Hawkeyes spoil IU Senior Day

Sunday afternoon at Assembly Hall was about more than the final score or the final regular season record for the IU women’s basketball team. The game ended with another Hoosier loss, this time at the hands of Iowa, 93-79.

But as IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack reflected on the entire season, she said this game is a microcosm of life.

“No one is going to remember this record,” Legette-Jack said. “What they’re going to remember is Jori Davis, Hope Elam, Andrea McGuirt, Whitney Lindsay, the character and what they left us with.”

The record Legette-Jack refers to includes nine regular season wins and three Big Ten wins. The reason for that record was noticeable again Sunday.

The Hoosiers allowed the Hawkeyes to shoot 56.3 percent from behind the 3-point line and 55.8 percent from the field. IU committed 24 fouls, which led to Iowa converting 26 of its 32 free throws.

Iowa finished with its highest point total of the season and its most points since 2007.
The offense was there for IU as well, but not enough to make up for the lack of defense. Senior guard Jori Davis had 28 points and senior forward Hope Elam added 14 points to lead the team.

In her last home game Davis said there was nothing else in her head except trying to help her team win the game.

“We needed a bucket, we needed more rebounding, and that’s what I tried to do to make us be more successful within the game,” Davis said.

IU was outrebounded and consequentially had four points off second chance opportunities. The Hoosiers also shot 31.8 percent from behind the arc.  

“They are much better than their record indicates. There is no doubt about it,” Iowa coach Lisa Blunder said. “This Big Ten Conference is so strong that everybody is good, and Indiana is a good basketball team.”

With the regular season completed, the Hoosiers have only one more chance to prove they can play better than their record shows, and that is the Big Ten Tournament.

Legette-Jack said her team accepts the responsibility of the record and what transpired throughout the year but was quick to note it was not done.

“We are totally going to compete in the next season which begins next Thursday,” Legette-Jack said.