#IUWBB Picks Up 89-70 Win Over Penn State To Open Big Ten Play

Wednesday, December 28

University Park, PA

7 PM

Indiana University

11-3, 1-0B1G

Penn State

10-3, 0-1B1G

Indiana

Penn State

#IUWBB Picks Up 89-70 Win Over Penn State To Open Big Ten Play

12/28/2016 9:48:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Three players scored in double figures as Indiana Women's Basketball combined to shoot 57.4 percent from the floor as it topped Penn State, 89-70, in the Big Ten opener at the Bryce Jordan Center on Wednesday night. Indiana improved to 11-3 overall and 1-0 in the Big Ten as it also won its seventh-straight game of the season.

Junior guard Tyra Buss paved the way for the Hoosiers first win in a conference opener since 2013-14 as she scored 26 points on 11-for-16 shooting. Junior forward Amanda Cahill also added 20 points - including four 3-pointers - and tied a team-high eight rebounds to go along with five assists. Senior guard Alexis Gassion joined the duo in double-figures with 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists.

The Hoosiers (11-3, 1-0 B1G) shot lights out in the win, combining for a 57.4 percent clip from the floor overall and had a season-high 12 3-pointers in the win as it also shot 57.1 percent from long range. Indiana also won the rebounding margin, 35-29. They also finished the night with 20 assists on 35 made shots and nine steals.

Senior guard Karlee McBride helped elevate the Hoosiers from 3-point range as she added three 3-pointers for nine points to go along with a career-high five assists. Freshman guard Ria Gulley also came off the bench for eight points on 3-for-4 shooting including two triples.

The first quarter featured a back-and-forth battle, as the two teams exchanged seven ties and seven lead changes in the first 10 minutes alone. IU scored quickly off by winning opening tip before Buss's driving layup tied things up at 7-7 with 6:44 to play. A feed from Anderson to Cahill waiting down low tied things up again less than a minute later before Buss gave the Hoosiers their largest lead of the quarter, converting on a 3-point play with 5:10 remaining.

Trailing 13-12 coming out of the media timeout, Gulley answered the IU call out with the first of her two triples of the quarter from the right wing. The Lady Lions (10-3, 0-1 B1G) answered back with one of their own before going up 20-18 on a Peyton Whitted jumper. Cahill would dump the ball down low to Royster to tie things up again before a transition bucket by PSU gave them the 22-20 lead after the first quarter.

IU owned the second quarter, outscoring Penn State, 23-10. They would open up the frame on a 13-3 run and led by as many as 11 after a McBride three and Anderson made one of two at the line. PSU would come within eight in the final seconds of the opening half, as sophomore guard Teniya Page drained a 3-pointer. But Indiana would get a boost from Buss who converted on a 3-point play with 0.7 remaining to take a 43-32 lead at the break.

The Hoosiers came out firing in the third quarter, opening the half on a 12-4 run as it held Penn State with a field goal for a majority of the quarter. The Lady Lions were stifled by the IU defense, going 5:02 without a field goal midway through as Indiana shot a game-high 66.7 percent to go along with 31 points in the third quarter.

Gassion would give the Hoosiers momentum to end the quarter, beating out the buzzer as she laid it in to give IU a 74-52 lead. Penn State would go on to win the fourth quarter, 18-15, but Indiana had already done the damage on its way to its seventh-straight win.

NOTES

With the win, Indiana wins its seventh-straight contest – the longest streak since IU put together a 14-game win streak in 2013-14.
Junior guard Tyra Buss continued on the program's longest streak of double-figure scoring in her career, leading with a team-high 26 points. It marks the 51^st-straight double-figure scoring game of her career. It was also her 24^th career game with 20 or more points and her 69^th game in double figures (of 78 career games played.)
Junior forward Amanda Cahill posted her second 20-plus point game of the season with 20 points in the win. She has now seven games with 20 or more points in her career.
Senior guard Alexis Gassion also scored her 59^th career double-figure scoring game with 14 points to tie a team-high eight rebounds.
Freshman guard Ria Gulley came off the bench to tie a career-high eight points on 3-for-4 shooting including two 3-pointers.
IU's 12 3-pointers were a season-high.
As a team, Indiana shot 57.4 percent in the win, the eighth time this season it has posted a 50 percent or better field goal percentage in a single game.
With the win, Indiana wins its first Big Ten opener since 2013-14 and first under head coach Teri Moren.
The 19-point win over Penn State is the largest win in a Big Ten opener since IU defeated Northwestern, 81-57, in 2008-09.
Indiana also handed Penn State its first home loss of the season.
All-Time Scoring Update:
- Tyra Buss – 1,265 (T14th)
- Alexis Gassion – 1,116 (20^th)
- Amanda Cahill – 1,020 (21^st)

UP NEXT
Indiana returns home to host its first Big Ten game of the season when it welcomes No. 14/13 Ohio State on New Year's Eve. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. and will be live on CBS as well as WHCC 105.1 FM. It will also be the "Head to the Hall" game as all tickets will be $1.

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