IU women's basketball vs. Illinois
I'm here at Assembly Hall where the Indiana women's basketball team is poised to end a 2-game losing streak as they take on the Illinois Illini. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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I'm here at Assembly Hall where the Indiana women's basketball team is poised to end a 2-game losing streak as they take on the Illinois Illini. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU women’s basketball coach Felisha Legette-Jack and the her team went to Florida during winter break, but it wasn’t for the sun, beach and relaxation. Rather, the Hoosiers’ trip to the Sunshine State signaled the kickoff of a six-game stretch that carried major offseason implications.After splitting back-to-back road games at Florida International (6-11), a 64-60 win and a 73-69 loss against Florida Gulf Coast (12-0), the Hoosiers entered Big Ten season play with a .500 record at 6-6. This meant that Legette-Jack’s squad would have to amass a winning conference record to be considered eligible for the NCAA tournament — something never done during the coach’s four-year tenure at IU.Against FGCU, center Sasha Chaplin (who missed a portion of last season with a toe injury) injured her knee, keeping her out for the remainder of the season. Despite the loss of their starting center, the Hoosiers welcomed the arrival of transfer forward Georgie Jones, who first became eligible to play against FIU.Returning home to Assembly Hall, the Hoosiers knew that their offseason aspirations rested on the result of each remaining game. IU opened their Big Ten season with a 71-69 home win against Northwestern (13-4) on Dec. 30. The team looked to take the momentum of a victory against the Wildcats into their next game — a showdown on the road against Minnesota (8-8).Against the Gophers, IU was able to come from behind and force overtime after guard Jori Davis made a layup with 29 seconds remaining in regulation. The Hoosiers were able to ultimately outlast the Gophers by a score of 80-79. Davis tied her season high with 31 points, as the Hoosiers improved to a perfect 2-0 start to the Big Ten season. Next up were the defending conference champions, Ohio State (10-5).All-American senior center Jantel Lavender and her Ohio State teammates were looking for revenge after a smaller Hoosiers squad upset the Buckeyes last year in Assembly Hall. This year, Legette-Jack’s team still had their underdog status but walked off the court without a victory. The Hoosiers fell to OSU in Columbus, 83-65. IU had no answer to the Buckeyes’ superior inside game, as the Hoosiers were outscored in the paint and outrebounded.Now the Hoosiers stare at an 8-8 record after falling to Purdue (11-5) on Sunday. Their 2-2 conference record will be tested once again when they attempt to defend their home floor against Illinois on Thursday.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Indiana women’s basketball coach Felisha Legette-Jack had a simple diagnosis for her team’s shortcomings on Sunday.“They wanted it more than us,” she said.Her Hoosier squad dropped its second straight game, losing to Purdue, 55-50 in Assembly Hall.IU (8-8, 2-2) was plagued by 24 turnovers and a lack of offensive production. Coach Legette-Jack recognized her team’s defense, which limited the Boilermakers (11-5, 2-2) to shooting 29.3 percent from the field, but said the Hoosiers did not take advantage offensively.The Hoosiers’ leading scorer, senior guard Jori Davis, shot 4-of-16 from the floor and was limited to 12 points. Despite the lack of offense, IU was able to keep the score close in a game that had six lead changes and saw the score tied seven times.Ultimately, the Hoosiers’ last opportunity to tie the game came with 13 seconds left, when they were down by three points. In a controversial possession, sophomore forward Aulani Sinclair hoisted a contested three-point shot, which many fans believed warranted a foul call. Coach Legette-Jack said whether it was the right call or not, her team should have never put itself in a position to have one shot win or lose the game. “I saw it one way, obviously they (the officials) didn’t see it that way,” she said. “It should never come down to a last second shot, though.”Senior guard Whitney Lindsay, who led all scorers with 18 points, also placed blame on the team.