Brooks has been up and down throughout the season, and IU Coach Teri Moren addressed her team’s inconsistencies on her radio show Monday.
When asked about how Brooks can regain her form as a leading scorer for IU, Moren said she didn’t know.
“I wish I had the answer for you there,” Moren said. “I think we’ve been searching for that, I think she’s been searching for that. The ability to be consistent night in, ?night out.”
Moren thought the addition of more scorers going into Brooks’ second season with the Hoosiers would take the pressure off of her. However, that has not been the case.
She has been playing with that same pressure, Moren said, and she sometimes tries to make offense happen on her own when there is not a good look.
Brooks has continued to play with edge and focus, but she needs to regain that consistency. Regardless of her occasional struggles, Moren wants her in the lineup.
“There is no question we are a better basketball team when she is on the floor,” Moren said.
IU lost 81-64 on Sunday to No. 13 Iowa. The loss was not a surprise, and Moren said the ranking Iowa has is one it deserves, but there were areas of the game that the team could have controlled better.
An example: holding onto the ball.
“I think the biggest takeaway is they got 20 more shot attempts than we got,” ?Moren said.
IU wasted possessions and did not get shots off due to turnovers. IU turned the ball over 16 times, and both point guards, Brooks and freshman Tyra Buss, turned the ball over five times each.
Iowa scored 21 points off of IU’s turnovers. Moren said Buss had turnovers that were not forced. She had balls bounce off her leg. Brooks had errant passes that simply went out of bounds.
“(The Hawkeyes) weren’t great yesterday, but they were good enough that they were able to get us,” Moren said.
Another issue was rebounding. IU was outrebounded 36-to-27, but more importantly, it gave up 13 offensive rebounds. Iowa was not considered to be a great rebounding team.
“That was one of the areas that we thought that we would have success in,” Moren said.
Instead, the Hawkeyes had little issues regaining control of missed shots. On one possession in the first half, they had four consecutive offensive rebounds. Moren said part of that comes down to long shots ending up as longer rebounds off the rim.
She also said IU needed to get more bodies on opposing rebounders.
When mentioning IU’s next game Wednesday at Michigan, Moren displayed some sure confidence.
“We are going to win this game,” Moren said.
The Wolverines are coming off a one point loss to Northwestern last Saturday.
A key opponent to watch will be forward Cyesha Goree, who is averaging 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds per game this season. Moren said IU will need to get bodies on her and hands in her face.
“There’s no question that the offense goes through her,” Moren said.
Then, IU has its final home game of the season Saturday against No. 21 Nebraska.
All the final games down the stretch are meaningful, Moren said, and IU has shown it can play good basketball in Assembly Hall.
It will also be senior night for guard Andrea Mize, as well as other members of the program that are not active.
Mize has scored five points this season, three of which came last week in a win against Illinois.
