456 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(02/10/14 1:56am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU women’s tennis went undefeated in all matches Saturday en route to defeating both Miami (Ohio) and Butler 7-0 at the IU Tennis Center.Against Miami (Ohio), senior No. 2 pair Sophie Garre and Kayla Fujimoto clinched the doubles point with a 6-1 win against the Red Hawks’ Andrea Badileanu and Ana Rajkovic. Junior Katie Klyczek made quick work defeating Miami’s Christiana Raymond 6-0, 6-1 to start the singles matches. Junior Alecia Kauss clinched the match for the Hoosiers with a 6-3, 6-1 victory against Christine Guerrazzi at No. 3 singles.The Hoosiers continued their perfect weekend against Butler. The Hoosiers held the Bulldogs to winning less than four games in every match. Freshman Mary Beth King clinched the victory for IU, defeating Butler’s Jocelyn Koester 6-0, 6-2 at No. 6 singles.The Hoosiers return home to play against Kentucky at 11 a.m. Sunday.— Sam Beishuizen
(02/09/14 12:18am)
IU women's defeated Wisconsin 76-69 on Saturday at Assembly Hall. Postgame reaction listed below.
(02/06/14 2:26am)
IU women's soccer announced Wednesday the signing of nine student-athletes to National Letters of Intent to play soccer for the Hoosiers in 2014.
(02/03/14 5:34am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU Coach Lin Loring became the first coach in women’s tennis history to record 800 match wins as the Hoosiers defeated Western Michigan 5-2 on Friday.In the win against Western Michigan, IU lost the doubles point but one all but one of the singles matches. In the No. 2 singles matchup, junior Carolyn Chupa upset No. 55 ranked Kathleen Hawkins.Loring has accumulated a career record of 800-308 and is now in his 37th season leading the women’s tennis program. Throughout his 37 years at IU, Loring has guided the Hoosiers to 12 undefeated seasons, 28 national tournament appearances and 16 Big Ten titles.Between 1978-1985, Loring was at the helm of a Hoosier program that had 104 consecutive victories against Big Ten opponents. That string was capped in 1982 when IU won the national championship.Under Loring, the Hoosiers have had 71 players named to the All-Big Ten team and 25 of have named All-American.-Sam Beishuizen
(02/03/14 4:09am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The streak is over.IU defeated Illinois 77-58 in Champaign, Ill., on Sunday. The win snaps a streak of 22 consecutive Big Ten losses on the road — a string of defeats that extended back to Feb. 10, 2011.It’s the first time that a Hoosier team led by IU Coach Curt Miller has won a Big Ten game away from Assembly Hall. “It’s one of the monkeys we wanted to get off our backs as a program as I’ve taken over,” he said. “We’re proud to finally stop talking about no road wins for a long time for this program in our building stage.”Two days after a six-point loss against Northwestern caused Miller to question his team’s confidence, IU opened with one of their best offensive halves of the season.IU (16-6, 3-6) shot 15-of-29, 51.7 percent, from the field and hit six 3-pointers in the opening 20 minutes of play.A layup from senior forward Simone Deloach, followed by a 3-pointer from freshman guard Taylor Agler, sparked a 17-1 run between the 14:45-10:54 marks in the first half. The 16-point swing gave the Hoosiers a commanding 34-15 lead and, more importantly, confidence.“Tonight’s key was our start,” Miller said. “We made shots early after the shooting performance that we had in our last game. For us to start that way in the first five or six minutes really gave us more confidence that we could play with this team.”Both offenses went cold in the closing minutes of the opening half. The Hoosiers and Illini combined to go nearly four minutes without registering a single point in the closing stretch of the first half, but as the second half got underway, the Hoosier offense heated up once again.IU went on a 16-5 run to extend its lead to 59-36 with 12 minutes 13 seconds remaining in the game. Their lead would get as high as 26 points after a 3-pointer from Taylor Agler with just under five minutes remaining.Freshman guard Alexis Gassion shot 8-of-10 from the field — including 4-of-5 from behind the 3-point line — to register a career-high 22 points to lead IU’s offense.Four Hoosiers scored in double-digits against the Illini (9-13, 2-7). Freshman Larryn Brooks had her second career double-double 16 points and 10 assists. Freshman forward Lyndsay Leikem added 10 points and 10 rebounds to record her first career double-double.Illinois’ mixture of man-to-man and “Buzz” defenses led to IU turning the ball over 21 times. Miller said IU struggled at times with holding onto the ball, but said the game was an improvement when compared to the 25 turnovers IU had against Illinois last season.“We weren’t perfect tonight against the ‘Buzz’ defense and their zone,” Miller said. “But we were much better than we were last year.”IU made up for its inability to hold onto the ball on the glass, out-rebounding Illinois 45-26. Ten of IU’s’ 45 rebounds came on the offensive end, leading to a number of second-chance scoring opportunities to make up for the turnovers.IU’s win snaps a three-game losing streak during which the team was beaten by an average of 9.3 points per game. IU will return home to Assembly Hall for four of its next five games.With the Big Ten season far from over, Miller said the win against the Illini gave the Hoosiers a boost of confidence heading down the final stretch of the season. “Tonight, against a team that we view ourselves a lot alike — rebuilding — a team in the rebuilding stage, that’s a big win for us,” Miller said.Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
(02/02/14 8:45pm)
The streak is over.