“No one was confident enough to shoot the ball,” Lindsay said. “We just ended up putting up a bad shot. It wasn’t an open shot.”In a rivalry game that saw many hotly contested calls by the officials in front of a crowd of 7,143 fans, coach Legette-Jack summed up her feelings following the game in five words.“It just wasn’t our day,” she said.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU women’s basketball team (8-7) will be playing for more than an improvement to their 2-1 conference record against rival Purdue (9-5) on Sunday at Assembly Hall.The Hoosiers will be competing for the annual Barn Burner Trophy, the rivalry trophy awarded to the victor of the Indiana-Purdue women’s basketball game each season. The award currently resides in West Lafayette after the Boilermakers defeated coach Felisha Legette-Jack’s squad 76-66 last year in Mackey Arena.The matchup, which is scheduled to tip-off at 2 p.m., will feature two teams with similar overall records, but very different starts to their conference schedules. The Hoosiers currently sit fourth in the Big Ten standings after beginning conference play with a 2-1 record. Purdue, despite a better overall record, is in 10th place with an 0-2 conference record.Legette-Jack said in a teleconference Tuesday that her team’s recent success hasn’t been a result of any adjustment by the team or coaches.“Nothing has changed,” she said. “We’ve just been consistent with our work ethic.”One factor that has stayed constant in the Hoosiers’ conference victories against Minnesota and Northwestern is the scoring efforts of guard Jori Davis. The senior captain was the lead scorer in both games with 24 and 31 points, respectively.Davis has been assisted by senior forward Hope Elam who scored in double figures in both Big Ten victories and sophomore forward Aulani Sinclair who recorded a double-double on Dec. 30 in a win against Northwestern.On the other end of the sideline, the Boilermakers will look for freshman guard Courtney Moses to continue her breakout season. The Sweetser, Ind. native is leading the team in three-point percentage (.476) and is second in points per game with 12.6 points.The game will be IU’s annual “Head to the Hall” game, meaning all tickets will be sold for $1 to the general public. Students, faculty and staff will gain admission for free.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU women’s basketball team (8-7) will be playing for more than an improvement to their 2-1 conference record against rival Purdue (9-5) on Sunday at Assembly Hall.The Hoosiers will be competing for the annual Barn Burner Trophy, the rivalry trophy awarded to the victor of the Indiana-Purdue women’s basketball game each season. The award currently resides in West Lafayette after the Boilermakers defeated coach Felisha Legette-Jack’s squad 76-66 last year in Mackey Arena.The matchup, which is scheduled to tip-off at 2 p.m., will feature two teams with similar overall records, but very different starts to their conference schedules. The Hoosiers currently sit fourth in the Big Ten standings after beginning conference play with a 2-1 record. Purdue, despite a better overall record, is in 10th place with an 0-2 conference record.Legette-Jack said in a teleconference Tuesday that her team’s recent success hasn’t been a result of any adjustment by the team or coaches.“Nothing has changed,” she said. “We’ve just been consistent with our work ethic.”One factor that has stayed constant in the Hoosiers’ conference victories against Minnesota and Northwestern is the scoring efforts of guard Jori Davis. The senior captain was the lead scorer in both games with 24 and 31 points, respectively.Davis has been assisted by senior forward Hope Elam who scored in double figures in both Big Ten victories and sophomore forward Aulani Sinclair who recorded a double-double on Dec. 30 in a win against Northwestern.On the other end of the sideline, the Boilermakers will look for freshman guard Courtney Moses to continue her breakout season. The Sweetser, Ind. native is leading the team in three-point percentage (.476) and is second in points per game with 12.6 points.The game will be IU’s annual “Head to the Hall” game, meaning all tickets will be sold for $1 to the general public. Students, faculty and staff will gain admission for free.
Another piece of the new IU football coaching staff was put into place Tuesday afternoon, as former Boise State assistant head coach/wide receivers coach, Brent Pease was hired as the Hoosier's new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
A series of story lines unfolded for the Hoosiers in their first two games since finals.
