IU knocks off the Billikens

Following a game in which she was limited to two rebounds, two assists and zero points against UT Martin, senior guard Jamie Braun responded and led the Hoosiers to a 74-61 victory against the Saint Louis Billikens. 

Three Hoosiers netted double figures against the Billikens, including Braun, who ended the game with 23 points. Sophomore guard Ashlee Mells finished with a career-high 14 points, and junior guard Jori Davis just missed her second double-double of the season with 12 points and nine rebounds.

Mells said IU associate coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson helped her chart a career high in scoring.

“I knew I had to be ready for the game,” Mells said. “I went back to focusing on my hustling, defense and shooting. Coach (Abrahamson-Henderson) kept telling me to just relax and shoot the ball. So I kept telling myself that throughout the game. Just hustle and shoot.”

The Hoosiers, in a continuing theme of the season, also got an offensive boost from their bench, who scored 30 points for the fourth time this season.  

Defensively, the Hoosiers dominated the Billikens, forcing 25 turnovers and stealing the ball 10 times. IU scored 26 points on the Billikens’ mistakes. The team also kept Saint Louis four points under their game average, as the Billikens shot just more than 30 percent for the game. 

Braun, who had five steals, said the team’s defense really changed the game’s outcome. 

“Our team came out very active on the defensive end,” Braun said, “which led to our production on the offense and helped us win the game.”

Braun’s five steals against Saint Louis moved her into sixth place on the all-time steals list for the Hoosiers. She passed Kris McGrade, who played for the Hoosiers 1991-94 and recorded 181 steals in 95 games. Braun has 188 steals in her career, with 18 steals on the season. To move into fifth place, Braun will need only eight more steals this season. 

Braun didn’t only move up higher on the all-time steals list against the Billikens. She also scored in double digits for the first time  since Nov. 27.

However, Braun’s game against the Billikens was obviously improved, as she put up her second-highest scoring game of the season. Braun also shot well from the field, hitting 8-of-13 shots. 

“My teammates got me open for some easy buckets, which helped me with my confidence,” Braun said. “And that just continued throughout the game.”

IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack said the game came for Braun to improve her play.

 “It was her time,” she said. “Everybody else was held in check and someone had to emerge.”