(02/02/14 7:50pm)
After 20 minutes of action, IU leads Illinois 43-31 in Champaign, Ill.
(01/31/14 5:25am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU will travel to play Illinois Sunday looking to regroup after an abysmal offensive performance in a loss against Northwestern that left IU Coach Curt Miller questioning the poise of his players.Against the Wildcats, the Hoosiers shot 21-of-70 (30 percent) from the field and were 6-20 (30 percent) from the free-throw line. Miller blamed the missed free throws on a lack of confidence, leading to the 58-52 defeat.After the loss, senior forward Simone Deloach said the Hoosiers need to refocus their efforts before squaring off against the Illini at 2 p.m. Sunday. “We have to gather as a team and collectively be determined to bounce back,” Deloach said. “This is a tough loss, but we have to refocus and re-get at it.”Illinois (9-12, 2-6) will test the composure of the Hoosier offense with their unconventional “Buzz” defense. The 2-3 zone-based “Buzz” is designed to force opposing offenses into using lob passes, allowing defenders ample time to shift and match up.Because lob passes have the tendency to hang in the air, Illinois defenders have the chance to jump pass routes and steal the ball. It has led to Illinois forcing a Big Ten-leading 11.3 steals per game.When IU traveled to Illinois last year, the unconventional Illini zone forced the Hoosiers into committing 25 turnovers. Those turnovers led to 24 points in a 73-60 defeat.The Hoosiers (15-6, 2-6) committed only eight turnovers against Northwestern. Freshman forward Lyndsay Leikem said limiting the turnovers is important, but IU needs to be able to take advantage of limiting turnovers by being efficient elsewhere.“I think that (limiting turnovers) was really important for us and I’m glad that we limited those, but we still can work on other things,” Leikem said. “If we keep the turnovers down, we can bounce back and do really well against Illinois.”One of the ways teams typically choose to attack the “Buzz” is from beyond the arc. The best plan of attack may be relying on freshman guards Larryn Brooks and Taylor Agler to dribble-drive and kick the ball out to an awaiting shooter.The Hoosiers have attempted the second-most 3-pointers in the Big Ten and are shooting 34.1 percent from behind the arc this season, but struggled against Northwestern despite open looks. Miller said that needs to change.“This team does not have kids that can make tough shots, so the execution is so vital that you execute to an open shot every time,” Miller said.At the forefront of the Illinois offense is senior Amber Moore. The 5-foot-11 guard leads the Illini in scoring at 15.9 points per game and 3-point field goals made with 65.Moore does most of her damage from behind the arc. Her 272 made 3-pointers makes her the school’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made, shattering the previous record of 215 set by Lori Bjork.Coming off a game where Miller compared his team’s performance against seventh and eighth grade teams he coached in 1986, IU is going to need to turn its offense around if it wants to compete against Illinois.“You gotta get back up,” Miller said. “We haven’t shot the ball well in a long time and we’ve tried so many different things that sooner or later a kids gotta have some gusto and step up and have confidence in themselves.”Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen
(01/30/14 3:19am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A sense of normalcy returned to IU women’s basketball practice this week as the Hoosiers prepared to play Northwestern tonight at Assembly Hall.After going through a stretch of five games in 11 days — four of which were on the road — IU Coach Curt Miller said his team was able to focus more on improving this week. The more conventional schedule allowed players to take their first days off in almost two weeks.Miller called the previous two-week stretch the toughest of his career and the compact schedule took a toll on the Hoosiers.“With a young team grinding, it can be really not only physically exhausting, but it can be mentally exhausting,” Miller said. “So they came back, I think, with a little bit fresher mind.”Miller will find out if the break paid off at 7 p.m. against a Northwestern team that comes to Bloomington having just upset No. 21 Nebraska at home on Sunday 63-59.The Wildcats (13-7, 3-4) play an unconventional lineup that can potentially feature five natural guards on the floor at once. Because of the guard-heavy lineup, Northwestern rarely turns the ball over, and it can create high-percentage shots on the offensive end. The Wildcats have a turnover margin of 3.2 — second best in the Big Ten.Contrarily, the Hoosiers (15-6, 2-5) tied a season-worst with 22 turnovers in an 84-75 loss on Jan. 25 against Iowa. The Hawkeyes were able to score 29 points off IU’s 22 turnovers. Limiting that number has been a talking point in practice this week.