Women's basketball team looks for "X-factor" on offense

Karlee McBride provided a spark in the Jan. 2 women's basketball matchup between IU and Iowa.
 
The freshman guard checked into the game with five minutes and 36 seconds remaining in the first half, and IU trailing by three. She proceeded to bury back-to-back 3-pointers, giving IU a 31-28 lead.

McBride scored nine points in a stretch of one minute and 29 seconds. She shot 3-of-4 from beyond the arc in the opening half, prompting a 12-4 IU run.

McBride finished the game 4-of-5 from 3-point range. She added a pair of free throws to finish with 14 points and three rebounds in only 14 minutes off the bench.

IU Coach Curt Miller credited McBride’s ability to provide instant offense in limited minutes as being the difference in the game.

“She’s the unsung hero,” Miller said after the game. “She was our X-factor.”

Since winning the Big Ten opener, IU has gone 1-4 in conference. McBride was in the first game against Iowa.

The Hoosier offense has struggled to find its X-factor.  

The offense has suffered because of it.

Since that matchup three weeks ago, Iowa (15-5, 3-3) remains the top-ranked scoring team in the Big Ten, averaging 81.2 points per game.

Contrarily, IU (15-4, 2-4) has since fallen from No. 2 to the No. 6 ranked offense in the conference at 73.8 points per game.

Excluding an 83-78 overtime win against Minnesota at Assembly Hall, the Hoosiers have shot 57-of-196 (29.1 percent) from the field in their last three games.

Part of the poor shooting could be blamed on tired players from a rescheduling conflict that forced IU to play three games in five days.

Part of it could be that IU is in the midst of its Big Ten schedule, in which the defenses are better statistically than teams IU played earlier in the year.

Miller credited Penn State’s defensive length for really bothering IU in Wednesday’s 65-52 loss.

“You have to credit Penn State,” Miller said after Wednesday’s game. “They did a really good job of keeping us at about 30 feet in the first half offensively, and therefore we never could get in a rhythm.”

IU has lost 21 consecutive conference games on the road. If IU continues to struggle shooting, that streak is likely going to continue.

Iowa is 10th in the Big Ten in points allowed per game (69.0), which could mean good things for IU’s troubled offense. The Hawkeyes have struggled containing teams this year on the defensive end, which means IU could potentially find its offensive rhythm once again.

Miller has played around with his lineup in recent games, trying to get his offense back on track. In the last two, Miller has started five freshmen and had former starters  Sasha Chaplin and Tabitha Gerardot come off the bench.

The lineup changes could be just what IU needs to find another X-factor to rejuvenate a struggling offensive unit.

“We’re challenging them,” Miller said of his lineup. “I think the shuffle in the lineup to start five freshmen the other day motivated some seniors. I think that they see that I am willing to make changes if necessary—it’s good. It’s healthy for a young team in a practice situation that people keep fighting and scratching for playing time.”

Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen