Indiana University Athletics
#IUWBB Game 22 Preview: Northwestern
2/4/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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GAME 22
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THE OPENING TIP
Indiana hosts Northwestern in Assembly Hall on Thursday, Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. ET. The game can be heard on the state-wide IU Radio Network with Greg Murray on the call. The contest will also be available as a live web broadcast through BTN Plus.
DID YOU KNOW?
• With Indiana's 72-55 win over Purdue last time out, it gave IU its first back-to-back Assembly Hall victories over the Boilermakers since doing so consecutive times in Bloomington in March of 1984 and January of 1985.
• IU's 17-point margin of victory over Purdue was the program's largest since March 1984.
• Indiana shot 50 percent from 3-point range and 45.1 percent overall from the field in the win over Purdue. Both are season-best shooting percentages for the Hoosiers.
• Sophomore Larryn Brooks has scored 810 points so far in her young career. She is just the seventh player in program history to eclipse 800 career points in the first two years in an IU uniform. All six of the other IU players who scored 800 points or more in first two seasons rank in the top seven all-time in scoring at Indiana.
• Brooks scored a season-high 22 points in Indiana's win over Purdue on Feb. 2 as she shot 5-of-9 from the field and 9-of-10 from the free throw line with three assists and two steals.
• In 16 games this year, Indiana's bench has outscored its opponent's, including a 14-5 edge against the Boilermakers.
• Since being inserted into the starting lineup over the last six games, Alexis Gassion has averaged 12.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks per game during that span. Against Purdue, Gassion scored in double figures for the third time in four games with 12 points and added seven rebounds.
• Freshman Tyra Buss scored in double figures for the 15th time this year with 11 points vs. Purdue. Buss leads the Hoosiers in steals as she has 50 on the year, the most by an IU player since 2010-11.
• So far in 2014-15, all but two points of IU's point production have come from either freshmen or sophomores, accounting for 99.9 percent of Indiana's total points this year. The same can be said about nearly every other statistical category as Indiana freshmen and sophomores have accounted for all but 22 minutes played this year.
THE COACHES
Indiana
Teri Moren
Career Record: 212-138 (12th year)
Indiana record: 13-8 (1st year)
Northwestern
Joe McKeown
Career Record: 612-281 (29th year)
Northwestern Record: 103-107 (7th year)
NORTHWESTERN AT A GLANCE
Northwestern arrives in Bloomington after a dominating 70-49 win over Minnesota at home on Feb. 1. The Wildcats lead the Big Ten in assists (18.2 apg) and steals (11.1 spg) while ranking second in field goal defense (.369) and third in field goal percentage (.445) and 3-point field goal percentage (.365). Northwestern has six players averaging 9.3 ppg or more. Nia Coffey leads NU with 15.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game as the sophomore has had eight double-doubles on the year. Maggie Lyon scores 14.2 ppg while shooting 44.9 percent from 3-point range. Christen Inman tallies 11.3 ppg while shooting 51.2 percent from the field. Sophomore Ashley Deary ranks in the top 10 nationally in steals (3.3 spg) and leads NU in assists.
BROOKS JOINS ELITE HOOSIER GROUP
Indiana sophomore Larryn Brooks has scored 810 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. Last time out against Purdue, Brooks scored a season-high 22 points, shooting 5-of-9 from the field, 3-of-3 from beyond the arc and 9-of-10 from the free throw line. She also added three assists and two steals against the Boilers.
For the year, Brooks has scored in double figures in 15 contests and leads the team with 12.2 points per game to go along with 4.2 assists (9th in B1G) and 1.3 steals per game.
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).
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.
HIT THE GASSION PEDAL
Sophomore Alexis Gassion has started in each of the last six games and has averaged 12.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks per game during that span. Last time out vs. Purdue, Gassion tallied 12 points with seven rebounds. During that stretch, she had back-to-back 18-point, nine-rebound performances at Penn State and against then-No. 7/6 Maryland. At PSU on Jan. 22, Gassion shot 16-of-18 from the free throw line and tied her season high of three steals. Against the Terrapins on Jan. 25, she shot 8-of-14 from the field with two steals and a season-high three blocks.
For the year, Gassion is averaging 8.0 points and 6.0 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).
NOTING THE PURDUE GAME
• Indiana defeated Purdue, 72-55, on Feb. 2 to mark IU's second-straight win over the Boilermakers in games played in Assembly Hall. It marked the first time the Hoosiers have topped Purdue in back-to-back games inside of Assembly Hall since doing so in consecutive games in Bloomington in March of 1984 and January 1985.
• IU's 17-point margin of victory over the Boilermakers was Indiana's biggest win margin over Purdue since March 2, 1984.
• The win gave Indiana possession of the Barn Burner Trophy, the annual rivalry trophy between the two schools. IU has won the trophy in two of the last three years.
• The Hoosiers opened the game on a 9-0 run and held Purdue scoreless for the first 3:30 of the opening period and then ended the half with a 13-0 run in the final 7:24 to take a 39-17 halftime lead.
• Indiana outscored Purdue 14-5 in bench points.
• Indiana shot 50 percent (7-of-14) from beyond the 3-point arc, while holding Purdue to 11.1 percent (1-of-9) from long distance.
• The Hoosiers shot 45.1 percent from the field, their best shooting percentage in Big Ten play this season. The 50 percent from beyond the arc was also the best in Big Ten play.
THE BUSS IS ROLLING
Freshman Tyra Buss has scored in double-figures in 15 games this season and currently leads the team in steals (2.4 spg) and is second in scoring (11.9 ppg) while adding 3.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. She has scored in double figures in three of the last four games.
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 50 steals so far this year. She is the first IU player with at least 50 steals in a season since 2010-11.
MICROWAVE MCBRIDE
Sophomore Karlee McBride has stepped up her game in 2014-15. Last time out against Purdue, McBride led the IU bench with nine points to go along with three rebounds, two steals and two assists. At Michigan State on Jan. 28, McBride scored a career-high 17 points with three assists, three rebounds, two steals and a block while shooting 7-of-12 from the floor with a pair of 3-point field goals made.
McBride leads the Indiana bench in scoring this season as she is averaging 8.0 points per game. The Erie, Pa., native has scored in double figures eight time this year and has hit multiple 3-point field goals in seven contests.
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 10.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game while shooting 50.3 percent from the field. Cahill has scored in double figures in 13 games this year and has collected 10 rebounds or more in eight contests to become the first player with eight games of 10+ rebounds in the same season since Thomas in 2008-09.
JENN BECOMING A GEM
After averaging just 6.5 minutes per game in 16 appearances a year ago, sophomore Jenn Anderson has started in each game this year and has made her presence known so far in 2014-15. Against then-No. 7/6 Maryland on Jan. 25, Anderson finished with 12 points, four rebounds and a steal.
Anderson is sixth in the Big Ten in field goal percentage as she is shooting 55.6 percent while averaging 9.6 points per game. She has scored in double-figures in 10 games this year.
THE BENCH PRESS
In 16 games this year, the Indiana bench has outscored its opponent's, including a 14-5 advantage vs. Purdue last time out.. Hoosier reserves are averaging 23.4 points per game as Karlee McBride leads IU's bench scoring with 8.0 points per game.
Media Contact: Ryan Sheets, rmsheets@indiana.edu
