There are a host of offensive statistics that show senior guard Alexis Gassion’s contributions to the IU women’s basketball team.
She ranks in the top 20 in the Big Ten in points, rebounds and assists. It’s easy to look at these numbers and understand what Gassion brings to the table for the up-tempo IU offense. On defense, however, it’s harder to spot success based on numbers alone.
However, ask any member of her team, and they will tell you where Gassion shines brightest and takes the most pride is on the defensive end.
“Lex takes defense really seriously,” senior center Jenn Anderson said. “That’s when she locks in the most, and we expect her to guard sometimes the best player on the team. She’s been doing really well with that.”
IU Coach Teri Moren has said repeatedly the guards in the Big Ten are among the best in the country, and seemingly every team in the league has a backcourt player who anchors the offense. As a five-foot-eleven guard, Gassion’s size and athleticism are advantageous for helping her guard other ballhandlers.
Gassion averages more than a steal per game and is second on the team in blocks, but a look at some of the individual performances the Ohio native has delivered against All-Big Ten guards shows what she can really do.
Against Wisconsin at the end of January, Gassion allowed junior guard Cayla McMorris, the team’s leading scorer, to score 13 first-half points on six-of-seven shooting.
At halftime, Moren said she tapped into Gassion’s competitive edge and challenged her to lock down McMorris in the second half.
After the break, Gassion didn’t allow McMorris to score a single point the rest of the game, and IU went on to pull away and win the game.
In a loss to Michigan State on Thursday, Gassion drew the assignment of guarding the Big Ten’s second-leading scorer, senior guard Tori Jankoska, and held her to just five-of-18 shooting. As a senior, Gassion said her familiarity with the conference standouts she guards so regularly have helped her be better prepared for each matchup this season.
“Playing them for a few years, I kind of know what they like, so it’s kind of easier to know what they like to do,” Gassion said. “I enjoy it a lot. It feels good when I know my coaches can depend on me.”
As consistently as Moren can trust Gassion to guard the toughest matchup, she can also be relied upon to stabilize the offense.
Gassion’s patience and ball control on offense have given her an assist to turnover ratio of 3.1. She is one of just three eligible Big Ten players with three times as many assists as turnovers.
Along with junior guard Tyra Buss and senior guard Karlee McBride, Gassion spearheads a backcourt that is constantly looking to push the ball and lead the offense efficiently. When that offense gets going, it energizes the entire defense, Moren said.
“If they see that thing going in, that ball going in, it’s amazing the amount of confidence they have,” Moren said of her team. “And that confidence certainly transfers over to the other end, and that’s defending and guarding.”
