IU Coach Teri Moren said she was not pleased with how IU finished Friday’s close loss to Ohio.
But less than 24 hours later, IU was able to put Austin Peay away with a lights-out shooting performance in the second half. The Hoosiers shot a season-high 19-27 (70.4 percent) in the final two quarters to defeat the Governors, 90-58, in the consolation game of the Vanderbilt Thanksgiving Tournament in Nashville, Tennessee.
IU (4-2) fell to Ohio, 63-56, in the first round of the tournament. In that game, the Hoosiers missed their final six shots, including a pair of layups, to fall to the Bobcats. That was not the case on Saturday afternoon, as IU used a 34-11 third quarter to roll over Austin Peay, a team that was picked seventh in the Preseason Poll of the Ohio Valley Conference.
“Our ability to bounce-back was really great today,” Moren said. “I’m really pleased with the way we pushed (the ball), that made all the difference. They responded in a really good way today with their focus, especially on the offensive end.”
The Hoosiers led by just 34-29 at the half despite sparking a 12-0 run in the second quarter. Three of their six turnovers came in the final three minutes of the first half, allowing Austin Peay to trim the deficit. IU flirted with a double-digit lead throughout the third quarter before ending the frame on a 14-0 run fueled by freshman forward Kym Royster and junior center Jenn Anderson.
After struggling to shoot at a high-percentage against Ohio, sophomore guard Tyra Buss returned to her usual form Saturday. Buss scored a game-high 23 points and dished out five assists in the process. She was not alone, as sophomore forward Amanda Cahill continued her steady contribution for the Hoosiers, scoring 15 points and corralling a team-high seven rebounds. Junior guard Alexis Gassion and Jenn Anderson also finished in double-figure scoring, adding 13 and 10 points, respectively.
“It’s always great when you get a lead and see everyone play,” Moren said. “What I loved is that Jess (Walter) and Karlee (McBride) and Tyshee (Towner) were really working defensively and diving for loose balls, to me, that is special. They could have easily just let the clock keep ticking. I’m really happy that everyone got an opportunity to play today.”
IU, after finishing the Vanderbilt Thanksgiving Tournament with a 1-1 record, will return to Bloomington in preparation for playing host to Georgia Tech on Wednesday night. The Yellow Jackets, which will enter Assembly Hall with a 5-2, were picked to finish 11th out of 15 teams in the ACC Preseason Poll.
“We’ve had very little practice time, with our game schedule,” Moren said. “We’re usually trying to manage the minutes of Tyra, Lex, Cahill, I’m looking forward to the day when we can go for a solid two hours and work on specific things.”
