Indiana Picks Up Road Win at IPFW, 79-72

Tuesday, November 24

Fort Wayne, Ind.

7 PM

Indiana University

3-1

at IPFW

3-2

Indiana

IPFW

11/24/2015 10:26:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Backed by a career-high 29 points from sophomore Tyra Buss, Indiana outlasted IPFW at the Gates Sports Center on Tuesday night, 79-72. The Hoosiers shot 56.8 percent from the field, marking the third time in four games that IU has shot 50 percent or better.

Indiana's overall shooting with the addition of hitting 27-of-38 from the free throw line helped the Hoosiers overcome 21 turnovers and 17 offensive boards from IPFW (3-2).

Alexis Gassion added a season-high 20 points for IU with eight rebounds. Amanda Cahill finished the game with nine points, nine boards, five assists, three steals and a block.

Indiana started the game with the hot hand, shooting 73.3 percent in the first quarter to build a 25-17 advantage the close the period. Gassion scored eight of her points in the opening quarter.

IU (3-1) scored 10-straight points to build a 30-17 advantage with 8:21 remaining in the second quarter. The Hoosiers then stretched that advantage 37-22 later before a barrage of IU turnovers allowed IPFW to cut into the lead to trail by seven, 39-32, just before the half.

Indiana closed the final 1:47 of the first half with a 6-0 spurt with layups from Jess Walter and Cahill to go along with a pair of free throws from Buss to take a 45-32 advantage into the locker room.

To start the second half, the Hoosiers would build its biggest lead of the game at 17 points as IPFW went 7:01 without a field goal. Indiana then went cold, going without a field goal for over seven minutes to allow the Mastodons with seven, 60-53, going into the fourth quarter.

IPFW scored the first bucket of the fourth to make it a two-possession game before IU tallied five straight to push the lead back to 10 with 6:44 to go.

That Hoosier lead would go to 74-61 after a Buss free throw with 1:40 to play. The Mastodons kept coming scoring the six in a row to get with seven with 1:17 remaining.

IPFW then whittled the lead down to 76-72 with under 50 seconds to play. Karlee McBride hit a pair of clutch free throws with 43 seconds to go. On the next Mastodon possession, Buss took a charge on the defensive end to give the ball back to Indiana and seal the win.

Buss shot 7-of-14 from the field and was 14-of-18 from the free throw line. Her 14 makes from the free throw line tie for sixth for the most made in a single game in program history. She also added three assists.

Gassion shot 7-of-11 overall and was 6-of-8 from the charity stripe. McBride scored eight points on the night.

Indiana will next head to Nashville, Tenn. to play in the Vanderbilt Thanksgiving Tournament on Nov. 27-28. The Hoosiers will open up play against Ohio on Friday at 3:30 p.m. ET.