They can scrimmage to become more comfortable with plays.
The IU practice squad helps to simulate the opponent’s personnel from game to game.
But what’s ultimately led to a now three-game losing streak, Moren said, is something she can’t teach — toughness.
“It’s an intangible that all great teams have,” Moren said.
It’s something the Hoosiers didn’t have at the end of a 4-point loss to Minnesota, when the Gophers went on an 11-2 run to close the game.
When Penn State threw the first punch last Thursday, Moren said her team just laid down and took it.
Despite a 84-74 loss to No. 7 Maryland on Sunday, Moren saw glimpses of the toughness she wants from her young team.
IU’s halftime deficit was 18. Early in the second half, IU’s short runs were answered by even longer Maryland scoring spurts.
But with 6:31 to go, trailing by 18 once again, the Hoosiers went on a 7-0 run to cut the Terrapins’ lead to just 11. IU went to a 2-2-1 press to slow down the Maryland offense and, still trailing 13 with too little time left, a man-to-man press.
Sophomore guard Alexis Gassion got a steal and passed inside to freshman Amanda Cahill who scored. One second later, Gassion got another steal and scored herself.
Though it was too late, IU’s deficit was just 10 in a game where it had once trailed by as many as 24.
Moren saw her team stand up.
“We’ve been working really hard in practice just competing with each other, and at each other, and going at it,” Gassion said. “So it meant a lot that actually transferred over to the game.”
Gassion grabbed a team-high nine rebounds and finished with 18 points. Moren commended her team’s toughness on the boards. Despite being outrebounded 40-27, the Hoosiers allowed just nine Terrapin offensive rebounds. They were previously averaging 19 per game.
Moren said it’s not easy trying to defend a team with 11 players who can all score. But in the second half, IU out-scored Maryland 45-37.
“I thought in the second half we did a much better job of getting out to the shooters,” she said. “I thought there were several times down the stretch where we did a good job of closing out the possession with a box out.”
That defensive intensity translated to the offensive end. Moren has said she wants to see more aggression out of some of her freshmen, especially guard Tyra Buss.
Buss consistently got into the lane and to the free-throw line Sunday. She made 5-of-7 of those, finishing with a team-high 19 points.
That was her highest point total since scoring 24 against Boston College on Dec. 3, 2014.
“There’s going to be a lot more physical and stronger players than me, especially, so I just have to keep fighting,” Buss said. “I’m never going to stop attacking and be scared of driving to the basket.”
IU showed little life from the middle of the first half to midway through the second. It took the Hoosiers half the game to punch back.
Moren continues to stress the importance of playing every second of the 40-minute game.
On Sunday, Moren said, they just ran out of time.
“This is an unforgiving league,” she said. “Nobody feels sorry for you. We hung in there with the top six team in the country, but that’s not good enough.”