The IU women's basketball team dropped their second straight game, falling at Toledo 56-52. A tie game with two minutes left to play, the Hoosiers were unable to pull ahead in the end despite a big scoring day for Aulani Sinclair who hit five three-point baskets. The loss knots IU's record at 5-5, with their next two games coming on the road (at Florida International and Florida Gulf Coast). Stay tuned to idsnews.com for a full recap later in the evening, and hoosierhype.com for all IU athletics news.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU women’s basketball team (5-3) will try to extend a three-game winning streak at home against a 4-3 Miami (OH) squad, before leaving Bloomington for a three-game road trip.When the game tips off at 7 p.m. today, the Hoosiers will be facing a Redhawks team bringing their momentum into Assembly Hall. Miami’s own three-game win streak was capped off on Monday, when they beat Marshall by the biggest margin of their season, 89-63.IU head coach Felisha Legette-Jack said two native Hoosiers, guards Courtney Osborn and Maggie Boyer, pose the biggest threat to her team. “Their point guard (Osborn) is doing a tremendous job of scoring, she went for 26 the other night. Maggie Boyer is a great left hand shooter who can get you off the bounce, and those two are really a major concern for us,” Legette-Jack said. “They’re local kids too, from Indiana. They’re Hoosiers just like we are, so they want to prove they belong as well. So it’s going to be very difficult to stop those two, but if we can stop them, I think that we’ll have a better chance.”While trying to contain Osborn and Boyer, the Hoosiers will rely on their experienced captains to steer the ship. The squad’s leading scorer, rebounder and assist-leader are all seniors. Senior captain Jori Davis is scoring 17.6 points per game and pulling down 7.1 rebounds per game, while senior point guard Whitney Lindsay is averaging 4.6 assists per game. Davis has been the leading scorer in four of the Hoosier’s five wins this season.The Hoosiers are coming off an upset win against then No. 24/19 ranked Nebraska on Sunday, ending the Cornhuskers 37-regular game winning streak. But coach Legette-Jack continues to see opportunities to improve her team.“We’re going to continue to focus on us; there’s so many things that we have to get better at, moving forward,” she said. “We have to get our slides better on defense, continue to make that extra pass on the offense end, run our lanes better in transition and once we start locking in on that we will start seeing results.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The last time the Nebraska women’s basketball team lost a regular season game was Feb. 28, 2009.Since then, the No. 24/19 Cornhuskers had won 37 straight games in regular season play, including three games earlier this season in which they scored 90-plus points.However, Sunday afternoon in Assembly Hall, the IU women’s basketball team made sure it would not witness Husker win No. 38 on its home floor, defeating Nebraska 67-61.Senior guard Jori Davis said she and her teammates were not even aware that the streak existed.“It’s not really about them, it’s about us getting this next win that we really needed as a team,” Davis said. “Sorry we had to break it, but we were at home, and we had to protect our home court.”On paper, the odds were stacked against the Hoosiers.Their squad was without forwards Sasha Chaplin and Kristiana Stauere against an already taller Nebraska team.Four of the five Cornhusker starters were averaging double figures in points per game this season.However, IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack said she knew that in order for her team to win, it would have to play to its strengths.“With this team here, resiliency comes to mind. We know our deficiencies. We know that we’re short and have guards playing the post, we know our shots aren’t going to fall all the time. But what happens if we forget about what we can’t do and just do the things that we can do?” she said. “We can play defense, we can play as a unit, we can defend what we believe belongs to us, and today they illustrated that, and I couldn’t be more proud of this team than I am today.”Legette-Jack said part of the Hoosiers’ game plan against Nebraska was to nullify the scoring of guard Lindsey Moore, who was scoring an average of 12.3 points per game. “It’s very difficult to play without the head, and we knew that (Moore) was the head of their body,” Legette-Jack said.The Hoosier defense held Moore to a single point throughout the game while limiting the Cornhuskers to their lowest score of the season.“We were calling out the shooters, the cutters, everything,” junior forward Danilsa Andujar said. “We communicated where their shooters were at all times and just got out there and worked hard.”In a game that saw 13 lead changes and a margin no bigger than eight points, every possession became a battle down the stretch.With 10 minutes remaining in the game, Davis took an elbow to her face and was lying on the ground in pain while play was stopped. The inadvertent hit left the Hoosiers’ leading scorer and rebounder holding her left eye as she was helped off the court.With her team up 49-47, Davis watched from the bench during the next three minutes as the lead evaporated into a two-point deficit. Following a media timeout, she checked back in and played the remainder of the game.“It was a little pain, but we were playing Nebraska, No. 19,” Davis said. “I could not sit down and let a little pain stop me from getting back on that court.”With their senior leader on the floor, the Hoosiers once again swapped the lead with the Cornhuskers twice. Then, in a play that Legette-Jack said “changed the game,” senior guard Whitney Lindsay assisted Andrea McGuirt for a reverse layup and foul with 1:14 to play. The three-point play ignited a 4-0 Hoosier run in the last minute of the game to solidify the upset victory.After the loss, Nebraska coach Connie Yori said it was the intangibles not on the stat sheet that gave the Hoosiers a win. “You have to give them credit. I thought they played with a lot of energy and a lot of passion,” Yori said. “It looked like they were the team that wanted it more.”
