IU coach Teri Moren places a high value on the defensive side of the ball.
Her newly integrated defensive system will receive its first test of the season as the IU women’s basketball team faces off against the University of Indianapolis on Sunday.
The Greyhounds averaged 78.4 points per game last season, which ranked fifth in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
The team held a closed scrimmage during the week, giving the team its first real opportunity to defend against another team.
After defensive struggles, Moren is hoping the team adapts to the system by the time the exhibition tip-off begins.
“We have made progress but defensively we’re not near where we want to be,” Moren said. “We are slowly turning the corner with our defensive principles and working together on that end.”
Sophomore point guard Larryn Brooks admitted she didn’t play much defense last season, but she has spent most of her offseason improving on that end.
Brooks believes the team is ready to begin the season, although she reiterated Moren’s point of the team still having room for improvement.
“In our scrimmage we didn’t do too well on defense,” she said. “We can score the ball but we really want to focus on doing what we need to do to win Saturday and carry it into regular season play. Defense and communication are going to be key for us.”
Fortunately for the Hoosiers, the Greyhounds are looking to develop a new offensive identity after the departure of leading scorer Katy McIntosh.
Moren will also use the exhibition to experiment with different lineups.
“Sometimes it’s not your best five, it’s the best five that play the best together,” she said. “We’re trying to figure that out.”
Having 10 guards on the roster, Moren said there is a chance they will experiment with four guard lineups at times.
Brooks and sophomore guards Taylor Agler and Alexis Gassion, three of the top four leading scorers last season, are expected to receive a heavy amount of playing time with freshmen guards Tyra Buss and Jess Walter seeing time in the guard-heavy lineups as well.
Buss is expected to bring a fair amount of scoring to the table after averaging 45.8 points per game as a senior last season at Mt. Carmel High School.
Moren also wants the team to balance the offense by getting touches in the paint to center Jenn Anderson and forward Amanda Cahill, both of whom are expected to be the frontcourt players paired with the four-guard lineups.
“We need to have more post touches,” Moren said. “Although we’re small, we have to try to get some high percentage touches to Anderson and Cahill.”
While the smaller lineups will provide plenty of offense for the Hoosiers, cleaning up boards on offense and defense is going to be a team effort.
“Rebounding is going to be by committee,” Moren said. “We hope Jenn Anderson can be a tremendous rebounder when she’s in but there is responsibility on everybody to box out. We’ll always have our three boxing out while our one and two get back on defense.”
While the team is focused on defeating the Greyhounds, Moren made it clear that the game is about measuring the team’s growth and adaption in the new system.
“Sunday really won’t be about U-Indy,” Moren said. “It’s going to be about us.”
