Indiana University Athletics
Quest For More Fuels No. 12 Indiana’s Hot Start To Big Ten Play
1/9/2020 10:05:00 PM | Women's Basketball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Mercy? There was no time for that, no reason, really.
Indiana had Purdue on the women's basketball brink Thursday night, and a let up wasn't in sight.
Not with this team and these stakes.
The 66-48 victory at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall -- in front of a crowd of 5,159 -- showcased the No. 12 Hoosiers (14-2) at their best.
"We always talk about growing and getting better every day," guard Ali Patberg said. "It's a constant. That's our mindset. That's what it will continue to be."
Potential was everywhere you looked, starting with a ferocity of purpose reinforced by last month's loss to then No. 10 UCLA.
IU hasn't lost since.
Beyond that was a sense of fun only the best and most focused of teams can achieve.
"Winning is really fun," Patberg said. "We're winning the right way. We're all contributing. We want each other to do well."
Added forward Aleksa Gulbe: "It's fun to win after you've done the hard work. It doesn't stop. It continues till the end of the season. With this team and the chemistry we have right now, it's fun."
Fun comes from a strong work ethic, coach Teri Moren said.
"The reason why we've had success is the players work on their games; they've got great chemistry; they are very connected; they absorb the game plan. They're focused on what we're trying to take away and where the advantage is. You hope you can knock down shots."
Indiana wasn't flawless. The 16 turnovers, slow start and inefficient finish (mostly because the second unit was in) will make for continued coaching points.
"You never allow yourself to get comfortable," Moren said. "There's always something inside the game that you can improve on.
"I was frustrated down the stretch. I didn't think we finished the game the way we wanted to. The one three we allowed (to Cassidy Hardin) is unacceptable to us. And we have to get off to faster starts.
"But I'm happy for our kids. I know how hard they work. The extra work they put in is tremendous. This is a really special group."
IU rules the Big Ten with a 4-0 record. It has the conference's best defense and second-best offense, and is pushing to win its second-ever regular-season league title (the first came in 1983).
That, of course, is looking far ahead.
For now, the quest is continued improvement.
Oh, and sustained nasty-as-you-don't-want-to-face defense.
"The coaches tell us, keep that chip and take pride in every possession no matter the score," Patberg said. "We did that."
Purdue (11-5, 2-2) had no chance.
The Hoosiers squeezed the life out of the Boiler attack, forcing 21 turnovers and holding their rivals to 38 percent shooting. Four players had two steals.
"Defensively, we were terrific," More said. "We didn't give Purdue anything easy."
Patberg was the offensive star with 18 points, reflective of her strong play over the last month.
"Coaches tell me to be aggressive," she said. "When I am, when I get that confidence, I can get others involved even more. That's the mindset -- be aggressive and help others."
Added Moren: "Since Christmas, Ali has played at another level."
Gulbe added 10 points and eight rebounds. Guard Brenna Wise chipped in nine points. They were part of a balanced attack that saw six other Hoosiers scoring at least two points.
"We have weapons everywhere," Patberg said. "That's what makes us great."
Such dominance wasn't unexpected.
Indiana has flipped the script in this rivalry, winning six of the last eight meetings, retaining possession of the Barn Burner Trophy that symbolizes the series and becoming the national power while Purdue struggles to catch up.
The Hoosiers are the Big Ten's only unbeaten team with a program-best national ranking, and looking for more.
They have size, shooting, defense and experience, reflected in their Big Ten-best 21.7-point average margin of victory. They also were battled tested with three games against top-10 squads -- South Carolina, Baylor and UCLA.
Purdue couldn't match that.
Still, the Boilers jumped ahead 4-0 before IU flexed its defensive muscle, forcing the Boilermakers to commit consecutive shot-clock violations, and then a turnover, and then another. That sparked Indiana's 14-2 quarter-ending run for a 14-6 lead.
The Hoosiers opened the second quarter with a 6-1 surge to go ahead 20-7. Purdue coach Sharon Versyp called a timeout. It didn't help. Indiana reached halftime with a 28-16 lead.
At that point, the Boilers had nine turnovers against one assist, and were shooting just 25.9 percent from the field.
Could Indiana extend that dominance?
Yes.
The Hoosiers scored the first six points of the third quarter en route to building leads as large as 24 points.
Purdue was finished.
After playing three of its first four Big Ten games at home, Indiana goes on the road for three of four, starting Sunday at Iowa.
"The one thing I will say is our non-conference schedule, with how much we were away from this place, it gave us some confidence to play (on the road)," Moren said.
"This is a great league. The parity across the country is very special. The Big Ten is part of that. It will be a grind.