I'm here at Assembly Hall for the Hoosiers noon game against an undefeated Nebraska Cornhusker team currently ranked 24th in the country. As usual, I will be providing periodic updates on the game as they occur. The Hoosiers are about to tip-off as they face their first ranked team of the season following a key road game against Clemson.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU women’s basketball team would not allow its record to define its squad or its future.Coach Felisha Legette-Jack made that clear following the team’s win against Cleveland State last week, which evened the Hoosiers’ record to 3-3.“This is a special team, and I won’t get carried away with a 3 and 3 record right now,” she said. “But whether we win the rest of them or not, I just love these young ladies. They are bigger than wins and losses.”At no point were these words truer than Thursday night, when the Hoosiers walked into Littlejohn Coliseum with a 3-3 record and left with a victory against a one-loss Clemson team, 65-51.For the fourth time this season, senior guard Jori Davis led all Hoosier scorers. Her 17 points and five rebounds were closely followed by sophomore Aulani Sinclair’s career-high 15 points off the bench. Sinclair shot 5-of-9 from the field and was a perfect 3-of-3 from the free throw line.However, the key for IU against Clemson was defense.Entering Thursday’s game, the Tigers averaged 68.5 points per game. IU held Clemson to 51 points off 31 percent shooting. The Hoosiers also won the turnover battle by committing 15 turnovers to the Tigers’ 23. Senior guard Whitney Lindsay forced four steals and had six assists, which were game highs.Clemson came within two points of the Hoosiers (50-48) with 7:56 remaining in the game. Indiana then went on a run of its own, outscoring the Tigers 15-3 to close out the game.The victory was not only a win for the Hoosiers, but also a win for the Big Ten in the annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The ACC ultimately won the Challenge, four wins to three.“It was exciting representing Indiana on the road, and we take that very seriously,” Legette-Jack said following the game. “It was bigger than just Indiana this time. It was for our Big Ten Conference, it was the challenge. ... and in order for us to be good, it had to come through our defense.”— Avi Zaleon
Pregame
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU women’s basketball team faces its third test of the season at 7 p.m. today against Memphis at Assembly Hall.The Hoosiers are coming off a perfect 2-0 start to the season after victories against Ball State and St. Bonaventure.The Tigers (1-1) will rely on the inside scoring ability of junior forward Jasmine Lee, who transferred from Georgia last year. Against Grambling State on Monday, Lee recorded her first career double-double, leading her team with 21 points and 13 rebounds.IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack’s team will try to counter Memphis’ powerful inside game with a stingy defense, which has held opponents to an average of 55 points while forcing a total of 47 turnovers.On offense, the Hoosiers continue to receive quality minutes from guard Alisha “Goody” Goodwin. The junior transfer from Jefferson College has averaged the team’s third-highest point total with 11.5 points per game while playing the fifth-lowest amount of minutes per game, 16.5.Fellow guard senior Jori Davis continues to assert herself as the team’s leader. Her 32 points and 21 rebounds this year are both team highs.In order to beat the Tigers and keep their record spotless, the Hoosiers will look to win the battle on the glass for rebounds as well as continue to score points off turnovers.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU women’s basketball team was able to slip past a scrappy St. Bonaventure team Monday.After IU gained its largest lead of 14 points with 5:36 remaining in the game, the Bonnies ultimately cut the deficit to fall by just six as the Hoosiers claimed a 50-44 victory at Assembly Hall.“We’ll take an ugly win over a pretty loss any day,” IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack said.The Hoosiers found themselves down early as St. Bonaventure pulled out to a 15-14 lead with 7:52 remaining in the first half. However, a Jori Davis field goal and a subsequent Bonnies shot clock violation provided enough of a spark to give the Hoosiers momentum. A 19-3 run to close the first half proved to be enough to give the Hoosiers a 2-0 start to the season.