The Hoosiers began conference play with a road loss to Wisconsin 6-8 (2-2) before putting together a strong performance in a victory against Michigan 10-5 (2-2) at Assembly Hall.
After IU’s first win against Michigan in a half-decade, the Hoosiers were rewarded with a pair of games against the only two remaining unbeaten teams in the Big Ten. IU battled against No. 5 Ohio State on Thursday, trailing by just five points before a lopsided fourth quarter led to a 97-70 loss in Columbus.
IU traveled to West Lafayette on Sunday to face Purdue 13-2 (4-0) in midst of the Boilermakers’ seven-game winning streak. Moren admitted during Monday’s radio show that the Hoosiers simply ran out of gas due to their lack of size and depth. IU fell 63-53 in the battle for the Barn Burner trophy, despite cutting a 20-point deficit to just eight points in the second half.
Moren, for the third time this week, will see how her team responds against the upper echelon of the challenging Big Ten conference. The Hoosiers will host No. 18 Michigan State 12-3 (3-1) Wednesday night at Assembly Hall. IU has not lost this season in Bloomington.
“They’re different than they were a year ago,” Moren said about Michigan State. “Last year they were a two-headed monster. Now they have other pieces around them. They probably should have beaten Ohio State but they came up short. It’s going to be another tremendous challenge for our team.”
The Spartans feature junior forward Aerial Powers who is sixth in the Big Ten in scoring with 21.9 points per game. Powers, a 6-foot forward, also averages a double-double with 12.1 rebounds per game. Michigan State boasts 5-foot-8 junior guard Tori Jankoska, who averages 17.5 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
Jankoska is expected to be matched-up with IU sophomore guard Tyra Buss, who is hoping to bounce back from a season-low 10 points on 2-of-7 shooting from the floor.
“We need to trust our coaches and follow the gameplan that we have,” Buss said. “I think we’ve had a really good prep for them. We need to keep them off the offensive boards, Powers is a monster down there. We have to contain her and get a hand up on Tori Jankoska. We need to stop those two players and we’ll be alright.”
Buss has always been an integral part of Moren’s system, primarily this season as the 5-foot-8 guard is in her first season as the Hoosiers’ point guard.
Buss has rarely come off the floor in her sophomore year. She has played in at least 36 minutes in every Big Ten game this season.
“I never want to come out, ever,” Buss said. “I do need those breaks, though. Coach knows that. They try to take me out at a good time where I can at least get my legs fresh for a minute or two. I tell myself that I’m not tired, but really a break is good for me.”
The trio of Buss, sophomore forward Amanda Cahill and junior guard Lex Gassion have carried the Hoosiers this season.
Cahill has recorded five double-doubles throughout the year, including three in Big Ten play. Gassion, meanwhile, averages 11.9 points per game. The trio averages almost 34 minutes per game as a combined unit.
“I’ve never felt pressured at all,” Buss said. “I don’t think Amanda or Lex would say that either. When it’s late in the shot clock, or we’re down in a game, we want the ball in our hands to make a play. I trust each and every one of my teammates that they can make a play for us.”
Moren has expressed concern about the consistency of production from her supporting cast, as guards Tyshee Towner, Karlee McBride and forwards Lyndsay Leikem and Jenn Anderson, have shined in various games while being quieted in others.
The second-year coach admitted that her supporting cast will have difficulty on Wednesday against the Spartans.
“You want your supporting cast to play well against the Wisconsins, Ohio States and Purdues,” Moren said. “We’re still waiting on that, to be honest. We have nights where Kym Royster shows up, Karlee can show up and give us some offensive power. We’ve been so inconsistent with that, everybody is going to play and everybody has to be able to contribute in some way.”
