When IU Coach Teri Moren looked at the stat sheet after Sunday’s game, there was one glaring issue.
In an easy 68-55 victory against IU-Purdue University Indianapolis, the Hoosiers allowed 18 offensive rebounds.
“That’s not really a skill,” Moren said. “That’s heart, determination. You just want the ball more than the player that you’re going against.”
When Moren came to IU, she brought a defensive-minded approach. She’s still in the process of getting her team to adopt the same ?philosophy.
Through the first seven games, IU was holding its opponents to 58 points per game. Averaging 87 points on offense, the scoring advantage was enough to win games.
Sunday, the Hoosiers (7-1) had just 12 turnovers and were shooting above average from behind the 3-point line, going 7-of-17. Even on the defensive end, they were containing the Jaguars.
On multiple IUPUI possessions throughout the first half, IU’s pressure left the Jaguars with just three or four seconds on the shot clock, forcing them to throw up a bad shot.
But it was those last three or four seconds where IU broke down defensively. To Moren, those are the ?seconds that count.
“What is hard is defending and getting a contact box out,” she said. “That’s hard work. And that’s one of the things that we’ll continue to hammer home to our kids.”
The Jaguars outrebounded the Hoosiers 41-30 and scored 21 points off of second-chance opportunities on the offensive end.
After giving up eight offensive boards in the first half that led to 13 second chance points — nearly half of IUPUI’s halftime total — sophomore guard Larryn Brooks said boxing out was emphasized in the locker room.
“We didn’t really put bodies on them,” Brooks said. “We were just trying to out-jump people. And us being so small, we really can’t do that, especially in the Big Ten. If we do it now, it’ll carry over to the Big Ten.”
Moren was happy with the defensive execution as the Hoosiers switched between man and zone more frequently than they normally do. After swapping baskets for the majority of the first half, IU went on a 13-0 run going into halftime to extend its lead to 41-27, a stretch Moren credited to her team’s ability to get back in zone ?defense.
But finishing those defensive possessions is something Moren says will need to be improved, especially before the start of the Big Ten season. She said too often her team gets caught watching other teammates, rather than finding a player to box out.
Freshman Amanda Cahill led the Hoosiers with nine rebounds, and sophomore Alexis Gassion added seven.
But just seven of IU’s rebounds were offensive, leading to two second-chance points. Moren said they’ll need to not only limit opponents’ offensive rebounds but utilize offensive rebounding opportunities of their own, just as IUPUI did Sunday.
“When you look at the stats, you don’t win very many games when you get outrebounded,” Moren said. “There were more than one occasion that I turned and looked at our staff and said, ‘We’re lucky.’
“Sometimes it takes a little bit of luck to win games, but you can’t rely on luck.”
