It had been a long time since IU defeated Michigan in women's basketball.
The Wolverines had beaten the Hoosiers ten straight times, dating back to the 2009-2010 season, when IU topped a Michigan team that ultimately reached the semifinals of the WNIT.
On Sunday afternoon at a crowded Assembly Hall, it seemed as if Michigan would leave Bloomington with its 11th consecutive win against IU. The Wolverines led 58-49 with just 5:48 to play in regulation after a layup by sophomore guard Katelynn Flaherty.
This time, however, the Hoosiers were able to spell the troubles that had caused a half-decade of losses to the Wolverines. Five IU players scored to spark a 9-0 run that tied the game with 1:50 remaining in regulation. Four points from electric sophomore guard Tyra Buss gave the Hoosiers a 61-58 lead with just over a minute to play, before Flaherty drilled a game-tying 3-pointer with 28 seconds on the clock.
In overtime, the Hoosiers did not have to claw back, as IU did not trail during the five minute period. Junior guards Alexis Gasion and Tyshee Towner scored a combined nine points in extra time to give the Hoosiers an insurmountable 73-67 lead with 39 seconds remaining.
Sophomore forward Amanda Cahill came close to her fourth double-double of the season, tallying 19 points and nine rebounds to help IU to its first Big Ten win of the season, 77-69 in overtime against Michigan.
"I think our mindset going in, especially in the fourth quarter, overtime, was just to keep attacking," Buss said. "Coach pulled me over to the side, she said, 'Attack, attack, attack.' That's something we need to keep doing, it was definitely working for us."
IU (9-5, 1-1 Big Ten) improved to 6-0 within the friendly confines of Assembly Hall courtesy of a 32-for-42 performance from the free-throw line. Tyra Buss, who entered Sunday's game as the third-most prolific free-throw shooter in the country, shot 8-of-11 from the charity stripe to score 18 points in the win.
The Hoosiers were only able to shoot eight free throws in the first half before attacking the basket in the second frame; IU hit 13-of-20 from the free-throw line in the final two quarters, converting on 12-of-14 in overtime. The Hoosiers made just two field goals in overtime, but it was enough to hold off the pesky Wolverines.
"That's something we've been talking about since the beginning of the season," Buss said. "We need to get to the free-throw line. Our guards especially did a good job of attacking."
Michigan (8-5, 0-2 Big Ten) entered Bloomington having lost four of its last five games. The Wolverines routed power-conference teams in Xavier and Pittsburgh before falling to Princeton, No. 20 UCLA, Eastern Michigan to close out non-conference play. Michigan fell to Purdue on a game-winning shot with 6.4 seconds remaining to open the Big Ten season.
Junior forward Jenn Anderson set a new career-high with 11 rebounds in the victory, adding four free-throws in the process. Anderson's presence has given the Hoosiers a new dynamic of establishing an interior-attack, alongside Cahill and senior forward Lyndsay Leikem.
"It was awesome that she had so many rebounds for us," Cahill said. "I'm really proud of her. She's a good inside presence for us. She can go in there and maybe her shots not falling, she's going to get others' looks. She's a hard worker."
IU will try to keep the momentum of a historic win on Thursday night against No. 9 Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio. The Buckeyes are 10-3 (2-0 Big Ten) on the season, most recently defeating No. 24 Michigan State and No. 6 Maryland to open conference play.