"But I have a tremendous amount of confidence in going on the road with this team."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Mercy? There was no time for that, no reason, really.
Indiana had Purdue on the women's basketball brink Thursday night, and a let up wasn't in sight.
Not with this team and these stakes.
The 66-48 victory at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall -- in front of a crowd of 5,159 -- showcased the No. 12 Hoosiers (14-2) at their best.
"We always talk about growing and getting better every day," guard Ali Patberg said. "It's a constant. That's our mindset. That's what it will continue to be."
Potential was everywhere you looked, starting with a ferocity of purpose reinforced by last month's loss to then No. 10 UCLA.
IU hasn't lost since.
Beyond that was a sense of fun only the best and most focused of teams can achieve.
"Winning is really fun," Patberg said. "We're winning the right way. We're all contributing. We want each other to do well."
Added forward Aleksa Gulbe: "It's fun to win after you've done the hard work. It doesn't stop. It continues till the end of the season. With this team and the chemistry we have right now, it's fun."
Fun comes from a strong work ethic, coach Teri Moren said.
"The reason why we've had success is the players work on their games; they've got great chemistry; they are very connected; they absorb the game plan. They're focused on what we're trying to take away and where the advantage is. You hope you can knock down shots."
Indiana wasn't flawless. The 16 turnovers, slow start and inefficient finish (mostly because the second unit was in) will make for continued coaching points.
"You never allow yourself to get comfortable," Moren said. "There's always something inside the game that you can improve on.
"I was frustrated down the stretch. I didn't think we finished the game the way we wanted to. The one three we allowed (to Cassidy Hardin) is unacceptable to us. And we have to get off to faster starts.
"But I'm happy for our kids. I know how hard they work. The extra work they put in is tremendous. This is a really special group."
IU rules the Big Ten with a 4-0 record. It has the conference's best defense and second-best offense, and is pushing to win its second-ever regular-season league title (the first came in 1983).
That, of course, is looking far ahead.
For now, the quest is continued improvement.
Oh, and sustained nasty-as-you-don't-want-to-face defense.
"The coaches tell us, keep that chip and take pride in every possession no matter the score," Patberg said. "We did that."
Purdue (11-5, 2-2) had no chance.
The Hoosiers squeezed the life out of the Boiler attack, forcing 21 turnovers and holding their rivals to 38 percent shooting. Four players had two steals.
"Defensively, we were terrific," More said. "We didn't give Purdue anything easy."
Patberg was the offensive star with 18 points, reflective of her strong play over the last month.
"Coaches tell me to be aggressive," she said. "When I am, when I get that confidence, I can get others involved even more. That's the mindset -- be aggressive and help others."
Added Moren: "Since Christmas, Ali has played at another level."
Gulbe added 10 points and eight rebounds. Guard Brenna Wise chipped in nine points. They were part of a balanced attack that saw six other Hoosiers scoring at least two points.
"We have weapons everywhere," Patberg said. "That's what makes us great."
Such dominance wasn't unexpected.
Indiana has flipped the script in this rivalry, winning six of the last eight meetings, retaining possession of the Barn Burner Trophy that symbolizes the series and becoming the national power while Purdue struggles to catch up.
The Hoosiers are the Big Ten's only unbeaten team with a program-best national ranking, and looking for more.
They have size, shooting, defense and experience, reflected in their Big Ten-best 21.7-point average margin of victory. They also were battled tested with three games against top-10 squads -- South Carolina, Baylor and UCLA.
Purdue couldn't match that.
Still, the Boilers jumped ahead 4-0 before IU flexed its defensive muscle, forcing the Boilermakers to commit consecutive shot-clock violations, and then a turnover, and then another. That sparked Indiana's 14-2 quarter-ending run for a 14-6 lead.
The Hoosiers opened the second quarter with a 6-1 surge to go ahead 20-7. Purdue coach Sharon Versyp called a timeout. It didn't help. Indiana reached halftime with a 28-16 lead.
At that point, the Boilers had nine turnovers against one assist, and were shooting just 25.9 percent from the field.
Could Indiana extend that dominance?
Yes.
The Hoosiers scored the first six points of the third quarter en route to building leads as large as 24 points.
Purdue was finished.
After playing three of its first four Big Ten games at home, Indiana goes on the road for three of four, starting Sunday at Iowa.
"The one thing I will say is our non-conference schedule, with how much we were away from this place, it gave us some confidence to play (on the road)," Moren said.
"This is a great league. The parity across the country is very special. The Big Ten is part of that. It will be a grind.
"But I have a tremendous amount of confidence in going on the road with this team."
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