“I think that you have to realize the value of each possession even more than we have,” senior forward Tabitha Gerardot said. “I think a lot of what we are messing up right now comes with confidence. We just need more confidence and calmness about us so we can play with confidence and play our games.”Northwestern is led by freshman Nia Coffey. The 6-foot-1 forward is averaging 16.1 points per game — second most among freshman in the Big Ten behind IU’s Larryn Brooks.Coffey also leads the Wildcats in rebounding with 8.3 rebounds per game. Her versatility as both a scorer and rebounder makes for a tough matchup for the Hoosiers.“I clearly believe Coffey is the best — single best — freshman in the league and is poised to become one of the best players in all of BCS basketball,” Miller said. “She’s that talented.”IU has lost four of its last five games and is now in a four-way tie for ninth in the Big Ten standings.The Hoosiers were one of four remaining undefeated teams in the nation before beginning to struggle during its last month of play.Gerardot blamed the recent losses on mental mistakes piling up, but she is confident the Hoosiers can regain the winning form they once had.“We went 14-0, we know what we are capable of,” Gerardot said. “The difficulty in the Big Ten is you have to have it every moment. You can’t just have it 80 percent of the game. You need to be at your A-game all the time. I think that some of those things are going to have to come together for us to win.”Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
(01/29/14 3:56am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU Coach Curt Miller has a six-year plan for rebuilding the IU women’s basketball program. The second-year Hoosier coach is still in the beginning phases of the rebuild, but he already has the program headed in the right direction. IU has won 15 games this season, as many as the program did the two years prior to IU Coach Curt Miller’s hiring combined. A large part of the turnaround can be credited to Miller’s passionate in-game coaching style. On the sidelines, Miller shows his passion for coaching by bringing an energy to Assembly Hall that, at times, is reminiscent of former IU Coach Bob Knight. He will argue calls, scream out plays, stamp his feet — anything to get his point across to either a player or referee. It’s all part of what makes Miller the coach he is.“I’m kind of an old-school guy,” Miller said. “We’re always coaching them hard to get more, and I believe my job as a coach is to get this team to go where they don’t think they can go, or where they never even thought they could be.”Miller said his passionate in-game coaching is never meant to be hard on his players. His job is to make his players better, and his energetic coaching style gets players’ attention.It’s a coaching style that many players are not used to.“Coach Miller is cut from a different cloth, he’s so different,” senior forward Simone Deloach said. “You just have to buy into it because he knows what he is doing.”Miller’s coaching style has shown results. He is 284-116 in his career and was MAC coach of the year six consecutive years as head coach at Bowling Green.Senior forward Tabitha Gerardot said Miller’s commitment to spending so much time on working to get his players better is what makes him a good coach.Gerardot said the coach’s personality can be slightly overwhelming at first. “I think that as girls, it’s sometimes difficult to take right,” Gerardot said. “But that’s something we are pushing and trying to learn. We all try to encourage and be there for each other.”Miller’s intense coaching style has led to unkempt results on the sideline.By the end of IU’s 83-78 overtime win against Minnesota, he was running up and down the sidelines without his suit coat, dress shirt untucked and a tie that struggled to stay around his neck. IU missed layups on back-to-back possessions during the course of 30 seconds with about five minutes remaining. Upset with the misses in a close game, Miller ripped off his sport coat, causing his dress shirt to come untucked in the process.Miller went on to coach the remainder of the game and overtime looking slightly out of place.“The fashion police were probably out on me,” Miller said.Gerardot said Miller’s blind passion and commitment to spending so much time working and studying the game is key for IU.Rubbing officials the wrong way is one risk of Miller’s intense coaching ways, as he sometimes gets too animated for a referee’s liking. During the closing minutes of IU’s 65-52 loss to Penn State, Miller was issued a technical after getting upset with a call.Penn State was awarded a pair of free throws and hit both. At that point, the game was already virtually decided, but the technical was a negative result of Miller’s energetic coaching style.Still, his personality has won over a number of highly touted recruits.His first class of freshmen includes the starting trio of Larryn Brooks, Taylor Agler and Alexis Gassion. Next year, IU has four newcomers committed who have had record-setting high school careers.Tyra Buss from Mount Carmel, Ill., has accumulated an Illinois girls basketball best 4,440 points. Maura Muentsterman, from Mater Dei, Ind., set a new Indiana girls basketball record with 704 assists.Deloach said it can be tough to adjust to Miller as a coach, but the players just need to be patient.