Deloach celebrates birthday with third double-double

IU Coach Curt Miller had a request for senior forward Simone Deloach on her 22nd birthday.

“I asked her for one thing — double-double,” Miller said.

She got it.

Delaoch scored 14 points and added a season-high 14 rebounds to help IU defeat Wisconsin 76-69 on Saturday. It’s Deloach’s third double-double this season.

Miller made Deloach attacking the paint a point of emphasis throughout the game. Doing so meant Deloach went head-to-head against Wisconsin’s Michala Johnson, who averages 16.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.

Deloach defended Johnson throughout the night. She allowed her to score 21 points, but limited the Connecticut transfer to only five rebounds.

“A lot of people had trouble defending (Johnson),” Miller said. “I thought she really battled and made it as difficult as possible.”

On the offensive end, Deloach found herself dueling against the 6-foot-3 Johnson, where she was often called upon to get IU points during stretches where  IU struggled to score.

With just more than six minutes remaining in the first half and IU holding onto a six-point lead, Miller yelled from the sidelines, “Go, Simone, go. Post up on her.”
Deloach responded to Miller calling her number with a spin move and a right-handed layup to put the Hoosiers up 28-20.

“If he asks me to do something,” Delaoch said, “I like to try to get it done.”

Deloach would be called on again soon after. She responded with another bucket.

She got double-teamed in the post with just more than one minute left in the first half and kept her composure against a pair of defenders. She spun away from one defender, cutting through the pair of Badgers and finishing with her left hand to put IU up 39-27.

Her presence inside opened the floor for her teammates to get open on the wing when defenders came to double team.

Deloach drew defenders in, creating space for IU from beyond the arc where they shot 6-of-16.

“I think we always focus on getting inside to outside touches, it helps to get the guards threes,” Deloach said.

Deloach’s inside presence and rebounding helped lead to IU outscoring Wisconsin 40-28 in the paint.

She had six of IU’s 14 offensive rebounds which led to 14 second-chance points. The Badgers managed just two second-chance points.

“They make you make shots and we found ways to score in the paint — and that was the difference tonight was discrepancy in points in the paint,” Miller said.

“A lot of those points were Simone’s and our assertive effort to drive the ball to the rim.”

Deloach has worked her way into the starting lineup in IU’s most recent games with her consistent performance as an inside presence.

Her most recent double-double caps a four-game stretch in which Deloach has averaged 9.75 points and 9.25 rebounds per game.

Miller said his team’s performance wasn’t perfect, but IU got the job done.
“It wasn’t always pretty. We had some shots blocked,” Miller said.

“We missed some opportunities, but it was an assertive effort to get the ball most of the night into the paint and Simone anchored that.”

Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.