IU women’s basketball Coach Teri Moren said before Sunday’s game against Wisconsin the contest would be won or lost in the post.
Wisconsin entered the game winless in the Big Ten, but with five Badgers listed at 6-foot-2 or taller, winning the battle in the paint seemed a tall task for the Hoosiers, especially with their two starting forwards battling injuries and illness.
Senior forward Jenn Anderson stepped up with a nearly perfect shooting day and junior forward Amanda Cahill attacked the offensive glass to help IU dominate the paint in a 78-54 win Sunday in the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin.
Anderson and Cahill both went down with ankle injuries in the Hoosiers’ two previous games, and Moren said Anderson has dealt with an illness as well. On Sunday Anderson was 7-of-8 from the field, scored 14 points and collected five rebounds.
“The thing about Jenn that people don’t understand is she’s been really banged up,” IU assistant coach Glenn Box said on the postgame radio show on WHCC 105.1. “And when I say banged up, I mean banged up. This whole month has been a disaster for her, and every night she brings it. She’s sick, she’s hurt, and she’s having a really difficult time, but to her credit, she’s stepped up.”
As the other member of IU’s starting frontcourt duo, Cahill led the Hoosiers in rebounding Sunday with nine boards. The two post players anchored an IU offense that outscored Wisconsin 42-24 in the paint.
The post advantage for IU was due in large part to the Hoosiers making 21 of their 29 layups. Wisconsin, conversely, made just nine of its 18 layups.
On the defensive end IU shut down Wisconsin’s forwards. Freshman forward Courtney Fredrickson was the leading scorer among Badger post players with nine points. Fredrickson fouled out with a little more than two minutes remaining in the game, and no other Wisconsin forward scored more than four points.
Before the Hoosiers departed for Madison, Moren emphasized the need for her players to box out on the defensive glass. She cited offensive rebounding as a big strength for Wisconsin, but IU finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds compared to Wisconsin’s six. Leading the Hoosiers on the offensive glass were Cahill and Anderson, who both pulled in four offensive boards.
Like Box, Moren said she has appreciated Anderson’s determination to not miss any games despite the fact that she is less than 100 percent healthy. Moren said the Sheridan, Indiana, native has not practiced much in the past week, but when game time rolls around Anderson has always been ready to step up, her coaches said.
“There’s no question that she has been able to string, what, five or six games where she’s been in double digits now,” Moren told reporters after the game. “Really has been great on the low block and continues to be. She makes it difficult for other teams.”