“As a young player, it can be tough,” Deloach said. “He’s very animated. You just have to hear the words and be that player that can receive that information. He knows what he’s talking about, you just have to believe in what he’s saying.”Miller often reminds fans the rebuilding process, modeled after IU men’s coach Tom Crean’s rebuilding process, is a marathon and not a sprint. He said the program is still a few years from where he wants it to be.In the meantime, Miller is guiding IU (15-5, 2-5) through the second half of the Big Ten schedule. He’ll be on the sidelines of Assembly Hall again Thursday night, coaching with the same energy and enthusiasm fans and players alike have come to expect out of him.“We’re just pushing them beyond what they think, it’s part of exceeding expectations,” Miller said. “They know during the interview process, and anyone that’s seen me coach in my 13 years knows I’m going to coach each and every possession — up 30, down 30 — and I’m going to coach them hard.” Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
(01/28/14 12:49am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The youth movement in IU women’s basketball has never been more evident than during the past two weeks.IU Coach Curt Miller started an all-freshmen lineup in the Hoosiers’ last three games. The freshmen starters have played in 90 games combined.To put the starting lineup’s youth in perspective, graduate student Sasha Chaplin has appeared in 109 games in her career at IU — 19 more games than the freshmen starting five have combined.The change to the starting lineup came in the aftermath of IU’s three-game losing streak in the Big Ten, capped off by a 33-point loss to Purdue. The stall in IU’s offense during the losing streak prompted the change in lineup.“We wanted a spark,” Miller said.The result of the move has been unprecedented in the Big Ten this season. IU (15-5, 2-5) is the only team in the conference to start five freshmen together this season.Freshmen Larryn Brooks, Taylor Agler, Alexis Gassion, Jenn Anderson and Lyndsay Leikem took the floor together for the first time against Minnesota Jan. 19, and they have started ever since.The shake-up in the lineup paid instant dividends against the Golden Gophers. IU won 83-78 in overtime. The freshmen starting five contributed 69 of IU’s 83 points.“I don’t know when — if ever — a team in the Big Ten has started five freshmen to win a Big Ten game,” Miller said. “(The win) was a big step for this program.”Brooks, Agler and Gassion have been staples in the Hoosier lineup all season.Miller has referred to Brooks as the women’s program’s version of IU point guard Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell. She leads the team with 17.4 points and 4.25 assists per game.Miller often credits Agler as being a lock-down defender who does all the little things that help teams win. Gassion is the team’s third leading rebounder and she is fifth in points and steals.The major changes in the lineup came from the additions of Anderson and Leikem.Leikem said she was not aware she was starting until just before the game, which meant she needed to adjust quickly. Despite the shift in roles, she recorded 10 points while playing a career-high 37 minutes in the win.“I usually get a chance to watch Tabitha (Gerardot) work the floor and see what I have coming up to play against,” Leikem said. “It was a transition, but you learn really fast.”The move to put in Leikem and Anderson has sent seniors Gerardot and Chaplin to the bench. Miller said the two responded well to being moved out of the starting role and have pushed harder in training.“I think we’re seeing a little bit more focus, a little bit more intensity in practice,” he said.Since the win against Minnesota, IU has lost a pair of road games to Penn State and Iowa while using the all-freshmen lineup, making IU 1-2 when using it.Whether or not IU continues starting five freshmen remains to be seen, but Miller said the lineup change was good for his team.“We have a really neat mixture right now,” he said. “We have five seniors that have a sense of senior urgency combined with talented freshmen with a fearless attitude.”The coaching staff has put emphasis on building chemistry in the locker room. Miller said he believes the younger players have built a strong relationship with one another and the upperclassmen.For now, IU may have to deal with some growing pains that playing a young team brings.Miller said the experience the players are getting now could bode well for the future of the program. “We always talk about building a championship locker room before you can build a championship team,” Miller said. “They believe in each other. They care for each other. Our locker room is really strong right now.”Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
