Freshman pair spark Hoosiers

The IU women’s basketball team’s most prolific players were at it again in Assembly Hall. Freshmen guards Taylor Agler and Larryn Brooks commanded offense and defense in IU’s home 87-68 victory over Milwaukee.

“It’s a luxury,” IU Coach Curt Miller said. “We recruited Taylor to be our point guard. To have two point guards on at the same time, you have a lot of creativity.”

Brooks was 4-4 from 3-point range in the first half, scoring 16 points in the half.

“Larryn was terrific,” Miller said. “We never switched her off (Milwaukee’s Angela) Rodriguez, who’s one of the premier mid-major scorers in the country, and she guarded her the whole game. For her to expend a lot of energy at the defensive end and do what she did offensively is pretty impressive for a young freshman.”

Brooks’ first three baskets were 3-pointers, which prompted a 12-2 run for the Hoosiers.

She finished with 27 points on 10-18 shooting from the field, 7-9 from 3-point range.

Her seven 3-pointers were tied for third for most 3-pointers made in a game in program history.

In addition, her 27 points were 9th best for points in a game for a freshman. Her 25th point in the game put her at 12th initially.  

“It was definitely my team getting me the ball,” Brooks said. “It was just working that inside-out game. The balance from the team was great.”

It was Brooks who got the offense going after halftime, opening the second half by scoring five points. Her points were the first field goals of the second half for the Hoosiers.

Meanwhile, Agler was disruptive on defense. She would finish with four steals, a team high.

“I just try to do what I can to go out and help the team when, whether that’s play really hard on defense and try get steals or score when I can,” she said. “I’m just trying to be a part of the team.”

Her four steals single-handedly outnumbered the Panthers, which finished with three total steals.

“I think the ball bounced my way a little more tonight,” Agler said. “I try to go for those steals other games and I don’t get them, so I think I was just really lucky tonight.”

She also contributed eight points on 3-4 shooting. With only four shot attempts, Miller said he was frustrated at times that she passed up some shots.

“She kept on creatively penetrating and leading to other peoples’ easy baskets,” Miller said.

He said she will have to find a balance.

“She’s gotta find that happy medium offensively of when to take shots,” Miller said. “But she was doing a great job of play making.”

Miller said both freshmen guards are dynamic players in their own ways.

“Those two were the catalyst for what we’re trying to accomplish, and they were terrific tonight,” Miller said.

Follow reporter Stuart Jackson on Twitter @Stuart_Jackson1.