Indiana University Athletics
#IUWBB Game 26 Preview: at Michigan
2/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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GAME 26
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THE OPENING TIP
The Hoosiers will head to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan on Wednesday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. ET inside the Crisler Center. The game can be heard on the state-wide IU Radio Network with Greg Murray on the call. The contest is also available as a live web broadcast on BTN Plus.
DID YOU KNOW?
• So far in 2014-15, all but five points of IU’s point production have come from either freshmen or sophomores to account for 99.7 percent of Indiana’s total points this season.
• Indiana has connected on 191 3-point field goals so far this season. That total ranks third for most 3-point field goals made in a single year in school history.
• In the last three games, IU has shot 47.1 percent from 3-point range in those contests, connecting on 33-of-70 3-point field goals to average 11 makes per game from long distance.
• As a team, the Hoosiers are shooting 73.8 percent from the free throw line this season, an improvement of 7.2 percent (66.6 percent) from a year ago. If the season ended today, that total would rank as the fourth-best team free throw percentage in school history for a single year.
• Indiana dished for 23 assists on its 32 field goals made vs. Illinois on Feb. 11, marking the eighth time this year IU has had 20 or more assist in a game. That’s the most games with 20+ assists since 2000-01.
• Sophomore Larryn Brooks has scored 848 points so far in her young career. She is just one of five players in the history of the program to tally 848 or more points in first two seasons played at IU and the seventh to eclipse 800 in that time frame.
• Sophomore Alexis Gassion had her second double-double of the season last time out at Iowa with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Since being inserted into the starting lineup (10 games), Gassion has averaged 11.9 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game during that span.
• Freshman Amanda Cahill has recorded six double-doubles this year, the most by an IU player in a single season since 2008-09. She is averaging 10.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per game this season while shooting 51.0 percent from the field.
• In the last six games, sophomore Karlee McBride has averaged 12.5 points and 1.3 steals per game while scoring 13 or more points in four of those contests.
THE COACHES
Indiana
Teri Moren
Career Record: 213-141 (12th year)
Indiana record: 14-11 (1st year)
Michigan
Kim Barnes Arico
Career Record: 326-241 (19th year)
Michigan Record: 56-36 (3rd year)
MICHIGAN AT A GLANCE
Michigan fell in dramatic fashion in its last game on Saturday vs. Northwestern as U-M led the entire game until an NU field goal in the final minute. Cyesha Goree averages a double-double for the Wolverines with 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds per game while shooting 55.1 percent from the field. Shannon Smith facilitates the offense, leading the team in assists with 4.7 per game to go along with 14.3 points per contest. Katelyn Flaherty and Siera Thompson will look to light it up from long distance as each of them shoot around 39 percent from beyond the arc. As a team, the Wolverines are second in the conference in 3-point percentage at 37.2 percent.
HIT THE GASSION PEDAL
Sophomore Alexis Gassion has started in each of the last 10 games and has averaged 11.9 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game during that span. She achieved her second double-double of the year last time out at Iowa with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Gassion also added a season-high five assists with a steal against the Hawkeyes, shooting 4-of-8 from the floor and 6-of-7 from the free throw line. She has scored in double figures in four of the last five games, four times has had 10 of more rebounds during the last 10 games and has skied for six or more boards in each of her starts.
For the year, Gassion is averaging 8.6 points and 6.6 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).
IT’S BEEN RAINING THREES
Over the last three games, Indiana has combined to shoot 47.1 percent from 3-point range in those contests, connecting on 33-of-70 3-point field goals to average 11 makes per game from long distance. At OSU on Feb. 8, the Hoosiers shot 11-of-23 (47.8 percent) from long distance. Against the Illini on Feb. 11, IU went 13-of-23 (55.2 percent), tying for the second most 3-pointers made in a single game in program history, before nailing nine treys at Iowa last time out.
Only three times in program history has an IU team hit 13 or more 3-point field goals in a game and it has happened twice this season. Indiana hit a program-record 16 3-pointers in the season opener vs. Gardner-Webb on Nov. 15.
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 191 3-point field goals this year, which ranks third for most 3-pointers made by an IU team in a single year in program history. The Hoosiers are connecting on 7.6 3-point field goals per game (2nd in B1G). In six games this year, IU has connected on 10 or more 3-pointers, including 13 vs. Illinois on Feb. 11.
The Hoosiers are tied with last year’s record setting pace when IU nailed 259 3-point field goals (2nd highest in B1G history) for the season.
HITTING THE FREE ONES
So far this season, Indiana is shooting 73.8 percent from the free throw line as a team. If the season ended today, that total would rank fourth for best free throw percentage in a single year in program history. Over the last four games, IU has shot 85.7 percent (48-of-56) as a team and in three of those games shot 87.5 percent or better. This year’s percentage is an improvement of 7.2 percent from a year ago when IU shot 66.6 percent.
BROOKS IN ELITE HOOSIER COMPANY
Indiana sophomore Larryn Brooks has scored 848 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 848 or more in that career span.
For the year, Brooks has scored in double figures in 17 contests and leads the team with 11.8 points per game to go along with a team-best 4.1 assists per game 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 13 or more points in three of the last four games. Over the last six games, she has averaged 12.5 points and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from 3-point range. In the win over Illinois on Feb. 11, McBride tallied 13 points with three assists and a steal and nailed three 3-pointers in that game.
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 11 times this year and has hit multiple 3-point field goals in 10 contests.
YOUNG GUNS GETTING IT DONE
So far in 2014-15, all but five points of Indiana’s point production have come from either freshmen or sophomores. The first and second-year players have accounted for 99.7 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 23 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.
CLIMBING TO THE CA-HILL TOP
Freshman Amanda Cahill has recorded six 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 10.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per game while shooting 51.0 percent from the field. Cahill stuffed the stat sheet with a double-double performance in IU’s win over Illinois on Feb. 11 as she finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds, a career-high five blocks, a career-high tying three steals and three assists while shooting 6-of-8 from the field and 2-of-2 from long distance. She has scored in double figures in 15 games this year and has collected 10 rebounds or more in 10 contests to become the first player with 10 games of 10+ rebounds in the same season since Thomas in 2008-09.
PASSING THE PUMPKIN
In the win over Illinois on Feb. 11, Indiana dished for 23 assists in the game. IU has passed for 20 or more assists in eight games this year, including a pair of games with a season-high 25 assists. The last time an IU team had 20 or more assists that many times in a season was in 2000-01.
THE BUSS IS ROLLING
Freshman Tyra Buss has scored in double-figures in 18 games this season, including in four of the last five contests. She currently leads the team in steals (2.3 spg) and is second in scoring (11.7 ppg) while adding 3.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.
Buss is third among freshmen nationally in steals. The Mt. Carmel, Ill., native has had three or more steals in 10 games and has totaled 57 steals so far this year, which is the third most ever by an IU freshman. She is the first IU player with at least 57 steals in a season since 2010-11.
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 battled Iowa (Feb. 15) on the road and now heads to Michigan (Feb. 18) 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.
Media Contact: Ryan Sheets, rmsheets@indiana.edu
