Hoosiers hope to end 6-game losing streak in West Lafayette

It has been more than three weeks since the IU women’s basketball team finished a game with a victory. Now the team will head to rival Purdue to compete and try to avoid a seventh straight loss.

The Hoosiers (8-12, 2-6) will take on the Boilermakers (13-7, 4-4) at noon Sunday in West Lafayette. This is the second matchup between the teams this season.

In the first game, Purdue edged out the Hoosiers 55-50 despite a stingy IU defense, which held the Boilermakers to 29.3 percent shooting. However, Purdue put in 20-of-21 free throws, with many of them coming down the stretch.

Purdue junior guard Brittany Rayburn led her team with 12 points in that game. She enters Sunday’s showdown as the Boilermakers’ leading scorer for the season, with an average of 14.3 points per game.

Coming off an 82-69 loss at Penn State in which IU was outrebounded 61-36, head coach Felisha Legette-Jack commented on her team’s continual development.

“We’re a work in progress,” she said. “We’re never going to get used to losing or learning these lessons through defeat.”

The Hoosiers have had a week to work on some of their recent shortcomings and develop their game plan for the Boilermakers.

IU will continue to look to senior guard Jori Davis for leadership. Davis has scored double-digits in 19 of the Hoosiers 20 games this season.

To take the pressure off of Davis, senior Hope Elam will also need to put up big
numbers.  

Elam scored 21 points against Penn State and stands as the team’s second leading scorer behind Davis.

The team will also look for improved performance from its post players both on the offensive boards and defensive boards to limit second chance opportunities for the Boilermakers.

The Hoosiers will have some help from off-the-court Sunday afternoon as well. A “Win Wagon” will be arranged to take fans to Purdue. It is filled to capacity, and the team hopes it will make a difference in a tough road game.