“They’re a very scrappy team; this was a big stage for them, and they really wanted to perform well,” Davis said. “They continued to fight. They never gave up. We went up by over 10 points at one point, and they never gave up.”Senior forward Hope Elam struggled to find her jump shot early but finished the game strong, leading all Hoosier scorers with 15 points.A day after her birthday, sophomore forward Aulani Sinclair got a belated present, shooting 4-of-6 from the field and 2-of-3 from 3-point range on her way to 10 points and four rebounds.“In practice the last couple days, we’ve been focusing on looking for the open shot and not being hesitant if I’m open to take it,” Sinclair said. “So tonight in our offense, I just worked on what we’ve been working on in practice, and if I had an open shot, I was going to take it.“Coach Jack and the team have given me the OK to be great, so I’m just trying to fill that role and support the team as best as I can.”However, the Hoosiers struggled in the paint.Still without sophomore center Sasha Chaplin, Legette-Jack’s squad was outrebounded 40-30. St. Bonaventure’s only starting forward, junior Megan Van Tatenhove, led all players with 18 points and 13 rebounds. On offense, the Hoosiers were unable to find easy looks, shooting 35 percent from the field and scoring 18 of their 50 points in the paint.“We’re a little disappointed we got outrebounded,” Legette-Jack said. “Those are the hustle and heart plays. What won us this game was our staying power.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Senior guard Jori Davis scored 19 points and pulled down 15 rebounds in a 81-66 win against Ball State on Friday.Davis was a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line, led the team with four assists and tied the team high with three steals on the defensive end.Off the bench, junior guard Alisha Goodwin and senior forward Hope Elam provided the Hoosiers with added depth. Goodwin contributed 19 points while Elam shot 6-of-11 from the field for 12 points. In total, five Hoosiers scored in double figures against the Cardinals.Although coach Felisha Legette-Jack’s team finished the game with a 15-point victory, the Hoosiers struggled early. At halftime, IU was only ahead by two, 38-36.In a statement by Legette-Jack from IU Athletics, she attributed the second-half turnaround to senior guard Andrea McGuirt, who ignited the team. “Because of her defense, Jori and Alisha carried us,” she said in the statement. “But Andrea McGuirt is the one that carried us on defense.”For the second straight week, the Hoosiers played without injured sophomore center Sasha Chaplin. Following the team’s exhibition game against University of Indianapolis last week, Legette-Jack remained optimistic that Chaplin’s foot would be healthy enough for her to play against Ball State. However, the Hoosiers wanted their starting center to be 100 percent healthy before putting her in the lineup.Despite Chaplin’s absence, the Hoosiers were able to outrebound the Cardinals 41-37, an area the team is hopeful to improve upon and succeed in as the season continues.The Hoosiers take on St. Bonaventure in their home opener at 7 p.m. today.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Pack up your things. Travel across the globe to a different continent. Adapt to a different culture, language and people.Oh, and also take four years of college courses.Sound difficult?Not to freshman center Kristiana Stauere.“The biggest difficulty was the time adjustment,” she said. “My home in Latvia is seven hours ahead from here. Everyone, including my teammates, coaches and even people on the street, everyone has been extremely helpful. So I haven’t really had any problems.”The big move was obviously not an issue for the 6-foot-4 center, who has been in the spotlight her entire life.Brought up by parents who both played basketball, Stauere began playing at 12 years old. She was the tallest girl in her high school. The Latvian national team quickly took notice of her natural talent for basketball and invited her to play on the country’s U-16 age grouping national team. On the U-16 squad, Stauere averaged 3.2 blocked shots per game. She experienced similar success on the older U-18 team, where she shot more than 50 percent from the field.But the prospect of playing overseas didn’t begin for the high school standout until earlier last year.“I started getting interest in my senior year of high school from a lot of universities and junior colleges,” Stauere said. “When I was looking at other schools on the Internet, I don’t know what was different about IU, but it just felt like the right place to be. It’s hard to explain.”Because of restrictions, Stauere did not visit any of the schools recruiting her, but she ultimately chose to play for coach Felisha Legette-Jack at IU.