Hoosiers’ goal: Stay present

The IU women’s basketball team captured its first victory against Purdue in Assembly Hall in nearly a decade on Monday.

With the win, the Hoosiers are now atop the Big Ten and off to their best start in 25 years, but they have much more they want to accomplish this season.

The next step comes Thursday when IU (13-3, 6-1) travels to Ann Arbor, Mich., to take on the Wolverines (9-9, 2-5).  

IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack’s mantra is all about staying focused on the task at hand.

“It is a good in-state rivalry and we are excited we won. But this is something you think about in July when you are out in the summer. You say, ‘Remember when?’” Legette-Jack said during a midweek practice. “Right now our focus has to be about the now and the present. Our present is about our practice today, and our practice today was geared towards Michigan.”

Although Michigan is No. 8 in conference and has lost three games in a row, Legette-Jack said she refuses to allow her team any letdown.

“We have 12 players that can really step up and do what they need to do,” she said. “You don’t worry about stuff, you don’t know – you just move on as it goes.”

One Hoosier catalyst to the team when it appears to be losing energy is sophomore Whitney Lindsay.

Lindsay said she likes to be vocal with her teammates.

“I just happen to be the one that is kind of loud,” she said. “I want everyone to hear that I see when the energy is down, or I see when the energy is up; I just want to keep it going.”

The working formula for IU is defense.

The Hoosiers used a 17-1 run just after the five-minute mark in the second half to cap off Monday’s win against Purdue. And on the season, IU yields just 59.4 points per game.

Senior Kim Roberson, a quick-handed specialist, needs only 25 steals to become the school’s all-time leader. Roberson said the fuel for the defense’s intensity comes from her coach and the team’s strong will.

“Coach Jack preaches our defense every day,” Roberson said. “‘Our bottom line, you might not make every shot,’ she says, ‘but you got to stop somebody.’”

Legette-Jack said she believes they will face a challenge up north, as Michigan is well-coached and beat a top-tier team in Notre Dame last month.

IU’s next two opponents are Michigan and Illinois, who have a combined 2-13 conference record. They are easy opponents to overlook, especially with the Hoosiers coming off of an emotional win.

“We did some celebrating the game that night, then make adjustments the next day in practice and we just focus on the next team,” said Roberson, echoing her coach’s mantra. “I think the atmosphere is geared toward taking each game one at a time and staying in the present.”