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IUWBB GAME PREVIEW: No. 20/20 Michigan Up Next (BTN), win 72-61

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Another crucial Big Ten matchup awaits Indiana Women's Basketball on Thursday night when it welcomes No. 20/20 Michigan to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. ET live on the Big Ten Network.

Indiana (17-8, 7-5 B1G) vs. No. 20/20 Michigan (21-5, 10-2 B1G)
Thursday, February 16, 2017 • 6 p.m. ET
Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall • Bloomington, Ind.
TV Broadcast: BTN (Lisa Byington, Shelley Till)
Radio:IU Radio Network (Greg Murray)
Live Stats:Sidearm
Social Media:Facebook | Twitter
Promotions:Indiana LED Flashlight Keychains for the first 500 fans (available at the south lobby marketing table)

ABOUT THE COACHES
Indiana
Teri Moren
Career Record: 252-166 (14th year)
Indiana Record: 53-36 (3rd year)

Michigan
Kim Barnes Arico
Career Record: 374-265 (20th Season)
Michigan Record: 104-59 (5th Season)

ABOUT THE WOLVERINES
The Wolverines rides a six-game win streak into Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Thursday night. They are most recently coming off a 75-66 win over Wisconsin on Sunday at home. Michigan is led by junior guard Katelynn Flaherty who averages 20.2 points per game and shoots 45.1 percent. Sophomore center Hallie Thome adds 15.0 points down low on a 64.4 percent clip from the floor while grabbing 7.2 boards per game. Freshman guard Kysre Gondrezick contributes 14.3 points per contest. As a team, Michigan averages 79.2 points per game and shoots 47.7 percent from the floor.

SERIES HISTORY
Indiana leads the series, 43-27
Last Meeting: 1/10/17 - L, 78-74 (Ann Arbor, Mich.)

PREVIOUSLY WITH THE WOLVERINES
Indiana will get another shot at the Michigan Wolverines on Thursday night as the two teams have already met once this season. IU fell in the first meeting at Crisler Center on January 10, 78-74. Indiana leads the all-time series between the two programs, 43-27, and are 23-9 at home versus the Wolverines. Indiana has split or swept its two other series this season, beating Penn State twice and splitting the pair with Northwestern on Saturday.

DEFENSIVE EFFORT
Indiana's 66-38 rout of Northwestern on Saturday had not only season implications but historic ones as well. It marked the fewest points allowed by an IU team to its opponent since it gave up 37 points to Wisconsin in 1986. It also marked the largest margin of win in a Big Ten game under third year head coach Teri Moren and the most since it beat Northwestern on Dec. 31, 2007 (+31).

WINNING AT HOME
With a 10-2 record on its home court this season, Indiana has secured 10 wins or more for the fourth-consecutive season. It also marks the fifth-consecutive season Indiana has posted a winning record at home including all three seasons under third year head coach Teri Moren .

VICTORY IN PISCATAWAY
Indiana won for the first time ever at Rutgers in a 63-52 victory on February 8. It marked just the second win over the Scarlet Knights in the all-time series that featured just one game before their entrance into the Big Ten in 2013-14. A trio of double figure scorers led IU with 20 points from junior forward Amanda Cahill .

CAHILL NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT
Amanda Cahill earned her second straight CoSIDA Academic All-District honor, announced by the organization on February 9. The Clyde, Ohio native holds a 3.90 GPA in elementary education and will now be featured on the ballot for Academic All-American honors to be announced in March. She was also named to the District 5 team as a sophomore in 2015-16. IU has not had a player named an Academic All-American since 1989 (Ann Mooney, Amy Vanderkolk).

BUSS ADDED TO WADE WATCH
Junior guard Tyra Buss was one of 10 players added to the Wade Trophy Watch List on Monday afternoon. The Wade Trophy — now in its 40th year — is the oldest and most prestigious national player of the year award in college women's basketball. It marks just the second time IU has featured a player on the list, as the program's all-time leading scorer Denise Jackson was a finalist for the award in 1983 and 1984.