“It’s really an incredible thing to see this lady come from another country and absorb our personalities and blend,” Legette-Jack said. “I adore this kid, and she is probably one of the smartest you’re ever going to meet.”After playing overseas for the summer, Stauere had to come to Bloomington in the fall and quickly start adapting to the differences on and off the court.As one of four new Hoosier forwards, the Latvianfreshman was put into an up-tempo style of play, requiring a learning curve after playing in Europe her whole life.Senior guard Jori Davis emphasized the importance of having fast forwards.“With us being a running team, and the post being quick, that will definitely work to our advantage,” Davis said. “With a quick post being able to rack up points, it just all works together.”Stauere said Legette-Jack and the coaching staff have prioritized conditioning and getting their team in shape for the 2010-11 campaign.But before the coaches can see if those hours doing suicides in Cook Hall have paid off, they can enjoy the anticipation and excitement of a new season with their lengthy recruit from across the Atlantic.“I think she is going to be an excellent presence for us on the perimeter. We’re excited about our future with her,” Legette-Jack said. “If you haven’t gotten a chance to meet Kri yet, you’re going to enjoy her, because she’s a special kid.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU women’s basketball team wasted no time.Six seconds into Saturday’s final exhibition game against the University of Indianapolis, senior guard Whitney Lindsay scored a quick layup with a foul and then grabbed a steal during Indianapolis’ first possession. The Hoosiers’ lead would grow as they jumped out to a 16-point advantage after 10 minutes of play.Easy points in the paint and a stingy defense were the keys to success for coach Felisha Legette-Jack’s team in its 76-41 victory.“Sometimes the game can be won or lost in the first five minutes,” Legette-Jack said. “I thought that Whitney [Lindsay] brought such energy out there defensively to create that synergy for our team. That ignited such enthusiasm that we took the lead and never looked back.”Lindsay caused four of the team’s 16 steals, which translated into 23 Hoosier points off of turnovers. The senior captain also scored eight points and led the team with seven assists.“I think a lot of our offense is going to come from transition this year because our defense is going to reflect our offense,” Lindsay said. “I like the energy that we’re bringing to the table, and if we start the game with offensive transition baskets, that’s how we need to start off all our games.”Throughout the game, Lindsay and her teammates fought for loose balls and swatted away passes on their way to forcing 25 UIndy turnovers.On the offensive side of the ball, the Hoosiers dominated the Greyhounds in the paint. A point of improvement for IU last season, Legette-Jack’s team scored 36 points in the paint to UIndy’s 2. The Hoosiers’ ball movement in the frontcourt gave easy looks to their forwards. Junior center Danilsa Andujar was one of five Hoosiers who scored in double figures, shooting a perfect five-for-five from the field.The Hoosiers were without starting center Sasha Chaplin, who Legette-Jack said would be healthy for their regular season opener against Ball State on Friday. In her absence, freshmen Kristiana Stauere, Milika Taufa and Simone Deloach were incorporated off the bench into the team’s rotation.“We have so many combinations we can use now, it’s going to be really neat,” Legette-Jack said. “We have some really good pieces of the puzzle, now we need to corral them. It’s up to my coaches to get to work and figure out what system we’re going to create to go up against a very stingy Ball State team.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU women’s basketball coach Felisha Legette-Jack stepped onto Branch McCracken Court to fireworks, her team dancing and chants of “Coach Jack!” from a roaring crowd.But once the microphone was in the fifth-year coach’s hand, she knew which words she wanted echoed throughout Assembly Hall on Friday: “Hoo-sier Na-tion.”In front of a crowd of 13,100 at Hoosier Hysteria, Legette-Jack made it clear that in order for her team to succeed in the upcoming season, it will need the support of its fans. “We will do anything and everything to get you guys to see what we are doing,” she said.Senior guard Jori Davis also stressed the importance of better attendance at the Hoosiers’ home games in her final season.