Hoosiers tie program record for most wins in a season

Just two years ago, the IU women’s basketball team finished the season with only six wins.

But with last night’s victory over Northwestern in the third round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, the Hoosiers now find themselves in the record books.
IU tied the program record for most wins in a season with its 66-65 win over Northwestern.

“It’s such a feel-good story because of where we’ve come from,” IU Coach Curt Miller said.

It was anything but easy for the Hoosiers in earning their 21st victory on the season, a feat only four other teams in program history have accomplished. 

To get there, they had to win three consecutive postseason games. The average margin of victory in each of those games was 1.66 points per game.

“For as much success as I’ve had as an assistant coach or a head coach, I haven’t won three consecutive postseason games in my career,” Miller said. “So this is new territory for me.”

Consecutive postseason wins was also new territory for senior center Simone Deloach, who was part of the team that won only six games.

She and the program’s other seniors won a combined 15 games between their freshmen and sophomore years.

Deloach said tying the record means a lot and shows what growth can do.

“I started at a level that not many people can say they did,” she said. “And I think with these freshmen it just shows you can do anything if you put your mind to it. It just shows my growth and it shows what they can do in four years with this program.”

Fellow senior forward Tabitha Gerardot wasn’t a part of those teams, as she is in her first and final year with the program. But in her three years at Valparaiso, she had never won more than 11 games, similar to her IU teammates who have been with the program longer.

“For me coming in from a program that was struggling, and from them having the program struggling only a couple years ago, for all of us, I think it’s huge,” Gerardot said. “Because none of have really felt that kind of a season where you have 21 wins. For it to be that big and in the record books, it’s really rewarding.”

Miller said this has been a rewarding year because he and his team have been exceeding expectations.  

“You could not have gotten me to believe that this team had a chance to tie the school record for most wins in school history,” he said. “And now we have another game to try to single-handedly have that.”