#IUWBB Game 4 Preview: at IPFW

Tuesday, November 24

Fort Wayne, Ind.

7 PM

Indiana University

at IPFW

11/23/2015 11:08:00 AM | Women's Basketball

THE OPENING TIP
Indiana heads north on Tuesday, Nov. 24 to take on an in-state opponent in IPFW at the Gates Sports Center in Fort Wayne at 7 p.m. ET. The game can be heard online at WHCC105.com with Greg Murray on the call. The contest will also be available on a live stream provided by GoMastodons.com.

Indiana (2-1) at IPFW (3-1)
Tuesday, Nov. 24 • 7 p.m. ET
Gates Sports Center • Fort Wayne, Ind.
Live Web Broadcast: GoMastodons.com
Radio: WHCC 105.1 FM (Greg Murray)
Live Stats: GoMastodons.com

DID YOU KNOW?
• Indiana is in the midst of playing a consecutive four-game stretch away from Bloomington, marking the first time a Hoosier team has played four or more consecutive games away from Assembly Hall since 2008.
• IU will meet IPFW for a fourth-straight season and for the fifth time overall.
• The Hoosiers lead the all-time series against the Mastodons 4-0, including a pair of wins in Fort Wayne.
• Indiana shot 54.9 percent from the field as a team at No. 19 DePaul last time out, the program's best shooting percentage against a nationally-ranked opponent since Jan. 10, 1997 when IU shot 62.7 percent vs. Penn State.
• Sophomore Amanda Cahill was one of six players to be named to the Preseason WNIT All-Tournament Team as she averaged 15.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game in IU's three contests to go along with shooting 60.7 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from 3-point range.
• Indiana played into the semifinals of the Preseason WNIT for the second time in school history as prior to this year, the Hoosiers reached the semifinal round of the tournament in 1998.
• Indiana's win over No. 24 Chattanooga on Nov. 17 gave IU its first victory over a ranked non-conference opponent since the Hoosiers downed No. 24/19 Nebraska (prior to joining Big Ten) on Dec. 5, 2010.
• The victory over UTC gave Teri Moren her second win over a ranked foe as head coach at Indiana as the Hoosiers defeated No. 24 Michigan State, 70-51, on Dec. 31, 2014 in Assembly Hall.
• With Thursday's matchup against No. 19 DePaul, it marked the first time since 2009 that the Hoosiers will have faced ranked opponents in non-Big Ten play in consecutive games.
• Sophomore Tyra Buss currently leads Indiana in scoring, assists and steals averaging 15.7 points, 6.0 assists and 2.3 steals per game as she has scored in double figures and has dished for five or more assists in each contest.
• Junior Alexis Gassion is averaging 10.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game through IU's three contests this year and is tied for the team lead in blocks (1.3 bpg).

THE COACHES
Indiana
Teri Moren
Career Record: 216-147 (13th year)
Indiana Record: 17-17 (2nd year)

IPFW
Chris Paul
Career Record: 121-173 (11th year)
IPFW Record: 121-173 (11th year)

IPFW AT A GLANCE
The IPFW Mastodons will play its fifth-straight home game to begin the 2015-16 season on Tuesday when they host Indiana. IPFW has scored at a high clip through four games this year, averaging 85.0 points per contest as a team while shooting 50.2 percent from the field and 45.3 percent from beyond the arc. Kamilah Carter is averaging 19.0 points per game to lead the Mastodons while shooting 51.8 percent overall and 41.7 percent (10-of-24) from long distance. Josie Fisher adds 16.3 points per contest, hitting on 63.2 percent of her field goal attempts. KeShyra McCarver also has a hot hand, hitting 56.3 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from 3-point range while scoring 12.3 points per game.

IU ONLY B1G SCHOOL TO OPEN AGAINST THREE NCAA TOURNAMENT TEAMS FROM LAST YEAR
Indiana opened the 2015-16 season against three NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago in Tennessee State, Chattanooga and DePaul as part of the Preseason WNIT. IU is the only program in Big Ten this year to begin the season with three-consecutive contests against NCAA Tournament programs from last season.

The Hoosiers played their way into the semifinals of the Preseason WNIT for the second time in program history (1998) and was participating in the program's third Preseason WNIT (1998, 2008, 2015).

ROAD WARRIORS
For the first time since 2008, the Indiana women's basketball team will play four-consecutive games away from Bloomington. The Hoosiers were sent to DePaul in Chicago for the semifinals of the Preseason WNIT on Nov. 19 and this week will play at IPFW on Tuesday, followed by a pair of games in the Vanderbilt Thanksgiving Tournament in Nashville, Tenn. opening up against Ohio on Friday at 3:30 p.m. ET.

The Hoosiers are in the middle of a stretch where they will play seven out of nine games away from Assembly Hall and looking farther ahead, 10 out of 14 away from Bloomington.

SHOTS FELL AT NO. 19 DEPAUL
Indiana shot a season-high 54.9 percent at No. 19 DePaul on Nov. 19, marking the program's best shooting percentage against a ranked opponent in over 18 years as IU shot 62.7 percent against Penn State on Jan. 10, 1997.

CAHILL NAMED TO ALL-PRESEASON WNIT TEAM
Sophomore Amanda Cahill was one of six players named to the All-Preseason WNIT Team at the conclusion of the tournament on Nov. 22. Cahill scored in double figures in all three games for the Hoosiers and led IU in rebounding in every contest. She averaged 15.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game during the tournament while shooting 60.7 percent (17-of-28) from the field overall and 66.7 percent (6-of-9) from 3-point range.

