Hoosiers Win Third Straight in Sunday Afternoon Triumph Over Valparaiso

Sunday, December 11

Bloomington, Ind.

2 pm

Indiana University

7-3

Valparaiso

5-5

Valparaiso

Indiana

Hoosiers Win Third Straight in Sunday Afternoon Triumph Over Valparaiso

12/11/2016 5:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Four players scored in double figures and Indiana shot 53.1 percent from the floor as it picked up its third-straight win of the season in an 87-58 victory over Valparaiso on Sunday afternoon.

Senior guard Alexis Gassion led all scorers with 19 points to go along with five rebounds and five assists. Junior forward Amanda Cahill recorded her 20th career double-double with 16 points and a team-high 11 rebounds while junior guard Tyra Buss added 12 points for her 47^th consecutive double-figure scoring game and added six assists and three steals.

Redshirt sophomore guard Tia Elbert came off the bench for a season-high 10 points – six of which came in the second half – on a perfect 5-for-5 from the field while adding four assists, a steal and a rebound. The quartet highlighted 11 players to score on the afternoon, as IU combined for a 53.1 percent field goal clip– its third-straight game shooting 53 percent or above. It also marked the sixth-time this season IU has shot 53 percent or better including back-to-back 60 percent-plus field goal games against North Texas and Northern Kentucky.

With the win, Indiana continues on the program's longest home win streak with 19 consecutive victories and ties the seventh best active streak in the NCAA.

IU combined for 22 assists on the afternoon and picked up 13 steals while also taking the rebounding advantage, 39-29. IU's victory on the glass marked the seventh time in ten games of the 2016-17 that it's secured the advantage on the boards.

Indiana took a 22-9 lead after one quarter thanks in part to a pair of 7-0 runs to open the game. The first run was sparked by a baseline jumper from Towner followed up by a 3-pointer from Gassion with 5:57 to play. Cahill, off her own steal, was fed from Royster as she muscled up to the rim and make it a seven-point lead (11-4) before the media timeout.

The next IU run was sparked on a coast-to-coast feed from Cahill who found Buss down the floor and dished to an open Towner underneath the rim followed by a McBride 3-pointer. Gassion's bucket would extend the IU lead out to 12 with less than two minutes left in the quarter as it would eventually go up 22-9 after the opening quarter.

Gassion scored the first three buckets for Indiana to open the second, as it doubled up Valpo, 30-15, on an Elbert steal and fastbreak layup. A 10-0 run late in the frame helped the Hoosiers stretch the lead out to as many as 23 in the first half with 1:53 remaining. A last-minute effort by Cahill allowed Anderson to get a final shot through the nets as IU led 42-22 going into the locker room.

Indiana came out in the third to post its biggest quarter of the game, outscoring the Crusaders 30-10. The Hoosiers used a 22-4 scoring run over the final 6:17 of the period to take a 72-32 lead going into the fourth quarter. Valparaiso ended the game taking the fourth quarter, 26-15, but it wasn't enough to overcome a 38.2 field goal percentage on the afternoon.

QUOTABLE
Head Coach Teri Moren
"I was happy with three quarters, not so happy with the fourth they outscored us 26-14. We will go back and watch film, which I am sure will be good video for players, especially the younger girls that were out on the floor. I addressed it a little after the Northern Kentucky game with our bench and I thought defensively we made some strides in the right direction this afternoon, but I don't think we did so much of that in the fourth and our inability to score was also concerning when Tyra (Buss) Alexis (Gassion) and Amanda (Cahill) are on the bench. We have to keep getting better and find ways to get some production and try to get everybody to play more sound on the defensive end. I thought we addressed some things after the Northern Kentucky game, so I thought our intent and our purpose was much improved for three quarters. I thought we played a very good first half of basketball."

NOTABLE
• With the 87-58 win over Valparaiso, the Hoosiers win their 19^th straight game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers streak is the seventh best active streak in the NCAA.
• The Hoosiers are averaging 93.7 points per game over their last three contests and tie their season-long win streak of three games.
• The Hoosiers tallied a season-high 22 assists on 34 field goals. It is the third game this season the Hoosiers have recorded over 20 assists.
• Indiana outrebounded Valparaiso 39-29 and are outrebounding their opponent 132-65 over their last three games.
• With the score tied 4-4, the Hoosiers closed the first quarter with a combined 18-5 scoring run to go up 22-9 at the end of the period.
• The Hoosiers have scored at least 40 points in the first half of their last three games and five times on the season.
• Junior Tyra Buss scored 12 points to move into 16^th on the Hoosiers all-time scoring list with 1,177 points. Buss has also scored in double-figures in 47 straight games dating back to her freshman season and has reached double digits in 65 of 74 career games.
• Buss added six assists, her third straight game with at least five assists. Buss now has 284 career assists and is four away from reaching the top-10 all-time at IU in career assists.
• Senior Alexis Gassion led the Hoosiers with 19 points and now has 1,062 points for her career. Gassion scored seven of the Hoosiers first nine points of the first quarter and the Hoosiers first six points of the second quarter.
• Junior Amanda Cahill added 16 points. Cahill now has 948 points for her career and is 52 points from becoming the Hoosiers 26^th all-time 1,000-point scorer. Cahill added 11 rebounds for her 20^th career double-double.
• Redshirt sophomore Tia Ebert scored a season-high 10 points. Elbert shot a perfect 5-of-5 from the field.
• Indiana got 32 points from the bench and have had 30 or more points from their reserves in each of their last three games.

UP NEXT
Indiana wraps up home non-conference play on Saturday, December 17 against Oakland. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. ET inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall and will air on BTN Plus and WHCC105.com.

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