Indiana Overpowers Milwaukee to Advance in WNIT

Sunday, March 18

Bloomington, IN

2 p.m. ET

Indiana University

19-14

Milwaukee

21-12

Milwaukee

Indiana

Indiana Overpowers Milwaukee to Advance in WNIT

3/18/2018 4:59:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Postgame Notes Photo Gallery

By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON -- Tyra Buss took the punishment and came up shooting.

Of course, she did.

Amanda Cahill grabbed rebounds, found open Hoosiers and hit three-pointers.

Isn't that what seniors do?

Jaelynn Penn followed her career game with difference-making play that belies her freshman status.

Maturity is a wonderful thing to witness.

Welcome to Indiana's great WNIT basketball adventure. On Sunday, it was a 74-54 victory over Milwaukee that was basically over by halftime.

"We're playing together as a whole," Buss said. "We've made so much growth since the beginning of the season. It's helped our team as a whole. We believe in each other. We trust each other. It's a pleasure to play with them."

Pleasure helped lift the red-hot Hoosiers (19-14), who built leads as large as 25 points, into a Thursday night third-round showdown with rival Purdue at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. IU won both regular season meetings.

"We're always exited to play an in-state rival," Buss said. "We hope to get a third win. The coaches will have us ready and prepared.

"That we get to host is awesome."

Buss, a senior guard, rocked Milwaukee (21-12) with 16 points, five rebounds and four assists. That included bouncing back from a hard foul that left her sprawled on the floor underneath the basket.

Cahill, an academic All-America senor forward with more than 1,800 points and 1,000 rebounds, totaled 12 points, including a pair of three-pointers, seven rebounds and six assists.

And then there was Penn, who has spent the season proving she's among the Big Ten's best newcomers. She had 16 points, seven rebounds and two assists to follow the career-high 25 points, plus six rebounds, she had three days earlier against UT Martin.

With foul trouble limiting guard Bendu Yeaney early, Hoosier backups Keyanna Warthen, Linsey Marchese and Bre Wickware made off-the-bench impacts. They combined for seven points and five rebounds.

"I have to give our bench credit," coach Teri Moren said. "Those guys did a tremendous job. They gave us some great minutes."

Don't forget a throttling defense that limited Milwaukee to 34 percent shooting while forcing 24 turnovers that resulted in 27 Hoosier points.

"We continue to get better.," Moren said. "We're more locked in to understanding game plans, and the tendencies of personnel.

"We're playing some of our best ball. We're staying disciplined. It's practice. It's the film we've been watching.

"While we were waiting to see if we'd get in the field, we had four to five days to spend time worrying about us. We wanted to go back and establish our culture. One of things we're about is defending and rebounding."

Added Buss: "Our help-side defense has grown. We have some mishaps, but we come back strong. We do our defensive assignments.

"The coaches do a good job of preparing us. We play hard. When we mess up, we think about the next play."

IU carries the confidence that comes from winning 11 of its last 13 games and the overall evolution of what in November was an inexperienced squad into a battle tested group -- courtesy of the nation's 11^th-toughest schedule -- aiming for a WNIT title. Six victories are required.

"We want to keep this thing rolling," Moren said. "We have a goal in mind."

Or, as Buss put it, "It's two (wins) down, four to go."

Indiana balance -- five players scored led by Penn's six points -- delivered a 16-15 lead after the first quarter. Six turnovers hindered the Hoosiers. Fifty-percent shooting offset it.

The Hoosiers ratcheted up the intensity in the second quarter. They attacked the basket, harassed shooters, disrupted passers, pounded the boards, moved the ball and played with the kind of energy necessary for postseason success.

The result -- a 17-0 run that produced a 42-24 halftime lead.

"The second quarter was big," Moren said.

Penn's eight-point third quarter helped ensure the Hoosiers would move on for a third game against Purdue.

"All the teams in this field are really good," Moren said. "Purdue happens to be on our side of the bracket. In order for us to win this thing, we have to beat Purdue.

"We're well versed with Purdue. Playing them amps us up, but what amps us up more is being at home."

Added Yeaney: "We have to focus on us and not have different distractions."

Follow Indiana Women's Basketball on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

#GoIU