FULL FEBRUARY
Indiana continues on in its full slate for the month of February, which features eight games in 23 days to close out the regular season. They are just one of two teams in the Big Ten with the eight game slate in the month, as Iowa will also play eight games.

HOOSIERS IN THE RPI
Coming into Thursday's game, Indiana sits at No. 41 in the NCAA RPI while Michigan comes in at No. 31. Overall, the Big Ten features five teams in the top 50 of the latest RPI.

BLOWOUT WINS
Nine of IU's 17 wins have been by blowout fashion, by at least 24 points or more, including Saturday's 28-point win over Northwestern. In the other four games IU has won, it has posted at least a 14 point margin of victory in three of them. Indiana posted its largest win of 51 (100-49) over Northern Kentucky on Dec. 8.

SPREAD THE LOVE
The Hoosiers don't mind spreading the wealth as it passed out 18 assists for the 11th time this season in Saturday's win over the Wildcats. The have hit a season-high 22 assists on three different occasions and have 11 or more assists in every game this season.

BUSS STOPS AT THE LINE
Tyra Buss continues her excellence from the free throw line in her career as she leads Indiana with a 81.1 free throw percentage. She ranks fifth in the Big Ten, but has gotten to the line 164 times, the second most times of anyone in the league. She ranks 12th in the nation in made free throws (133) and 19th in attempts. For her career, Buss has registered the fourth in both makes (431) and attempts (567).

JENN CONTINUES TO SCORE
Senior center Jenn Anderson continues to provide a solid scoring threat for the Hoosiers. She added another double-digit game on Feb. 8 when she scored 10 points on 5-for-8 shooting at Rutgers. The Sheridan, Ind. native has now scored in double figures in 11 games this season, which matches a career-high. Anderson has also recorded three double figure rebounding games in her final season, including grabbing 11 rebounds in the win over Northwestern. She is now averaging 10.2 points in Big Ten play on a 63.6 field goal percentage and grabbing 5.8 rebounds through ten league games.

LEX DOES A LOT TOO
Senior guard Alexis Gassion is also one of the Hoosier's most powerful pieces on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. The Fairborn, Ohio native is IU's third leading scorer with 13.2 points per game and the team's second leading rebounder grabbing 6.0 boards per contest. She is also second in assists (4.4 per game) and holds a 48.3 field goal percentage. Her 2.7 assist to turnover ratio is fourth in the Big Ten and ranks 14th in the nation. Gassion has also posted 20 games in double figures this season.

UP NEXT
The Hoosiers hit the road as they travel to Nebraska on Sunday. Tipoff at Pinnacle Bank Arena is set for 3 p.m. ET on BTN Plus.

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Videos and live stats within:
iuhoosiers.com/news/2017/2/15/-iuwbb-game-preview-no-20-20-michigan-up-next-for-indiana-womens-basketball.aspx

Go Hoosiers!
 
IU looking for first ranked win against Michigan
by Jake Thomer

IU women’s basketball took a two-game road trip to Michigan and Northwestern in mid-January and lost both games.

The Hoosiers were able to avenge the second of those defeats over the weekend when they beat the Wildcats thoroughly in a dominant defensive performance, and now, with No. 20 Michigan coming to Bloomington for a 6 p.m. tipoff Thursday, IU Coach Teri Moren said she and her team are eager to use the familiarity they have with the Wolverines to secure the Hoosiers' first win over a ranked team all season.

“There’s something about being able to play teams more than once,” Moren said. “That was a disappointing loss for us, and there certainly is motivation there.”

Michigan’s win against IU on Jan. 10 started a stretch in which the Wolverines have won eight of their last nine games. The lone loss came to No. 3 Maryland, which is in first place in the Big Ten and undefeated in conference play.

Moren praised Michigan’s ability to win road games in the Big Ten. The Wolverines have already picked up four wins away from home in conference play. With just one freshman, guard Kysre Gondrezick, who plays more than nine minutes per game, Michigan’s roster boasts many experienced players.

IU has yet to beat a ranked team this year and has losses to No. 3 Maryland and then-No. 14 Ohio State on its résumé. The Hoosiers are currently in the running for an NCAA Tournament bid and were included as a 10-seed in ESPNW’s latest bracketology, but Moren said a win against Michigan would go a long way toward making her team feel more confident about its chances.

