Barn Burner Trophy at stake against Purdue

The IU women’s basketball team (8-7) will be playing for more than an improvement to their 2-1 conference record against rival Purdue (9-5) on Sunday at Assembly Hall.

The Hoosiers will be competing for the annual Barn Burner Trophy, the rivalry trophy awarded to the victor of the Indiana-Purdue women’s basketball game each season. The award currently resides in West Lafayette after the Boilermakers defeated coach Felisha Legette-Jack’s squad 76-66 last year in Mackey Arena.

The matchup, which is scheduled to tip-off at 2 p.m., will feature two teams with similar overall records, but very different starts to their conference schedules. The Hoosiers currently sit fourth in the Big Ten standings after beginning conference play with a 2-1 record. Purdue, despite a better overall record, is in 10th place with an 0-2 conference record.

Legette-Jack said in a teleconference Tuesday that her team’s recent success hasn’t been a result of any adjustment by the team or coaches.

“Nothing has changed,” she said. “We’ve just been consistent with our work ethic.”

One factor that has stayed constant in the Hoosiers’ conference victories against Minnesota and Northwestern is the scoring efforts of guard Jori Davis. The senior captain was the lead scorer in both games with 24 and 31 points, respectively.

Davis has been assisted by senior forward Hope Elam who scored in double figures in both Big Ten victories and sophomore forward Aulani Sinclair who recorded a double-double on Dec. 30 in a win against Northwestern.

On the other end of the sideline, the Boilermakers will look for freshman guard Courtney Moses to continue her breakout season. The Sweetser, Ind. native is leading the team in three-point percentage (.476) and is second in points per game with 12.6 points.

The game will be IU’s annual “Head to the Hall” game, meaning all tickets will be sold for $1 to the general public. Students, faculty and staff will gain admission for free.