IU looks to bounce back against Butler following consecutive losses

Coming off consecutive losses following a six-game winning streak, the IU women’s basketball team will look to start a new winning streak when it takes on Butler 2 p.m. Sunday in Indianapolis.  

The Hoosiers (6-3) will try to solve its shooting woes against the Bulldogs (3-5), who have had their fair share of offensive struggles.

For the Bulldogs, it has been a case of hot and cold on offense. In its three wins, Butler averaged 68 points; in five losses, the team averaged 57.2 points.

Most recently, Butler lost on the road Wednesday to IU Coach Curt Miller’s former team, Bowling Green, 67-47.

The Bulldogs are 2-1 at Hinkle Fieldhouse, however, and will look to shut down an IU team that has not shot better than 40 percent or scored at least 60 points since it beat IPFW 64-47 on Nov. 26, four games ago.

IU allowed 58 points in its four-point loss to Belmont Tuesday, but shot so poorly in the first half (28 percent) its late comeback fell short, and the team suffered consecutive losses for the first time this season.

“Giving up 58 points in a game — and some of that there at the end was fouls — most nights is winnable in most programs,” Miller said. “But we can’t score, so it’s hard to win even when you give up 56 to 58 points a game.”

Aulani Sinclair, 19 points, and Nicole Bell, 11 points, were the only players to score in double figures against the Bruins. Bell has been a valuable piece off the bench, taking some of the pressure off of Sinclair, IU’s leading scorer with 18.4 points per game.

“She made some tough plays and made some shots,” Miller said. “Ironically, I don’t think it’s a surprise. We brought her here because she makes shots. That’s what you have to do.”

Sinclair has attempted at least 12 shots in every game except one, Dec. 2 vs. Cleveland State, and has led the team in scoring in seven of IU’s nine games.

The offense figures to run through her once again. Fellow senior Jasmine McGhee is the team’s second leading scorer with 9.9 points per game but is shooting just 29.2 percent. Starting forwards Milika Taufa and Linda Rubene are chipping in 6.2 points per game apiece.

The Bulldogs, on the other hand, feature a balanced scoring attack.

Sophomore guard Taylor Schippers leads the way with 18.1 points per game, junior forward Daress McClung follows with 16 per game and sophomore guard Hannah Douglas rounds out Butler’s big three with 10.2 per game.

Though Butler uses a trio of scorers and IU relies heavily on Sinclair to generate offense, the teams have achieved remarkably similar results.  

The Hoosiers shoot 39.4 percent from the field and average a Big Ten-worst 58.4 points per game, while the Bulldogs shoot 38.2 percent and average 61.2 points per game.

The matchup is the first between the teams since IU beat Butler 63-41 at home on Dec. 9, 2008. The Hoosiers lead the all-time series 4-0.