“We talk about a signature win. Michigan has done their work, and now it’s our job,” Moren said. “We have a great plan for them. It’s going to be a big win for your résumé, no question.”

In the previous battle between the two teams, Michigan's 6-foot-5 sophomore center Hallie Thome was tough to stop for IU. She made nine of 11 shots and scored 21 points with 11 rebounds. Thome averages 15 points, 7.2 rebounds and a pair of blocks per game.

Part of what makes defending against Michigan so difficult is the ability of the Wolverine post players to dish the ball out to some of the country’s best 3-point shooters, Moren said. Michigan has the best 3-point field goal percentage in the NCAA with a 40.8 percent mark as a team.

Gondrezick, who shoots 47.3 percent from behind the arc, teams up with junior guard Katelynn Flaherty in the sharpshooting Michigan backcourt. Flaherty is averaging 20.2 points per game this season and has a 38.7 percent 3-point field goal percentage.

IU senior center Jenn Anderson, who stands two inches shorter than Thome at 6-foot-3, was able to hold her own offensively in the last game against Michigan. Anderson had 21 points to match Thome, but Thursday the Hoosiers need Anderson to challenge the Wolverine center more on the defensive end.

“You have to make every shot for her tough,” Anderson said. “We know that she’s left-handed, so we really have to close off her power moves and make her try to use her right hand.”

Moren said her post players will attempt to double team Thome as much as they can, but facing a double-team will be nothing new to Thome or the rest of her teammates.

Improving shot selection will be key for IU, Moren said. The Hoosiers made just three of 13 3-pointers against the Wolverines in January, so the IU backcourt of junior guard Tyra Buss and senior Karlee McBride will look to shoot efficiently and avoid mistakes.

The Big Ten schedule is winding down and just three regular season games remain for IU after Thursday's matchup. Moren said things have changed in the past month for her team, and the mindset of her players is different.

“We’re playing with a greater purpose, a greater sense of urgency because we know it’s there for us,” Moren said. “There’s no question that it’s going to give us some momentum.”

http://www.idsnews.com/article/2017/02/iu-looks-for-important-win-against-michigan

Go Hoosiers!
 
IU wins over #20 Michigan in a BIG win

Indiana jumped out to a 23-8 lead after one; Michigan went the last 6+ minutes without a score. The Hoosiers' quick start helped put some distance between them and #20 Michigan. IU was hitting 3s and presenting a solid defense throughout the half. The halftime score was 40-22. The Wolverines were flustrated on both ends of the court.
The Hoosiers started strong after the halftime, but the 3rd Qtr ended in an even match with a 61-42 score. IU showed some great passing and ball movement early in the Qtr. Michigan had a 11-0 run in the 4th Qtr (about 6 minutes), but Indiana held off a strong closing by Michigan to prevail in a 72-61 win. (It was starting to remind me of the Auburn loss, when IU lost a 17 point lead in the 4th Qtr.) Michigan averages 80 p/g, so this was a good defensive effort over the course of the game. This gave Indiana another top 50 RPI win; its second in a row and helped to solidify their 4th place spot in the B10.
CTM used her bench as 12 players saw game time (8 scored) and 7 saw double digit minutes. Gulley replaced McBride in the starting line-up and Foresman was the first reserve off the bench. The younger players are coming along nicely. McBride played well off the bench, while Towner and Royster had significant minutes and contributions tonight. Cahill collected another double-double.
IU shot just over 46.4% while UM shot 41.1%; IU had advantages in rebounds 33/32, assists 19/12, TOs 14/17 and fouls 15/19.

Points: Buss-21, Cahill-15, McBride-13 and Gassion-10
Rebounds: Cahill-12, Anderson-7, Gassion-6 and Buss-3
Assists: Buss-7, Cahill-6 and Towner-2

Boxscore via live stats:
http://iuhoosiers.com/boxscore.aspx?path=wbball&id=11947

Go Hoosiers!
 