(01/27/14 4:56am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder wanted to send a message during Iowa’s rematch against IU.The Hoosiers upset then-No. 22 Iowa at Assembly Hall earlier this month. She thought her team had overlooked IU, a team that had struggled in recent history. All week, Bluder emphasized not overlooking IU again in the rematch, and the added emphasis paid off.Iowa defeated IU 84-75 Saturday night in Iowa City, Iowa, handing IU its fourth loss in five games.“(I’m) disappointed ultimately with the loss tonight because we did a lot to ourselves,” IU Coach Curt Miller said.The Hawkeyes (16-4, 4-3) began the game on a 13-3 run. Nine of those early points came from 3-pointers, including a pair from junior guard Melissa Dixon. Iowa found success on the offensive end through ball movement. The Hawkeyes exploited the Hoosiers’ 2-3 zone early on, allowing the Hawkeyes to make an extra pass to find an open shooter. Iowa ended the game with 16 assists on 29 made field goals.IU (15-5, 2-5) cut Iowa’s lead to 36-34 after a layup from Karlee McBride, but the Hoosiers never found their footing to take the lead. After a pair of potential 3-pointers failed to go in, senior Simone Deloach was fouled and went to the line to shoot a one-and-one with a chance to tie the game.Deloach missed the front end, and Iowa grabbed the rebound. Senior guard Taylor Theirra drew a foul on the other end and hit a pair of free-throws to extend Iowa’s lead to 38-34.“I thought that was a big moment in the game,” Miller said.The Hoosiers would not get within two points again the rest of the night.IU’s offense was plagued by turnovers throughout the 40 minutes. The Hoosiers entered the game averaging 12.2 turnovers per game, a Big Ten best, but committed 22 Saturday. Those 22 turnovers led to 29 points for Iowa.“Turnovers were a big difference in the game,” Miller said. “It’s just so hard to defend turnovers. They are a good transition team, so when you turn the ball over, it’s really difficult to guard that.”The turnover problem was most evident during the opening minutes of the second half. IU trailed by only five points at halftime, but committed three consecutive turnovers within the opening two minutes of the second half.The stall in IU’s offense allowed Iowa to go on a 16-7 run to pull ahead 60-46. Iowa was able to hold the lead for the rest of the game.Miller called a timeout after freshman guard Nicole Bell hit a 3-pointer, cutting Iowa’s lead to 10 points with 1 minutes 57 seconds remaining. Iowa’s Melissa Dixon nailed a 3-pointer after the timeout to put the game away.Freshmen guard Taylor Agler had a standout night for IU, despite the loss. Agler shot six-of-eight from beyond the 3-point line en route to scoring a career-high 21 points.“She hunted for shots tonight and was really aggressive tonight offensively, and we really needed that,” Miller said.Saturday’s game against Iowa was the last of a stretch of five games in 11 days, four of which were losses on the road.Miller said he will give his team a few days off and then welcome back a more routine schedule.“We survived. We got through that stretch,” Miller said. “We’ll get back to work with this young group and attack it, and try not to be discouraged.”Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
(01/26/14 3:21am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder wanted to send a message in Iowa’s rematch against IU.The Hoosiers upset then-No.22 Iowa at Assembly Hall earlier this month. All week, Bluder emphasized not overlooking IU again in the rematch.Message received.Iowa defeated IU 84-75 in Iowa City, Iowa Saturday night, handing IU its fourth loss in five games.“(I'm) disappointed ultimately with the loss tonight because we did a lot to ourselves,” IU Coach Curt Miller said.The Hawkeyes (16-4, 4-3) began the game on a 13-3 run. Nine of those early points came from 3-pointers, including a pair from junior guard Melissa Dixon.Iowa found success on the offensive end through ball movement. The Hawkeyes exploited IU’s 2-3 zone early on, allowing the Hawkeyes to make an extra pass to find an open shooter.Iowa ended the game with 15 assists on 28 made field goals.IU (15-5, 2-5) cut Iowa’s lead to 36-34 after a layup from Karlee McBride. Senior Simone Deloach got fouled shortly after and went to the line to shoot a one-and-one with a chance to tie the game.Deloach missed the front end and Iowa grabbed the rebound. Senior guard Taylor Theirra drew a foul on the other end and hit a pair of free-throws to extend Iowa’s lead to 38-34.