In the season opening win over Tennessee State on Nov. 13, Cahill tallied 17 points with eight rebounds, a career-high tying four assists and two steals while shooting 7-of-9 from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. She followed that performance with 13 points and seven boards in Indiana's defeat of No. 24 Chattanooga on Nov. 17. In the semifinals at No. 19 DePaul on Nov. 19, the Clyde, Ohio, native led IU with 15 points, eight rebounds and two blocks to go along with a pair of steals. She went 6-of-9 from the field against the Blue Demons and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.

Other players joining Cahill on the Preseason WNIT All-Tournament Team include Nina Davis (MVP) and Niya Johnson of Baylor, Chanise Jenkins and Megan Podkawa of DePaul and Courtney Williams of South Florida.

DEFEATING THE RANKED ONES
With the 54-43 win over No. 24 Chattanooga on Nov. 17, it marked Indiana's first win over a ranked non-conference opponent since downing No. 24/19 Nebraska (prior to joining Big Ten) on Dec. 5, 2010. The victory over UTC also gave Teri Moren her second win over a ranked foe as head coach at Indiana as the Hoosiers defeated No. 24 Michigan State, 70-51, on Dec. 31, 2014 in Assembly Hall.

After the win over Chattanooga, IU took on No. 19 DePaul in Chicago, marking the first time since 2009 that the Hoosiers faced ranked opponents in non-Big Ten play in consecutive games.

GET ON THE BUSS
Indiana's returning leader in scoring, steals and assists has started where she left off last year. Through three games, sophomore Tyra Buss leads IU with 15.7 points, 6.0 assists and 3.3 steals per game. She has scored in double figures and has had five or more assists in each contest.

At No. 19 DePaul, Buss scored 10 points with six rebounds and five assists. She tallied 16 points in the win over No. 24 Chattanooga on Nov. 17 with six rebounds, five assists and a steal. In the season opener vs. Tennessee State, Buss led Indiana in scoring with 21 points, in assists with a career-high tying eight and in steals with six. It marked the third time in her career that she had six or more steals in game. She has scored in double figures in 25 career games.

Last year, Buss averaged 11.7 points, 2.1 steals and 3.2 assists per game to go along with 3.6 rebounds per contest in 2014-15. Her 65 steals last year were the most by an IU player since 2010-11, tied for the ninth most in a single season in program history and was the second most by a freshman ever at IU. Her steals total led all Big Ten freshmen and ranked sixth nationally among freshmen.

HIT THE GASSION PEDAL
Junior Alexis Gassion is averaging 10.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game so far on the young season. In IU's win over Chattanooga on Nov. 17, Gassion scored in double figures for the 25th time in her career as she had 10 points with six rebounds, two assists and a steal. In the season opener vs. TSU, she tallied 12 points to go along with eight boards, a career-high tying four blocks and four assists.

Last season, Gassion played in all 31 games, starting in the final 16. She averaged 8.0 points per game and was second on the team with 6.1 rebounds per contest. Gassion tallied 10 or more points 10 times and double-digit rebounds four times with a pair of double-doubles. The Fairborn, Ohio, native shot 44.9 percent from the field, 77.0 percent from the free throw line and 34.8 percent from 3-point range.

THIS IS HER TOWN-ER
In her first year at Indiana, Tyshee Towner has started all three games, is shooting 53.3 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from beyond the arc while averaging 7.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game from the guard position. She came to play in her Hoosier debut on Nov. 13 vs. Tennessee State as the junior tallied 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting with six rebounds, two steals and two assists. She also nailed both of her 3-point field goal attempts as she started in her first game in an IU uniform.

LEIKEM TO GRADUATE IN 2016
Lyndsay Leikem got her final season in Bloomington started in style as she just missed a double-double with nine points and eight rebounds against Tennessee State on Nov. 13 to go along with a career-high three steals. The senior shot 4-of-7 from the field and added a pair of assists.

Leikem is entering her third year with Indiana women's basketball, but will graduate from IU in May 2016 with degrees in criminal justice and psychology. She plans to move to the Washington, D.C. area after graduating to pursue a career with the FBI.

Leikem appeared in 29 contests in 2014-15 as a sophomore. She connected on 83.3 percent of her free throw attempts and averaged 2.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. As a freshman, Leikem averaged 4.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per game while shooting 44.0 percent from the field and 91.7 percent from the free throw line.

TERI MOREN BEGINS SECOND SEASON AT INDIANA
Indiana head coach Teri Moren begins her second year at the helm of the Hoosier program after completing her first full offseason in Bloomington prior to the 2015-16 season. Moren, a native of nearby Seymour, Ind., enters her 13th year as a head coach at the collegiate level including stops at Indiana State and the University of Indianapolis. Moren's complete bio can be found later in this notes packet.

HOOSIERS BOLSTER SCHEDULE FOR 2015-16
Head coach Teri Moren made it a priority to bolster the 2015-16 non-conference schedule, and Indiana did just that. IU will participate in three non-league tournaments, including the Preseason WNIT, and host a Big Ten/ACC Challenge matchup in Assembly Hall. The non-Big Ten slate features seven opponents who played in the postseason a year ago (Tennessee State, Chattanooga, DePaul Ohio, Georgia Tech, Miami, West Virginia). IU will also participate in the Vanderbilt Thanksgiving Tournament on Nov. 27-28 in Nashville, Tenn. and the Florida Sunshine Classic near Orlando, Fla. on Dec. 20-21.

Indiana's 18-game Big Ten schedule will get started at Wisconsin Dec. 31. IU will host nine conference foes in Assembly Hall beginning with Michigan on Jan. 3. The Big Ten saw eight teams earn postseason berths last season, including seven into the NCAA Tournament.