The streak started and ended with a loss to Maryland.
In February 2015, then-freshman guard Tyra Buss scored a quiet 10 points in a loss to the Terrapins. In the nearly two years since, the junior has been IU’s leading scorer and a steadily dominant force. She has consistently delivered double-digit scoring performances — 59, to be exact.
Buss scored just seven points Sunday and made two of 17 shots as her streak of scoring 10 or more points came to a screeching halt in a 92-56 blowout loss to No. 3 Maryland at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
“Streaks are meant to be broken, and it happens,” Buss said after the game. “I just have to get in the gym and work on my shot more. My shot just wasn’t falling today, and that happens.”
Sunday’s game would’ve been Buss’s 60th game in a row with at least 10 points and extended the school record she already has, but against a dominant Maryland frontcourt led by senior center Brionna Jones, Buss was unable to find success with her usual penetrating offense. She couldn’t find much success outside the paint either and made just one of five 3-point attempts.
“You can’t do that when you’re facing a guy like Brionna Jones, and their athleticism is just too good,” Moren said. “They’re going to take opportunities away from you. They block shots, and that leads to easy run-outs for them. Your shot selection is so important when you play a team like Maryland.”
Buss wasn’t the only Hoosier to struggle offensively Sunday. The seven bench players who saw the court combined for just two points before the fourth quarter. The IU reserves would finish with 12 points, but most came in mop-up duty as the game wound down and Maryland led by at least 30.
After the game, Buss downplayed the significance of the streak. Buss said she isn’t concerned with how many points she scores. The first-team All Big Ten guard wants only to win.
The Hoosiers have now lost two games in a row after putting together a three-game win streak at the end of January. Moren echoed Buss’s sentiments, saying she knows Buss will pay no mind to losing the streak. Moren optimistically noted that Sunday’s poor showing will allow Buss to start a new streak.
“She’s a terrific player,” Moren said. “We’ve kind of just grown to expect that from Tyra. I’ll say this, just knowing her, the streak doesn’t matter to her. It’s the fact that we came out today and she couldn’t help her team or put her team in a position to win the game. That’s what matters to her.”
