Hoosiers defeat Lambuth 108-54 in 1st exhibition

The Lambuth University Eagles were the 2006-07 NAIA National Champions and made it to the Sweet Sixteen in the following season, but that didn’t stop the Hoosiers from dominating them in their first exhibition match Sunday. 

IU finished with 108 points, double the Eagles’ score of 54. The Hoosiers had not scored more than 100 points since a regular-season game against Ball State in 2002. They scored 103 points in that game.
 
The women played extremely well on both the defensive and offensive end. They had five players in double digits and forced 26 turnovers. They also had 14 steals and three blocks. 

Junior guard Jori Davis led all scores with 24. She is looking early on to be a prominent scorer on this year’s young team. 

After joking that Davis should average 60 points a game, IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack advised against labeling a go-to player. Instead, Legette-Jack said everyone will have to step in and pick up the slack left from the loss of three starters. 

Some of that burden will be picked up by the freshmen.

Two of the three freshmen, forward Sasha Bernard and guard Aulani Sinclair, both received significant playing time against the Eagles.

Bernard started the game and Sinclair came in as a reserve. The two combined to score 18 points. 

Although the Hoosiers had a successful game, Bernard said the team is in the process of gaining chemistry.

“Still learning each other,” she said. “But it’s coming along.”

While to spectators the Eagles might have looked a step behind the Hoosiers on Sunday, Legette-Jack said her team benefited from the competition.

“It was really great to get out there and play someone other than ourselves,” Legette-Jack said. “We’ve been really kind of beating each other up for the last two and a half, three weeks.” 

The exhibition game provided more than an opponent for the Hoosiers, giving them a chance to work out kinks from their game and discover what else they need to focus on. 

Experience is something that this Hoosier squad lacks, but Legette-Jack said while this year’s team might not win in the experience department, it is more talented than the previous team.

Legette-Jack said their talent hasn’t eclipsed IU’s willingness to play together.
“We pride our ladies in the fact that we share the ball,” she said. “We are a very unselfish team, and we give up a good shot for a great shot. And I think that we are going to continue to get better throughout the season.”