IU will be high on confidence Thursday after defeating No. 24 Chattanooga 54-43 Tuesday night. Despite shooting just 6-of-15 from the floor, sophomore guard Tyra Buss scored a game-high 16 points in the win. Buss, as well as freshman forward Kym Royster and sophomore forward Amanda Cahill, sealed the deal against a ranked opponent.
“It’s definitely encouraging for us to know that the work we’re putting in has been paying off,” Cahill said. “That’s the great part of having a harder non-conference schedule. We knew we would be tested early and find out what we needed to work on. It’s going to help us down the road. We’re looking forward to Thursday.”
Along with IU, DePaul enters the Preseason WNIT Semifinals with a record of 2-0 after dismantling Southern Illinois and St. Bonaventure to start its season. The Blue Demons bring back three starters from last year’s 27-8 (15-3 in the Big East) conference championship team. DePaul also has junior guard Brooke Schulte back after suffering a torn ACL a year ago.
The Blue Demons lost guard Brittany Hrynko, the Big East’s leading scorer, to graduation. Hrynko led her team and her conference in scoring with 19.1 points and 5.3 assists per game. Despite losing one of its best players in program history, DePaul boasts junior guard Jessica January, who averages 17 points per game, and 6-foot-2 wing Megan Podkowa, who averages a double-double with 15.5 points per game and 12 rebounds per game.
IU junior guard Tyshee Towner will likely have her hands full with DePaul’s potent backcourt of January and 5-foot-5 guard Chanise Jenkins. However, IU Coach Teri Moren said she was elated with how Towner shut down Chattanooga’s leading passer and point guard Alicia Payne in Tuesday’s win.
“I thought Tyshee was terrific on the ball,” Moren said. “She was defending the defensive player of the year in their conference last year. She did a tremendous job keeping her in front.”
The Hoosiers will look to create havoc on defense against DePaul, a staple of Moren’s defensive philosophy. IU has forced 36 turnovers in its first two games, including 18 against Chattanooga. Cahill and Buss mentioned after Tuesday’s win that there has been a focus on defense leading to offense.
“Our ball pressure is a big reason why they turned the ball over,” Buss said. “I thought our help side was really good tonight. We have to keep communicating on defense, that’s what helped us get that win.”
