers last time out, marking the 10th time this year that IU has forced 17 or more miscues from opponents.
• Indiana has scored 80 or more points in eight out of 12 games this season and is averaging 81.8 points per game, ranking 12th nationally.
• Sophomore Larryn Brooks continues her stellar play as she tallied 13 points against Rutgers last time out for her sixth-straight double-digit scoring performance. For the year, Brooks is averaging 13.5 points, 4.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
• Freshman Amanda Cahill is averaging a near double-double with her 11.7 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. She has four double-doubles on the year, including one game where she grabbed 18 rebounds.
• Tyra Buss leads Indiana in scoring (13.8 ppg) and steals (3.3 spg). Buss has 40 steals on the year, that is the most steals by an IU player since 2010-11 (Jori Davis, 52).
• Buss ranks first among freshmen nationally in steals per game and 11th overall in the country.
• In her last three games, Jess Walter averaged 11.0 points per game while shooting 57.1 percent overall and 54.5 percent (6-of-11) from 3-point range and scored 10 or more points in two of those contests.
THE COACHES
Indiana
Teri Moren
Career Record: 209-132 (12th year)
Indiana record: 10-2 (1st year)
Michigan State
Suzy Merchant
Career Record: 372-196 (20th year)
Michigan State Record: 171-76 (8th year)
MICHIGAN STATE AT A GLANCE
Michigan State arrives in Bloomington after falling short in a tight contest at home against Northwestern, 61-57, in its last game to open Big Ten play. The Spartans get after the boards as they lead the conference in rebounding (46.7 rpg) and rebounding margin (+11.8). MSU has a couple of great scorers in sophomores Areial Powers and Tori Jankoska. Powers can do it all as she averages a double-double with 18.6 ppg and 12.1 rpg and she also paces the team in assists (3.9 apg), steals (2.1 spg) and blocks (1.3 bpg). Jankoska adds 18.3 ppg and 3.7 apg while leading the team in 3-point shooting. Becca Mills also scores in double figures with 11.2 ppg and adds 7.4 rpg while shooting 51.8 percent from the field.
OPENING WEEK FOR BIG TEN PLAY
This season marks the 33rd year of Big Ten play for Indiana women’s basketball. Last season, the Hoosiers won their most Big Ten Conference games since 2009-10. This year, the league moves to an 18-game schedule for the first time since 2009-10. The Hoosiers will play Rutgers, Michigan State, Purdue, Ohio State and Maryland two times each home and away. The Hoosiers will host Wisconsin, Northwestern, Illinois and Nebraska at home and will play Minnesota, Penn State, Iowa and Michigan on the road in conference play.
STRONG NON-CONFERENCE SLATE
Indiana finished its non-conference schedule with a 10-1 record, marking the second straight year that the Hoosiers won at least 10 non-Big Ten regular season contests. The last two years are the first time in program history that IU has won 10 or more non-conference regular season games in back-to-back seasons as the Hoosiers won a school-record 13 non-league games a year ago.
GETTING OFFENSIVE
• Indiana has scored 80 or more points in eight games this year and is averaging 81.8 points per game to rank 12th nationally and second in the Big Ten.
• Indiana shot 54.5 percent in the win at Oakland on Dec. 20. Four times this year the Hoosiers have shot over 50 percent from the field. For the season, the Hoosiers are shooting 47.3 percent as a team to rank 12th nationally.
• Three times this year IU has scored 97 or more points, marking the first time in program history an Indiana team has tallied 97 or more points three times in the same season. Only five times prior to this year has a Hoosier team scored 90 or more on three occasions in the same year.
• In five games this year, IU has had five or more players score in double figures, including two contests where six players tallied double digits. The last time Indiana had five games of five or more double-figure scorers came during the 2006-07 season. Prior to this season, the last time Indiana had six players score in double-figures in the same game was Nov. 14, 2008 vs. Ball State.
PASSING THE PUMPKIN
Last week at Oakland, the Hoosiers tied their season high of 25 assists in the game and it marked the sixth time in 2014-15 that IU has dished for 20 or more assists. The last time an IU team had 20 or more assists that many times in a season was in 2005-06 when Indiana dished for 20+ dimes seven times that year.
The Hoosiers are tied for second in the Big Ten and is 18th nationally with 17.7 assists per game.
NATIONAL STATISTICS RANKINGS
As a team, Indiana ranked in the top 25 nationally in eight statistic categories in games played through Dec. 29.
Category NCAA Rank Total
3FG Defense 9 .234
Scoring Margin 11 +24.8
Scoring Offense 12 81.8
FG Percentage 12 .473
Assists Per Game 18 17.7
3FG Made Per Game 19 8.0
Assist-Turnover Ratio 20 1.24
Defensive Rebounds Per Game 24 30.0
THE BENCH PRESS
In three of the last four games, Indiana’s bench has scored 32 points or more, including a season-high 48 points at Oakland on Dec. 20. In that game, Jess Walter (16 points) and Karlee McBride (14 points) each tallied double-figure points in a reserve role. For the season, Indiana’s bench is averaging 27.2 points per game and IU’s reserves have outscored its opponent’s in eight times.
DIALING LONG DISTANCE
Land phone lines are thing of the past, but the Hoosiers are still dialing long distance in 2014-15. IU has hit 96 3-point field goals through 12 games this year, ahead of last year’s record-setting pace when Indiana hit a program record 259 3-point field goals (2nd highest total in Big Ten history). Last year through 12 games, IU hit 88 3-pointers. The Hoosiers are shooting 35.7 percent from long distance as a team and are connecting on 8.0 3-point field goals per game (2nd in B1G). In three games this year, IU has connected on 10 or more 3-pointers.
PROTECTING THE PUMPKIN
The Hoosiers are also taking care of the basketball so far this season as IU leads the Big Ten and is 20th nationally in assist-turnover ratio (1.2) and own a turnover margin of +5.0.
LIMITING FOES
As a team, IU is limiting opponents to shoot just 35.9 percent from the field. Six times this year, the Indiana defense has held opponents to less than 35 percent from the field. By comparison, IU held seven opponents under 35 percent shooting last year, and this year IU has accomplished that feat six times.
Indiana’s defense has held opponents to shoot 25 percent or less from 3-point range in all but four games this year, including three contests of 12 percent or lower. For the year, IU opponents are shooting only 23.4 percent from 3-point range, that total leads the Big Ten and ranks in the top 10 nationally in that category.
BEWARE OF STEALERS
IU has had 10 or more steals in seven games this season, including 18 steals in each of the first two games of the year, marking the first time in program history an IU team had 18 or more steals in back-to-back games. The 18 steals tied for the fourth-most steals in a single game in program history. Prior to this season, the last time an Indiana team had 18 steals in a game was Dec. 5, 2007 vs. Dayton (18).
Indiana is averaging 10.1 steals per game. The last time an IU team had seven games of 10 or more steals in the same year came during the 2011-12 season.
LARRYN LIGHTING IT UP
Indiana sophomore Larryn Brooks continues to improve her game. For the year, Brooks has scored in double figures in all but two games this year and is averaging 13.5 points, 4.4 assists (leads team), 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 50.4 percent from the field and 41.9 percent from 3-point range. Brooks has hit three or more 3-point field goals in five games this year. In the Big Ten opener vs. Rutgers, Brooks scored 13 points to lead the Hoosiers.
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).
THE BUSS IS ROLLING
Freshman Tyra Buss has scored in double-figures in every game but three this season and currently leads the team in scoring (13.8 ppg) and steals (3.3 spg), while adding 3.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. Buss ranks 11th nationally in steals. Buss has had three or more steals in seven games and has totaled 39 steals so far this year. Her 40 thefts are the most by an Indiana player since 2010-11 (Jori Davis, 52).
Twice this year, Buss has earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors (Nov. 17, Nov. 24). She became the first IU player to ever receive Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors on consecutive occasions and the second Hoosier to earn the award twice in the same season (Larryn Brooks, 2013-14). Buss became the first Indiana player to earn conference weekly laurels in back-to-back weeks since Cyndi Valentin was named Big Ten Player of the Week two straight times in 2005-06.
CLIMBING TO THE CA-HILL TOP
Freshman Amanda Cahill has recorded four double-doubles this year and is averaging 11.7 points and 9.1 rebounds per game while shooting 49.1 percent from the field. Cahill has scored in double figures in all but three games this year and has collected 10 rebounds or more in six contests to become the first player with six games of 10+ rebounds in the same season since Sasha Chaplin in 2011-12. At Oakland on Dec. 20, Cahill scored 15 points and grabbed 10 boards for her fourth double-double.
JENN BECOMING A GEM
Sophomore Jenn Anderson has started in each game this year and has made her presence known so far in 2014-15. Anderson is second in the Big Ten in field goal percentage as she is shooting 60.5 percent from the field while averaging 10.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game She has scored in double-figures in six games this year.
WALTER IS GOING ON?
Freshman Jess Walter continues to improve as her rookie year progresses. Walter is shooting 39.3 percent from 3-point range this season and 45.9 percent overall while averaging 6.8 points per game off the bench for the Hoosiers. In her last three games, Walter averaged 11.0 points per game while shooting 57.1 percent overall and 54.5 percent (6-of-11) from 3-point range and scored 10 or more points in two of those contests.
PRESS THE GASSION PEDAL
Sophomore Alexis Gassion has been a major contributor as a reserve for Indiana this season averaging 7.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Gassion has scored in double figures three times this season and has skied for five or more boards in nine contests.
MICROWAVE MCBRIDE
Sophomore Karlee McBride has stepped up her game in 2014-15 as she leads Indiana’s bench in scoring with 7.9 points per game. McBride is shooting 50 percent from the floor this year and 35.5 percent from long distance and five times has scored in double figures, including two games of a career-high 15 points. Four times this season, she has hit multiple 3-point field goals in a game and against IPFW on Dec. 10 set new career highs in rebounds (7) and assists (4).
Media Contact: Ryan Sheets, rmsheets@indiana.edu
