That’s not the case this season.
IU (5-1) will look to bounce back after suffering its first loss of the season last Sunday to Indiana State when the Hoosiers travel to Chestnut Hill, Mass., to take on the Boston College Eagles (4-2) at 7 p.m. tonight as part of the ACC/Big Ten ?Challenge.
IU had an uncharacteristically sloppy game in a loss against Indiana State that saw the Hoosiers commit a season-high 22 turnovers while only shooting 33 percent from the field in a 65-61 overtime loss.
When IU struggled during the last season and a half, it relied on its 3-point shooting. Sunday, the shots from long range weren’t falling. IU only shot 23 percent from ?beyond the arc.
Although the game ultimately goes down as a loss, IU Coach Teri Moren said experiencing the adversity of letting a potential win slip away could prove beneficial for her young team.
“There’s always lessons to be learned in losses — far more than you gain in wins sometimes,” Moren said after the loss. “We’ve been winning by (scoring) a lot of points. We’ve yet to be in a situation where our backs are against the wall.”
The matchup between the Hoosiers and Eagles will be the first between the two programs.
Sophomore guard Kelly Hughes leads the Eagles with 16.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.
Behind her is an offense that has spread the ball fairly evenly this season. Seven Boston College players are averaging more than seven points per game.
IU is 4-3 all-time in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and has won three of its last four Challenge games, including the most recent two. Last year, IU picked up a 71-65 win against Virginia Tech.
With tonight’s ACC/Big Ten Challenge matchup and a Big Ten conference slate looming, sophomore guard Larryn Brooks said the loss was the type of game IU needed before the stiffest games in the schedule.
“I think it’s really great for us to have one of these games now just to get us ready for the Big Ten (season),” Brooks said Sunday. “I can tell you right now that’s how it’s gonna be every night when we get in conference play ... You never want to lose, but I think we’ll take a lot of things from it, learn from it and move on.”
