It’s the little things that matter most in big games, and with IU set to face its toughest test of the season thus far on Sunday, IU Coach Teri Moren is focused on the minute details.
The Hoosiers (4-1) rebounded from their first loss with a blowout win at home on Wednesday. When they travel to face Auburn (5-1) in Alabama on Sunday afternoon, Moren said IU will need to minimize mistakes at all costs.
Moren said her team’s post defense, free throw shooting and three-point shooting will all need to be a bit sharper on the road against a Power 5 school. The free throws in particular have irked Moren recently, with IU shooting just 61 percent from the charity stripe through five games. In Wednesday’s drubbing of UMass Lowell, IU made just 11 of 23 free throws.
“I’m very disappointed in how we’re shooting right now from the free throw line, I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about that,” Moren said. “We’ve been spending time at the free throw line, and we’ve got to figure out how we can capitalize on those free throws, because as we go down the stretch here and we go to Auburn and we go to NC State, and then as we go into Big Ten play, every game we have to have those free throws. So certainly that is an area where we have to spend more time.”
Auburn has shot about 35 more free throws than its opponents this season, but nonetheless Moren said her team needs to take advantage of opportunities for free points. IU will likely try to feed the post and get Auburn’s taller players in foul trouble. Senior guard/forward Katie Frerking and junior forwards Jazmine and Jessica Jones combine for around 20 rebounds per game, but also about nine fouls per game combined.
Senior guard Brandy Montgomery leads the Tigers in scoring at 14.2 points per game. Moren said she anticipates a full-court zone press for the entire game from Auburn’s defense, and a zone defense in the halfcourt as well.
“I know they’re athletic, and they’ve got three seniors that are veterans that are really good,” Moren said. We’re going to have to be able to handle ourselves against that, and we’re going to have to be able to go out on the road and hit shots.”
If Auburn does run the 2-3 zone that Moren is anticipating, junior guard Tyra Buss and junior forward Amanda Cahill would likely lead the charge to find open threes against the zone. Buss leads the team with nine threes and a 41 percent mark from deep, while Cahill has sunk five and shoots 31 percent from beyond the arc this season.
The Hoosier guards are also able to attack the rim effectively if their long shots aren’t falling. Senior guard Alexis Gassion, at 5-foot-10, has been able to get to the rim almost at will this season, mainly against smaller guards who are defending her.
Gassion is second on the team in scoring at just over 15 points per game. She led the team with 18 points in Wednesday’s win, and afterwards she said the home win will be beneficial for IU’s poise and attitude before playing its next three games on the road.
“I definitely think it gives us more confidence,” Gassion said. “With this win, we’re all close, our energy’s good."
