It’s a philosophy so many coaches preach, including IU Women’s Basketball Coach Teri Moren.
But when her basketball team has found success this season, it’s been the opposite. When shots are falling early and often, everything else falls into place. That’s been especially important for the confidence of a team as young as the Hoosiers.
“To say we were calm, I think it had a lot to do with the fact that we were in our groove hitting shots and we felt pretty comfortable and confident,” Moren said after a 69-52 win against Wisconsin on Sunday.
But Moren’s defense-first philosophy isn’t going away. It’s just a work in progress.
The Hoosiers have tried everything — man-to-man, a 2-3 zone, a 3-2 zone, a triangle-and-two. Mixing up defenses throughout the game worked when IU defeated No. 24 Michigan State, but was ineffective in back-to-back losses to Purdue and Ohio State, when the Hoosiers allowed a combined 189 points.
Moren went into the Big Ten season expecting to rely mostly on zone defense. Zone schemes allow for a smaller team to defend by committee rather than by matching up against taller opponents.
But in a bounce-back win against Wisconsin on Sunday, there was a different solution.
For the first time since opening the Big Ten season, Moren found reverting back to a man-to-man worked. She said they’ve based their defense on man-to-man from the beginning of the regular season. She and her coaching staff decided it was a team they could match up well with player-to-player.
It solved several defensive problems that surfaced against Purdue and Ohio State. The Hoosiers were out-rebounded in both games. Staying in a man-to-man allowed them to just turn and box out their player, rather than scrambling to find a body. Most importantly, it helped in transition defense.
“That’s been our Achilles’ heel — our transition defense has been poor,” Moren said. “That’s one of the things about going right into a man-to-man is it’s natural.”
Man defense has also been where IU’s best defenders thrive. Moren has been forced to play 5-foot-10 guard Alexis Gassion at the four post position frequently, rather than her natural three spot.
“Lex is one of those players that’s a luxury to have,” Moren said.
Gassion has to know the playbook from two spots on the court. Moren said she’s most impressed with Gassion’s focus, executing at either position. The matchup is ideal on the offensive end. Moren said they try to take advantage by putting Gassion in positions to beat bigger players off the dribble and get them in foul trouble.
But defensively, that means sometimes guarding post players who are a head taller than her. She’s welcomed that challenge. Gassion grabbed 16 rebounds Sunday in her first start of the season. The sophomore has 88 rebounds this year, second only to freshman forward Amanda Cahill, who has 145.
“You challenge her to go in and stop their best player or someone we’re having a hard time containing, giving up too many easy shots, she thrives on that. She loves the challenge,” Moren said.
The biggest change Moren saw defensively between the Ohio State and Wisconsin games wasn’t anything she drew up. It was a difference in effort. The defensive effort Moren gets from Gassion every game is what Moren wants her team to be able to fall back on — defense translating to offense.
“Looking back, what disheartened me the most was our effort, our body language at times, kind of giving in to defeat,” Moren said about the Ohio State game. “That’s not going to be us.”