Indiana Women’s Basketball Upends No. 20 Michigan

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – A hot start helped lead the Indiana Women's Basketball team to a 72-61 victory over No. 20 Michigan on Thursday night inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

Four players scored in double figures led by 21 points from junior guard Tyra Buss who also dished out a game-high seven assists, picked up three steals and three rebounds. Junior forward Amanda Cahill posted her ninth double-double of the season with a team-high 12 rebounds and 15 points in the victory as she tied a season-high six assists and added two steals.

Senior guard Karlee McBride went 4-for-8 from the field and added two triples for 13 points while senior guard Alexis Gassion also contributed 10 points and seven boards. The win over the ranked Wolverines marked the first over a ranked opponent this season and the fifth under third-year head coach Teri Moren.

The Hoosiers compiled a 46.4 field goal percentage on the night and hit seven 3-pointers. They narrowly outrebounded the Wolverines, 33-32, and combined for 19 assists on 26 made shots. Indiana capitalized on 17 miscues by Michigan, turning it into 19 points.

Indiana opened up the ball game on an offensive tear, with back-to-back buckets from Buss and Cahill giving them its first lead of the night with 7:19 to play. After Michigan cut it to two with a pair at the line by junior guard Katelynn Flaherty, Indiana rattled off a 13-0 run - thanks to 3-point plays from McBride and Gassion - to close out the first quarter and take a 23-8 advantage after one.

Maintaining its lead into the second, IU would eventually double up the Wolverines after a 3-pointer from Buss made it 30-15 with 6:37 remaining. It was a spark that led to an 8-0 run and led to its largest lead of the night, up 23 with 2:43 remaining and eventually go ahead 40-22 at the break.

Coming out in the third quarter, IU score on its first two possessions and maintained a solid lead throughout the quarter to go up 61-42 going into the final period. It's where things got interesting for the Hoosiers, who were outscored, 19-11, in the frame as it was held without a field goal for nearly six minutes and allowed Michigan to come within as few as eight.

However, Buss took control as she drove to the bucket with 2:18 remaining and bonus free throws in the final minute of play helped IU come away with its third-straight win.

QUOTABLE
Head coach Teri Moren

"I can't tell you how excited I am for our kids. We talk about the significance of this game in particular and I try not to do that because I never want to make our kids feel the pressure. But, I thought they answered the bell in a big way. Especially for three quarters, we really got out to great start. We had activity defensively from everybody that came in that first half. We had early foul trouble. I was really pleased with how Darby Foresman, especially in the first half when Jenn (Anderson) was out with two fouls. She handled herself defensively. Tyshee Towner came in and gave us big minutes when Alexis (Gassion) got her second foul. Overall, I thought it was a great team performance for three out of four quarters. In the fourth, we found a way to not let them get any closer. We had to knock down our free throws. I thought Tyra (Buss) being aggressive, getting to the glass was really good to see down the stretch. Very, very excited and happy for our players. They're all big, but I thought tonight was a really big win for us."

NOTABLE
Indiana is victorious over Michigan for the second straight season in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall with the 72-61 win and earned back-to-back home wins for the first time since 2009-10.
The win is the first win for the Hoosiers over a ranked opponent since Jan. 24, 2016 in a 91-84 win at Northwestern. It also marked the first win over a top 50 RPI opponent this season, as Michigan came into Thursday night's game at No. 29.
Leading 10-8 the Hoosiers used a 13-0 run over the final 4:56 to close the first quarter and take a 23-8 lead. Indiana held Michigan without a field goal the final 6:38 of the quarter. The eight points for Michigan was season low for a quarter.
Indiana held Michigan to 22 points in the first half. It is the third straight half the Hoosiers have held an opponent under 23 points (17, 21 against Northwestern). Over those three halves, Indiana has outscored opponents 106-60.
Indiana held Michigan to its lowest point total (61) in Big Ten play this season (previous 63 against Rutgers). The Wolverines came into the game averaging 79.2 points per game on the season.
The Hoosiers had 19 assists for the game. In the third quarter Indiana assisted on all eight of its field goals. It is the ninth game this season the Hoosiers have had 19 or more assists in a game.
For the 12th game this season the Hoosiers had four players score in double-figures. Indiana is 9-3 on the season when four players score in double-figures.
Tyra Buss scored 21 points and moved into 11th on the Hoosiers all-time scoring list. She now has 1,464 career points. Buss scored in double-figures for the 80th time in 90 career games, including 61 of the last 62 games.
Buss has now scored 20 or more points in 10 games this season and in 27 games in her career.
Amanda Cahill registered her ninth double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Cahill tied her career-high with six assists and has tallied five or more assists in six games this season.
Karlee McBride came off the bench to score 13 points, which included two 3-point baskets.
Alexis Gassion scored in double-figures for the 21st time this season with 10 points. She added seven rebounds.

