Senior guard Karlee McBride is seventh in career made 3-pointers in IU women’s basketball history with 159 treys.
But given the struggles she’s had from 3-point range this season, the Hoosiers hope the six triples McBride made in the past week can turn into a sustained hot streak.
McBride posted a career-best 36.6 percent 3-point mark last season but is struggling in her senior year, struggling to get above 30 percent from beyond the arc.
Last week, in a home win against then-No. 20 Michigan and a loss at Nebraska, McBride broke out and scored a total of 25 points, the most in any two-game stretch for her this season.
McBride’s fellow Hoosiers have stayed confident in her shooting ability all season, and will look to keep feeding her in the final two regular season games.
“They just tell me to keep shooting, and I’m obviously going to tell them to keep shooting,” McBride said. “Once one of us goes, all of us go.”
McBride has made seven of her last 15 3-point attempts, including four Sunday when she tied her single game career-high. She was the lone bright spot from deep for the Hoosiers in the upset loss against the last-place Cornhuskers, as all other IU players combined for just three treys in 19 attempts.
McBride shot just one-of-five from deep in the second half, and IU Coach Teri Moren said she thought her entire team was forcing things, particularly from 3-point range, as they played most of the game from behind.
“I thought we did settle though,” Moren told reporters after Sunday’s game. “Maybe they looked up there and saw the lead, and as most young people do, they think they have to get it all back in one or two possessions.”
McBride has made just 12 baskets in 43 attempts all season from 2-point range, which allows most defenders to guard her tightly on the perimeter without worrying about her driving by them, but against Michigan she was able to convert a pair of and-one layups.
Moren said McBride’s willingness to take the ball inside was key in sparking IU’s offense in the first half, when it took a large lead over Michigan that was never relinquished.
“We don’t normally see that from Karlee,” Moren said after the Michigan victory. “I just thought Karlee was extra aggressive offensively.”
McBride’s season scoring average rose to 6.1 points per game after Sunday and her 3-point mark is now at 31.1 percent. She has as much experience as any other Hoosier, both in the regular season and postseason, so with the Big Ten and possibly NCAA Tournaments on the horizon, McBride could be relied upon for more clutch performances.
In the game against Michigan, McBride came off the bench, breaking a streak of 19-straight starts for her. Moren said after the game that it was strictly a matchup-based decision to bench McBride, and the guard was back in the starting lineup against Nebraska. Her willingness to adjust to different circumstances impressed Moren.
“She came in and she didn’t allow that to have an impact on her performance,” Moren said. “I’m really happy with the way Karlee came in and the production that she gave us.”