“With the sixth man, we will be too strong,” Davis said. “This is my senior year, and I have worked too hard not to get one of those [banners] like the guys.”Last season, the Hoosiers went 9-6 at home with a 5-4 mark in conference home games. On average, the Hoosiers faced larger crowds on the road (3,512 fans per game) than when they played in Assembly Hall (2,097 per game).Both Davis and Legette-Jack mentioned their upset of then-No. 4 Ohio State last season as an example of when the “sixth man” directly impacted their success. Despite being undermanned compared to the Buckeyes, the Hoosiers were able to beat Ohio State 67-62 in front of their second-largest crowd of the season.“We had seven players healthy against the No. 4-ranked team in the country,” Legette-Jack said. “And we beat them. Our men’s team is going to be dynamic this year, but their sisters are doing some things, too. I hope you join us as we take on yet another journey.”This season, IU hopes they won’t find themselves at as much of a height disadvantage with a recruitng class that features 6-foot forward Milika Taufa, 6-foot-3 center Simone Deloach and 6-foot-4 center Kristiana Stauere.Legette-Jack explained that the added size to her team will hopefully translate to more blocked shots, better rebounding and an overall stronger defensive team. Davis added that a lot of the team’s post players are “pretty quick, so it won’t slow us down very much because a lot of them can still run.” Stauere, the first Latvian to play for IU women’s basketball, said she looks to add to the team’s combination of size and speed. After playing on Latvia’s U-18 national team during the summer, Stauere said she underestimated Hoosier Hysteria when she returned to Bloomington.“Today everyone was asking me if I was excited,” Stauere said. “I told them, ‘Yeah, I am excited, but I don’t know what to expect because it is my first year.’ Now, I’m really excited.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The philosophy of the newly renovated Earl C. “Billy” Hayes Track is simple.“If you build it, they will come,” IU coach Ron Helmer said. This phrase embodies the hope echoed throughout the IU track and field community — that the renovations to the outdoor track facility will make the school a Midwestern hub for the most talented athletes in the world. “Our intentions when we installed this were to have an area that would be a central point in the United States where college or USA Track and Field would want to bring meets,” Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities Chuck Crabb said. “We were looking for as fast a track as legally possible.” Although changes have been made to the infield and scoreboard, the focal point of renovations to The Robert C. Haugh Track & Field Complex is the new Polytan surface which replaces the old Mondo track. Events and Facilities Manager Jay Arthur explained that the new Polytan surface, made of polyurethane, has several advantages over the Mondo. “In addition to polyurethane being the surface all the world records are being broken on, if we need to down the road, this can be fixed without tearing the whole thing out,” Arthur said. “If you have a Mondo track, your option is to tear that Mondo out and put new Mondo down.” Crabb agrees that although the Mondo track was good for a period of time, it had reached its expiration. He said the new Polytan can be expected to last upward of 40 years if maintained properly. “The two-part rubber track we had previously, outstanding as it was, there’s no denying that,” Crabb said. “Witness the times of every Olymplics dating back to 1988 that’s been on Mondo surface. But, it’s a surface that tends to compact over time.“We took our Mondo Super X to the extent of its lifespan, so it became too hard.” This renovation project comes on the heels of several other facility upgrades around campus since Athletics Director Fred Glass started his tenure. But unlike the North End Zone in Memorial Stadium or the Cook Hall basketball facility, the renovation to Billy Hayes track comes with a relatively small price tag. Crabb said the renovation will be completed slightly under the anticipated $1.5 million budget. For now, the entire staff is eager to show off their new facility. This weekend the new track will play host to the annual Billy Hayes Invitational, and the 2010 Big Ten Championships will take place May 14-16. IU is also currently finalizing negotiations to host the 2010 Junior National Championships, an event which attracts the top college prospects every Olympic year. Three-time Olympian, world record-holder and former IU runner Bob Kennedy once referred to IU’s track as one of the best he had ever competed on. It is the hope that the new track will get the same recognition as the old surface did from elite runners around the world. “If we have people turning fast times, everyone in the world is going to want to run on it,” Arthur said.