IU traveled to Columbus on the heels of a thrilling overtime victory against Michigan at Assembly Hall to face No. 5 Ohio State, the Hoosiers’ toughest test thus far. IU led by as many as eight points in the first quarter, but an 8-0 run helped the Buckeyes take a 40-35 lead going into halftime.
“I thought we played a great first half,” IU Coach Teri Moren said on her weekly radio show Monday. “To only go down by five points to Ohio State, which I think is a final four team, gave us great confidence in the second half that we would give ourselves a chance. We ran out of gas, to be honest.”
The Buckeyes, who are 12-3 (4-0) on the season, took advantage of a fatigued IU roster, as Ohio State used a 30-15 fourth quarter to blow the game open, defeating IU 97-70.
Sophomore guard Tyra Buss and sophomore forward Amanda Cahill scored 19 and 17 points respectively in the losing effort.
“They have some tremendous pieces,” Moren said of Ohio State. “Specifically on the inside. We don’t have that type of depth or size right now. Although we played a great first half, we have to get out of halftime with even more energy.”
Moren cited the lack of depth and size that the Hoosiers must deal with through the remainder of the Big Ten season.
The second-year coach brought up the sudden transfer of junior guard Victoria Kemokai, who transferred to IU from a junior college.
Kemokai left the program before the season started due to “family reasons back home in Texas.”
Kemokai’s departure left Moren with just 10 available players for the 2015-16 season, three of whom had not played a game in a Hoosier uniform.
Freshman forward Kym Royster has been eased into Moren’s system, while fellow freshman forward Danielle Williams has battled injuries in her rookie campaign.
“Our lack of depth right now really puts pressure on us as a staff,” Moren said. “We put so much pressure on Tyra Buss, Amanda Cahill and Alexis Gassion that you want to give them periods of practices off. We just can’t right now. With the Big Ten schedule, it’s unlike any other, there’s a two-day prep time in between. That’s really difficult to get any type of conditioning in between.”
Walter shines for first time against Ohio State
Sophomore guard Jess Walter, who returned after suffering concussion symptoms Nov. 19, 2015, against DePaul, has slowly been working her way back into Moren’s rotation.
While the 6-foot guard has not been shooting the ball well in her sophomore campaign — 16-of-52, 30.8 percent from the floor — Walter scored a season-high 11 points against Ohio State last week.
Walter’s playing time has seen an increase ever since she started against Yale, tallying 23 minutes in the win.
She has started all four Big Ten games so far this season.
“She was our best outside 3-point shooter last year,” Moren said of Walter. “It was nice to see her knock down shots, although she didn’t knock down shots yesterday against Purdue. That’s what we’re not doing right now, we’re not shooting at a high clip. With such a short turnaround, you really have to manage your practices and focus on what is really important right now.”
Hoosiers fall at Purdue in rivalry game
IU wrapped up the week at Purdue on Sunday afternoon looking for its first road win of conference play.
The Hoosiers fought back in the third quarter before falling to the Boilermakers, 63-53 in the battle for the Barn Burner trophy.
IU trailed by as much as 20 points, 42-22 in the third quarter, before sparking a 13-3 run to get the Hoosiers back into the rivalry game. Purdue (13-2, 4-0) served as yet another top conference opponent for Moren’s squad early in the Big Ten season.
“I really felt good about our gameplan and the two days of prep that we had,” Moren said. “We were really going to change things up defensively and throw them off balanced. We came out and couldn’t hit shots, had some breakdowns defensively that led to easy scores for them.”
IU shot just 20-of-57 — 35.1 percent — against Purdue with 12 crucial turnovers in the game.
“They got their lead because of our carelessness with the ball and our missed shots,” Moren said. “That’s frustrating because that’s something that we always talk about.”
IU will face No. 18 Michigan State on Tuesday evening at Assembly Hall, where the Hoosiers have not lost.
The Spartans enter with a 12-3 record overall and a 3-1 mark in Big Ten play.
