In a game that featured 69 free throws on 59 fouls, it seemed as if IU’s pivotal clash with Minnesota would never end.
Both teams struggled to find any sort of flow in Thursday’s matchup that featured two of the country’s hottest teams.
IU was able to thrive in that kind of setting, though. Sophomore guard Tyra Buss, despite a lingering cold, scored 27 points, grabbed nine rebounds and recorded seven assists to help the Hoosiers defeat the Gophers, 93-79, to gain a share of third place in the Big Ten.
“That’s Tyra being Tyra,” IU Coach Teri Moren said. “She took Monday and Tuesday off and we had her back in practice yesterday. She’s special. She just doesn’t slow down.”
Thursday’s win was IU’s eighth in nine games, as the Hoosiers remained an unbeaten 13-0 inside Assembly Hall and continued their ascent in the Big Ten standings. IU, at 18-9 (10-5) is off to its best Big Ten start since 1983.
IU controlled the scarce momentum for the majority of the game before Minnesota cut its deficit to 74-71 with 6:01 remaining. Junior guard Alexis Gassion would have an answer for the Gopher run, hitting a jumper before an acrobatic 3-point play helped give momentum back to the Hoosiers.
“That was a big shot,” Moren said. “We expect her to step up and hit big shots. Absolutely, it changed after that. I thought we got a little life into us. This is a group that doesn’t really get rattled. That’s us, that’s who we are.”
Gassion was called upon to limit the Big Ten’s leading scorer and senior guard Rachel Banham. Gassion was able to do that before dealing with foul trouble, as she held Banham to just nine points in the first half.
Banham, who tied the NCAA single-game record with 60 points against Northwestern earlier this month, entered averaging a conference-best 26.4 points per game. While the 5-foot-9 guard finished with a game-high 29 points, Gassion made it tough on her in the first half.
Gassion did more than limit one of the nation’s most lethal scorers. She finished with 16 points, five rebounds and six assists in 32 minutes of play.
The Hoosier cause was plagued by foul trouble for the majority of the night. Buss picked up a pair of fouls in the first quarter that prompted a hesitation in her first-half playing time by Moren.
Sophomore forward Amanda Cahill, who finished with just six points, was charged with her fourth foul before the end of the third quarter. Gassion finished with four fouls, forcing junior guard Tyshee Towner to defend Banham in her absence.
“We did face a lot of adversity tonight,” Buss said. “We kind of got in foul trouble tonight and a lot of fouls were called against us. This win is great and it’s really satisfying. I couldn’t be prouder of my teammates.”
