It looked as though IU women’s basketball might end its season on a sour note through the first quarter of Saturday’s regular-season finale at Illinois.
The Hoosiers trailed by double digits early in the second quarter, but IU dominated the rest of the way, took a slim lead into halftime and pulled away in the third and fourth quarters to beat Illinois on the road by a final of 74-60.
Assistant coach Rhet Wierzba said IU’s defense helped the team control the game as it progressed. After being down 25-11, IU used a 48-18 run in the next 20 minutes of the game to put it out of reach.
“Our defense got much better there in the second and third quarters,” Wierzba said on the postgame radio show on WHCC 105.1 FM. “We held them to 22 points in those quarters combined, which really gave us a bit of a cushion.”
For the second consecutive road game, IU got off to a slow start offensively. The Hoosiers missed their first eight 3-point shots before senior guard Karlee McBride ignited a 10-0 run with a pair of 3s.
IU led Illinois 35-33 at the break, and the Hoosiers put the game away in the third by allowing just eight Illini points in the quarter. Illinois ended the quarter by failing to score a bucket in the last four and a half minutes and missing its last seven field goal attempts.
Senior guard Amber Deane and sophomore forward Kym Royster provided strong play off the bench for IU by combining for 11 points. IU was plus-24 in Royster’s 15 minutes on the court, and she added a block and a steal. Wierzba said the bench players were key in the win because they were able to bring hustle and do the little things.
“For me, it’s not only the points coming off the bench, it’s the defensive intensity and the alertness, effort and energy,” Wierzba said.
The Hoosiers dominated the glass in the game by outrebounding the Illini 46-28, including an 18-11 mark on the offensive boards. IU’s 18 offensive rebounds led to 19 second-chance points, which Wierzba said was a focus heading in to the game.
Junior forward Amanda Cahill led all players with a season-high 15 rebounds to go along with 13 points. Junior guard Tyra Buss also added a double-double, as she scored 21 points and collected 11 boards.
IU finished the regular season with a 20-9 record, and a 10-6 mark in the Big Ten. This marks the first time in program history that IU has had back-to-back 20-win seasons. The Hoosiers finished fourth in the Big Ten after Michigan State lost to Nebraska on Sunday.
IU has earned a double bye through the first two rounds of the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis and will have its first game of the weekend on Friday afternoon. Wierzba said the location of the tournament will benefit IU and said he hoped the team would draw a sizable amount of fans.
“We usually draw well up there,” Wierzba said. “We’ll hopefully get a good contingent of Hoosier fans driving up to Indianapolis to support our girls, and we’re going to come out ready to play.”
