After back-to-back losses against Harvard University on Nov. 7 and Butler University on Nov. 13, Indiana women’s basketball looks to bounce back Sunday against No. 24 Stanford University.
The Hoosiers are 1-2 through their first three games of the season, marking the first time since the 2008-09 season and the first time in head coach Teri Moren’s tenure at Indiana.
“It sucks. It hurts. Hurt last game,” graduate student guard Sydney Parrish said after the Hoosiers 56-46 loss to Butler. “We’re about to face a really good Stanford team, and we got to be better.”
Stanford enters the matchup 4-0 with wins over Le Moyne College, Washington State University, Gonzaga University and the University of California, Davis. The Cardinal started the season unranked in The Associated Press’ preseason Top 25 but is now ranked No. 24 after their hot start to the season.
In last season’s matchup, the Cardinal beat the Hoosiers 96-64 and handed Indiana its first loss of the season. Stanford attacked Indiana in the post and from 3-point range as forwards Cameron Brink and Kiki Iriafen each recorded a double-double –– Brink with 20 points and 17 rebounds and Iriafen with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
While Indiana will not have to face Brink and Iriafen on Sunday — Brink was drafted into the WNBA by the Los Angeles Sparks and Iriafen transferred to USC — it will have to watch out for Stanford’s 3-point shooting ability. The Cardinal are shooting 51% from the 3-point line, which leads the nation. They shot 70% from 3-point range in their 94-65 victory over Washington State on Nov. 7. Eight of the Cardinal’s players are shooting at or above 50% from beyond the arc.
Indiana has struggled guarding the 3-point line through its first three games. The Hoosiers allowed 11 3-pointers in their victory over Brown University, eight against Harvard and six against Butler.
The Cardinal are adapting to playing under head coach Kate Paye after Tara VanDerveer retired in April. VanDerveer, who played at Indiana from 1972-75, was the all-time winningest head coach for Stanford after 38 seasons. Paye was on staff under VanDerveer for 17 seasons –– eight as associate head coach –– before being named head coach.
The Hoosiers will return home to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall to take on the Cardinal. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday and will be broadcast on FS1.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and Savannah Slone (@savrivers06) and columnist Ryan Canfield (@RyanCanfieldOnX) for updates throughout the Indiana women’s basketball season.