“I thought that was a big moment in the game,” Miller said.The Hoosiers would not get within two points again the rest of the game.IU’s offense was plagued with turnovers throughout the night. The Hoosiers entered the game averaging a Big Ten best 12 turnovers per game, but committed 22 Saturday. Those 22 turnovers led to 29 Iowa points.“Turnovers were a big difference in the game,” Miller said. “It’s just so hard to defend turnovers. They are a good transition team so when you turn the ball over it’s really difficult to guard that.”Those turnovers were most evident in the opening minutes of the second half. IU trailed by only five points at halftime, but committed three consecutive turnovers within the opening two minutes of the second half.The stall in IU’s offense allowed Iowa to go on a 16-7 run to pull ahead 60-46. Iowa was able to hold the lead out of IU’s grasp for the rest of the game.The Hoosiers called a timeout after cutting Iowa’s lead to ten points with 1:57 remaining, but Iowa’s Melissa Dixon nailed a 3-pointer after the timeout to put the game away.Freshmen guard Taylor Agler had a standout night for IU. She shot six-of-eight from beyond the 3-point line en route to scoring a career-high 21 points.“She hunted for shots tonight and was really aggressive tonight offensively, and we really needed that,” Miller said of Agler.Saturday’s game against Iowa was the last of a stretch of five games in 11 days, four of which were losses on the road.Miller said he will give his team a few days off and then welcome back a more routine schedule.“We survived, we got through that stretch,” Miller said. “We’ll get back to work with this young group and attack it and try not to be discouraged.”
(01/26/14 1:56am)
Iowa defeated IU 84-75 on Saturday.
(01/26/14 12:49am)
At the half, Iowa leads IU 44-39 from Iowa City.
(01/24/14 7:52am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Karlee McBride provided a spark in the Jan. 2 women's basketball matchup between IU and Iowa. The freshman guard checked into the game with five minutes and 36 seconds remaining in the first half, and IU trailing by three. She proceeded to bury back-to-back 3-pointers, giving IU a 31-28 lead.McBride scored nine points in a stretch of one minute and 29 seconds. She shot 3-of-4 from beyond the arc in the opening half, prompting a 12-4 IU run.McBride finished the game 4-of-5 from 3-point range. She added a pair of free throws to finish with 14 points and three rebounds in only 14 minutes off the bench.IU Coach Curt Miller credited McBride’s ability to provide instant offense in limited minutes as being the difference in the game.“She’s the unsung hero,” Miller said after the game. “She was our X-factor.”Since winning the Big Ten opener, IU has gone 1-4 in conference. McBride was in the first game against Iowa.The Hoosier offense has struggled to find its X-factor. The offense has suffered because of it.Since that matchup three weeks ago, Iowa (15-5, 3-3) remains the top-ranked scoring team in the Big Ten, averaging 81.2 points per game.Contrarily, IU (15-4, 2-4) has since fallen from No. 2 to the No. 6 ranked offense in the conference at 73.8 points per game.Excluding an 83-78 overtime win against Minnesota at Assembly Hall, the Hoosiers have shot 57-of-196 (29.1 percent) from the field in their last three games.Part of the poor shooting could be blamed on tired players from a rescheduling conflict that forced IU to play three games in five days.Part of it could be that IU is in the midst of its Big Ten schedule, in which the defenses are better statistically than teams IU played earlier in the year.Miller credited Penn State’s defensive length for really bothering IU in Wednesday’s 65-52 loss.“You have to credit Penn State,” Miller said after Wednesday’s game. “They did a really good job of keeping us at about 30 feet in the first half offensively, and therefore we never could get in a rhythm.”IU has lost 21 consecutive conference games on the road. If IU continues to struggle shooting, that streak is likely going to continue.Iowa is 10th in the Big Ten in points allowed per game (69.0), which could mean good things for IU’s troubled offense. The Hawkeyes have struggled containing teams this year on the defensive end, which means IU could potentially find its offensive rhythm once again.Miller has played around with his lineup in recent games, trying to get his offense back on track. In the last two, Miller has started five freshmen and had former starters Sasha Chaplin and Tabitha Gerardot come off the bench.The lineup changes could be just what IU needs to find another X-factor to rejuvenate a struggling offensive unit.“We’re challenging them,” Miller said of his lineup. “I think the shuffle in the lineup to start five freshmen the other day motivated some seniors. I think that they see that I am willing to make changes if necessary—it’s good. It’s healthy for a young team in a practice situation that people keep fighting and scratching for playing time.”Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen
(01/23/14 4:57am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When IU’s offense struggles, games have the potential to get out of hand.Wednesday’s game got out of hand.IU shot just 16-58 (27.6 percent) from the field and could not keep up with No. 13 Penn State. The Hoosiers converted on just seven 2-point field goals as the Nittany Lions coasted to a 65-52 victory.“First, I’d like to give credit to Penn State,” IU Coach Curt Miller said. “(Penn State) just never let us really get into a follow offensively.”Both teams struggled to score early on. Freshman guard Larryn Brooks hit a 3-pointer with 10 minutes and eight seconds remaining in the first half to make it a 13-12 game.That would be the closest IU would get to leading for the rest of the night.Brooks struggled to get inside when creating offense. “They did a really good job of keeping us at about 30 feet in the first half offensively, and therefore we never could get in a rhythm,” he said.Following Brooks’ 3-pointer, Penn State (14-4, 5-1) proceeded on a 10-0 run to extend its lead to 23-12. FIU’s offense could not find a consistent scoring rhythm the rest of the game. The Hoosiers (15-4, 2-4) had stretches where they would chip into the Penn State lead, but then the offense would go dormant.Senior forward Tabitha Gerardot hit a jump shot with 18 minutes and 23 seconds remaining in the second half to pull IU within eight points, but then the offense stalled as the Nittany Lions pulled away. The Hoosiers went nine minutes and one second before making another field goal.“We just didn’t get the movement we wanted,” Miller said.IU tried to pull themselves back into the game with 3-pointers, but to no avail. IU shot just 9-30 (30 percent) from beyond the arc. Aside from Gerardot and freshman forward Lyndsay Leikem, IU players combined to shoot a woeful 4-21 (19 percent) from the field.Over half of IU’s field goal attempts were 3-pointers.Penn State’s length forced to try to score from long range.“We knew we had to make a bunch of threes, but we wanted to play a little more balanced inside out,” Miller said. “We didn’t have ultimately as good a night at the arc as we needed.”In a night where the offense struggled, Gerardot came in off the bench for a second consecutive game to turn in the strongest offensive performance for IU. She had 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds while shooting 3-7 from beyond the 3-point line.Miller was satisfied with the way his defense played throughout the night, and was pleased that his team managed to stay in the game — despite having one of the worst offensive nights of the season.“You have to credit Penn State,” Miller said. “They’re a huge team and they pose lots of problems.”Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
(01/22/14 5:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU women’s basketball team might have its toughest challenge yet when it travels to State College, Penn., today.The Hoosiers (15-3, 2-3 conference) are slated for a 7 p.m. matchup against No. 13 Penn State, the highest-ranked team IU has played this season.The Nittany Lions (13-4, 4-1 conference) claimed control of the Big Ten standings on Sunday, rallying from a seven-point halftime deficit to claim a 66-54 road win against Michigan State.Three of Penn State’s four losses have come against teams currently ranked, including losses to No. 1 Connecticut and No. 2 Notre Dame.Freshman forward Lindsay Leikem expects Penn State to pose the biggest challenge IU has faced yet.“They’re undoubtedly the best team in the league,” Leikem said. “They’re just extremely well coached, and they have a lot of great players. We have to prepare and play the best we can against them if we want to win.”Penn State’s defense is the root of its success this season.The Nittany Lions start 6-foot-5 junior forward Tori Waldner and 6-foot-6 sophomore forward Candice Agee. Their length has been a large factor in holding opponents to shooting 34.7 percent from the field — best in the Big Ten.IU Coach Curt Miller said he has been telling his players in practice to shoot whenever they can because Penn State’s defense does not allow for many chances to score easy buckets.“You can’t be afraid to take the first open shot because it might be the only good shot you get in the whole 30 seconds,” Miller said. “You have to be confident not to pass up shots.”Miller pointed out that one of the hardest parts of preparing for Penn State’s defense is they show opposing offenses a variety of defensive looks.The Nittany Lions have historically relied on a 2-3 zone defensively but in recent games have shown the ability to shut opponents down with a man-to-man defense. They relied heavily on a man-to-man defensive set when holding Michigan State to only 17 second-half points Sunday.