Indiana University Athletics
#IUWBB Game 24 Preview: Illinois
2/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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GAME 24
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THE OPENING TIP
Indiana will host its second to last home game on Wednesday, Feb. 11 as the Hoosiers will battle the Illinois Fighting Illini at 7 p.m. ET inside Assembly Hall. 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 leads the all-time series over Illinois 35-30 and last year the Hoosiers won in both meetings between the two schools.
• Sophomore Larryn Brooks has scored 828 points so far in her young career. She is just one of five players in the history of the program to tally 828 or more points in first two seasons played at IU and the seventh to eclipse 800 in that time frame. All six of the other IU players who scored 800 points or more in their first two seasons rank in the top seven all-time in career scoring at Indiana.
• Indiana has connected on 169 3-point field goals so far this season. That total is the eighth most 3-point field goals made in a single year in school history.
• At Ohio State last time out, the Hoosiers had five players score in double figures, marking the seventh time this year that IU had five or more players score in double figures.
• In 18 games this year, Indiana’s bench has outscored its opponent’s, including a 15-0 edge against Ohio State last time out.
• Since being inserted into the starting lineup (8 games), Alexis Gassion has averaged 12.1 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game during that span. She has scored in double figures in five of the last six games, has twice had 11 or more rebounds and has skied for six or more boards in each of her starts.
• In her last four games, Karlee McBride has averaged 14.0 points and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 47.8 percent from the field and nearly 37 percent from 3-point range. For the year, McBride leads the Indiana bench in scoring with 8.7 points per game.
• Freshman Tyra Buss scored in double figures and had at least one steal in each of the last three games and has scored in double figures in five of the last six games. She leads the team in scoring (12.1 ppg) and steals (2.3). Her 53 steals this year ties for the third most by a freshman in school history.
THE COACHES
Indiana
Teri Moren
Career Record: 212-140 (12th year)
Indiana record: 13-10 (1st year)
Illinois
Matt Bollant
Career Record: 322-102 (13th year)
Illinois Record: 40-47 (3rd year)
ILLINOIS AT A GLANCE
The Illini arrive in Bloomington having lost eight of their last nine games, including a 64-58 setback at Northwestern on Sunday. Four players score in double figures for Illinois led by Ivory Crawford’s 15.8 points per game. Chatrice White adds 14.5 points per contest with 6.9 boards per game. Kyley Simmons (10.2 ppg) and Jacqui Grant (10.0 ppg) also score in double digits for Illinois. As a team, the Illini get it done defensively holding opponents to shoot just 27.8 percent from long distance while forcing foes into 21.4 turnovers per game, including 10.9 steals per game. Illinois leads the Big Ten in opponent turnovers forced and 3-point field goal defense and is second in steals.
HIT THE GASSION PEDAL
Sophomore Alexis Gassion has started in each of the last eight games and has averaged 12.1 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game during that span. Last time out at Ohio State, Gassion had her first double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds to go along with four assists and two steals. She has scored in double figures in five of the last six games, has twice had 11 of more rebounds during this eight-game stretch and has skied for six or more boards in each of her starts.
For the year, Gassion is averaging 8.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. In 2013-14, Gassion started in 32 contests and was IU’s second leading scorer (8.8 ppg) and rebounder (5.5 rpg).
BROOKS IN ELITE HOOSIER COMPANY
Indiana sophomore Larryn Brooks has scored 828 career points to become just the seventh player in program history to ever eclipse the 800-point mark in first two seasons played at IU and only the fifth to score 828 or more in that career span.
For the year, Brooks has scored in double figures in 16 contests and second on the team with 11.9 points per game to go along with a team-best 4.0 assists per game (9th in B1G) with 1.3 steals per contest.
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).
MICROWAVE MCBRIDE
Sophomore Karlee McBride has stepped up her game in 2014-15. McBride has scored 15 or more points in three of the last four games. During that stretch, she averaged 14.0 points and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 47.8 percent from the field and nearly 37 percent from 3-point range. Last time out at Ohio State, McBride tallied 15 points to lead the team. She achieved a career-high 17 points at Michigan State on Jan. 28. In that game, McBride shot 7-of-12 from the floor with three assists, two steals and a block.
McBride leads the Indiana bench in scoring this season as she is averaging 8.7 points per game. The Erie, Pa., native has scored in double figures 10 times this year and has hit multiple 3-point field goals in nine contests.
YOUNG GUNS GETTING IT DONE
So far in 2014-15, all but two points of Indiana’s point production have come from either freshmen or sophomores. The first and second-year players have accounted for 99.9 percent of IU’s point production this season. The same can be said about nearly every statistical category as Hoosier freshmen and sophomores have accounted for all but 22 total minutes played this season. IU has had four freshmen, six sophomores and one walk-on senior see playing time this year. Due to injuries, no juniors have played yet this season for Indiana.
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 169 3-point field goals this year, which ranks eighth for most 3-pointers made by an IU team in a single year in program history. The Hoosiers are connecting on 7.3 3-point field goals per game (3rd in B1G). In five games this year, IU has connected on 10 or more 3-pointers, including 11 at Ohio State on Feb. 8.
ROAD TRIP HOOSIERS
The Hoosiers end the regular season playing eight of 13 contests away from Assembly Hall. That includes the current stretch in which Indiana plays five of its final seven regular season games on the road, which began at Ohio State on Feb. 8. After hosting Illinois on Feb. 11, the Hoosiers will battle Iowa (Feb. 15) and Michigan (Feb. 18) on the road before playing their home finale vs. Nebraska on Feb. 21. IU will conclude the regular season with games at Maryland on Feb. 26 and then at Rutgers on March 1.
Indiana is one of four Big Ten schools that have a five-game span with four on the road along with Illinois, Iowa and Purdue.
THE BUSS IS ROLLING
Freshman Tyra Buss has scored in double-figures in 17 games this season, including the last three games and in five of her last six contests. She currently leads the team in scoring (12.1 ppg) and steals (2.3 spg) while adding 3.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Last time out at Ohio State, Buss scored 11 points with three assists and two steals and nailed three 3-point field goals. She tallied a game-high 17 points vs. Northwestern on Feb. 5, adding three assists, two rebounds, a block and a steal against the Wildcats.
Buss is third among freshmen nationally in steals. The Mt. Carmel, Ill., native has had three or more steals in nine games and has totaled 53 steals so far this year, which ties for the third most ever by an IU freshman. She is the first IU player with at least 53 steals in a season since 2010-11.
CLIMBING TO THE CA-HILL TOP
Freshman Amanda Cahill has recorded five double-doubles this year, the most by an Indiana player in a single year since 2008-09 (Whitney Thomas, 10). For the year, Cahill is averaging 10.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game while shooting 49.7 percent from the field. She finished with nine points and seven boards last time out at Ohio State and against Northwestern Feb. 5, she grabbed 12 rebounds to lead Indiana and added seven points. Cahill has scored in double figures in 13 games this year and has collected 10 rebounds or more in nine contests to become the first player with nine games of 10+ rebounds in the same season since Thomas in 2008-09.
THE BENCH PRESS
In 18 games this year, the Indiana bench has outscored its opponent’s, including a 15-0 advantage at Ohio State last time out.. Hoosier reserves are averaging 23.0 points per game as Karlee McBride leads IU’s bench scoring with 8.7 points per game.
Media Contact: Ryan Sheets, rmsheets@indiana.edu
