Hoosiers to face struggling Illini

The IU women’s basketball team is in quicksand and in need of a helping hand to drag it out.

The Hoosiers are hoping that an 8 p.m. game at Illinois today will pull them out of a nine-game losing hole.

Although the Illini took the first meeting against IU (2-9, 8-15) on Jan. 13, Illinois (2-9, 7-17) now stands in last place in the Big Ten and is in the midst of a seven-game losing streak. Its last victory was the meeting with IU in Bloomington.

To procure their first victory since Jan. 2, the Hoosiers will need to get a strong scoring effort from senior guard Jori Davis while containing the inside game of Illinois sophomore forward Karisma Penn.

Penn has been the leading scorer and rebounder for the Illini in six of the last seven games. Against Michigan on Feb. 6, Penn posted her 15th double-double of the season, leading the Illini with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Her 15 double-doubles leads the Big Ten and is fourth in the nation.

“She’s tremendous, she’s unbelievable, she is clearly one of the best five players in our conference and she’s only a sophomore,” IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack said of Penn. “Some people you just can’t really stop and she might be one of them. We’re going to try to keep her on her heels, but honestly, she gets it. We’re gonna try to keep her guessing, but at the end of the day, she’s going to get a double-double. So we got to stop the other four (players).”

For the Hoosiers, Davis is on the doorstep of a career milestone. She is nine points away from 10th place on the IU all-time scorers list. If the Big Ten’s third-leading scorer can meet her 18.3 points per game average, Davis will not only help her team but also solidify her place in school history.

Senior guard Whitney Lindsay said the key for the Hoosiers will be creating offense from their defense.

“We got to pick up the defensive intensity. This game is going to be a big game for us defensively, and we’re hoping to get our offense from our defensive stops and our transition game,” she said.

Legette-Jack said she still has faith in her team as it progresses with each practice.

“I think that we’ve had a lot more hunger the last couple practices, and a lot more people have stepped up,” she said. “I’m just excited about the way we look right now, which might seem like a weird thing to say when you’re on a nine-game skid, but our kids are getting better. They really are.”