“We’ve seen them shut down and hold teams to really poor field goal percentages in both (defense schemes),” Miller said. “So you’ve got to prepare in the two days of preparation for both their defenses.”On IU’s own defensive end, the Hoosiers will be faced with trying to box-out the Big Ten’s top offensive rebounding team.Penn State has the second-worst field goal percentage in the Big Ten at 41.1 percent, but their height creates extra possessions from grabbing offensive rebounds and then proceeding to score on close range layups.“You can do everything right for 20 seconds, they take a shot and they just get a simple put back because they’re so huge,” Miller said. “If you can’t rebound with Penn State, you can’t upset them.”The Hoosiers are also charged with guarding the Big Ten’s second-leading scorer Maggie Lucas.The senior guard is averaging 20.9 points per game. Miller conceded that IU will not be able to shut Lucas down. Instead, he is just looking for his defense to contain her from having a huge scoring night, similar to how the Hoosiers played against Minnesota’s Rachel Banham.Miller did not specify any particular Hoosier that will be charged with guarding Lucas. However, Leikem said defending her will be a team effort.“Coach Miller says this a lot, he says, ‘respect everyone, fear no one,’” Leikem said. “She’s good, but we can’t be afraid of her or else she’ll score on us. We can guard her. I know we can.”Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
(01/19/14 10:52pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU Coach Curt Miller said his players needed to make more “big shots” in order to win games against Big Ten opponents.They did against Minnesota Sunday.IU (15-3, 2-3) went 7-of-8 from the free-throw line and hit a pair of 3-point field goals en route to outscoring Minnesota 13-8 in overtime, securing an 83-78 victory.Freshman guards Larryn Brooks and Taylor Agler combined for 45 points, 12 of which came in overtime, to snap a three-game Big Ten losing streak.“They played fearless,” Miller said. “They hit shots when they needed to and didn’t pout when shots didn’t go in.”The Hoosiers had the final possession in regulation with the game tied at 70 but failed to convert. Senior forward Simone Deloach did not have enough time to get off a last second shot, forcing overtime.Brooks and Minnesota junior guard Rachel Banham exchanged free throws to open the overtime period. Minnesota freshman Amanda Zahui responded by getting to the foul line and hitting a pair of free throws of her own.Agler hit a 3-pointer on the following possession to give IU a one-point lead. Zahui again responded with a layup to put the Gophers ahead by one point.Zahui gave the Hoosier defense trouble through the entire game. The 6-foot-5 freshman scored 25 points off 10-of-11 shooting from the field. Her layup gave Minnesota the lead and quieted the Hoosier crowd.Brooks responded to Zahui’s layup with exactly what Miller had been asking for out from his team — a big shot.Brooks found open space after receiving a pass from Agler. Brooks, who was 3-of-7 from behind the arc before the shot, nailed a 3-pointer with 53 seconds remaining. Her 3-pointer proved to be the game winner as it brought IU ahead 79-76.“I was struggling a little bit from the 3-point line, but that’s just my teammates having faith in me,” Brooks said. “(Agler) looked for me and then having the confidence in me to take the shot.”Brooks’ 3-pointer proved to be the final made field goal of the game. As time winded down, IU’s defense forced Banham into missing a potential game-winning 3-pointer from just behind the arc.The Hoosiers were able to limit Banham from converting on field goals down the stretch when she needed to most. The John R. Wooden Award Finalist converted on 8-of-17 shots from the field and finished with a game high 29 points, but she failed to make a field goal in overtime.“We really stuck to the game plan, and she had 29 (points). She’s just that good of a player,” Miller said of Banham. “Fortunately, we kept them off the foul line right at the end enough.”The Hoosiers took possession and Brooks converted on a pair of free throws, giving her a team high 25 points and sealing the victory.The win comes just two days after being blown out by in-state rival Purdue, 86-53. Miller said he was unsure about the way his young team would respond to the loss and was proud of the way they grinded out a win at home.“For them to step back up after one day shows a lot of maturity for a young team,” Miller said.Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen
(01/19/14 9:27pm)
IU outscored Minnesota in overtime 13-8 at Assembly Hall en route to an 83-78 victory on Sunday.