UP NEXT
A Sunday afternoon matchup at Nebraska is up next for the Hoosiers. Tipoff at Pinnacle Bank Arena is set for 3 p.m. ET on BTN Plus.

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Boxscore within:
http://iuhoosiers.com/news/2017/2/16/indiana-womens-basketball-upends-no-20-michigan.aspx

Go Hoosiers!
 
IU notches résumé-building win
by Josh Eastern

When IU needed a bucket at the end of the game, the Hoosiers turned to junior guard Tyra Buss.

The Hoosiers led by as much as 23 in the first half. The No. 20 Michigan Wolverines clawed their way back and cut it down to as close as eight points. IU was in the midst of a five-plus minute scoring drought when Buss hit a free throw. Seconds later, she stuck the dagger in the heart of the Wolverines with a floater from the right side of the lane.

IU held on down the stretch to notch its first win against a ranked team this season by beating No. 20 Michigan, 72-61, Thursday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

“I can’t tell you how excited I am and thrilled for our players,” IU Coach Teri Moren said. “We talked about the significance of this game in particular. I thought they answered the bell in a big way.”

Michigan wasn’t hitting shots early, but it was only a matter of time until they did. The Wolverines came in with the second-best field goal percentage in the Big Ten. In the second half, they shot 47 percent, which is also their overall average. Buss said after the game Michigan made it tougher on them because of their pressure. She continued by saying the Hoosiers were rushing shots and they weren’t getting the shots they wanted.

Moren summed it up quite frankly when asked what enabled Michigan to make a run in the fourth quarter.

“They’re really good,” Moren said. “As we said to the guys at halftime, this is not new for them. In their last two of three games, they’ve been down at half and they just fought their way back. It was a matter of time before they knocked down some of those shots.”

The Hoosiers had just about the best start imaginable. As for Michigan, it was the exact opposite. After junior forward Amanda Cahill got the Hoosiers on the board with a 3-pointer, IU never gave up that lead all night. After Michigan made it 10-8, the Hoosiers took control with a 13-0 run counteracted by the Wolverines going more than seven minutes scoreless.

IU’s lead going into the fourth quarter was at 19 points. Then Michigan had it down to nine points. The Wolverines ripped off 10 consecutive points, and all of a sudden it was a game again. IU went scoreless for more than five minutes.

The Hoosiers knew the stakes coming into Thursday’s matchup with the No. 20 Wolverines. This win against Michigan was IU’s first top 50 RPI win of the season. Adding this game to the résumé was something the Hoosiers needed, and Buss said it was extremely important to do so.

“Coach was talking and saying we needed a signature win,” Buss said. “We hadn’t really had one yet. Today’s game was really important, and we all knew that going in. We had a good two days of prep, and I thought we were really prepared.”

The Hoosiers currently hold the four-seed in the Big Ten Tournament with an 8-5 conference record. IU has won three straight games heading into its second-to-last road game of the season against the 1-11 Nebraska Cornhuskers on Sunday in Lincoln.

With three games left to play, the Hoosiers can’t let up if they want to see themselves in the NCAA Tournament. Moren said after the game there is still a lot of basketball left on the schedule.

“We have a tendency at Indiana to always make things interesting,” Moren said.

http://www.idsnews.com/article/2017/02/iu-notches-resume-building-win

Go Hoosiers!
 
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