Indiana Women's Basketball Starts Final Non-Conference Stretch with Western Michigan
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The Hoosiers are back home again in Bloomington after defeating then ranked-No. 20 Ohio State on the road for their second Big Ten game of the season.
Now, the Hoosiers have just three games left in their non-conference schedule starting with the Western Michigan Broncos before it's solely Big Ten play, the always competitive conference that Indiana head coach Teri Moren says the team has prepared for in its challenging non-conference schedule.
Indiana has faced Western Michigan 11 times total and holds a 7-4 record against the Broncos, but the last meeting was almost 30 years ago in 1993 when the Hoosiers won by a whopping 95-68.
The Broncos are currently 6-2 on a five-game winning streak. The team is led by sophomore guard Lauren Ross averaging 20.8 points per game and sophomore forward Taylor Williams averaging 13.3. Williams leads the team with 8.5 rebounds per game.
The Hoosiers are ranked No. 10 in the nation and hold an 8-2 record, but Moren wants more out of her team, especially when it comes to limiting turnovers.
"There's a correlation between possessions and you know, you're only seven points shy of averaging 80 points," Moren said. "We may be over 80 plus right now if we're taking better care of the ball."
Moren has always said from the beginning of the season that she'd like to average 80 points and 11 turnovers or better. She came up with this formula using the Big Ten statistics as a guide.
"We looked at the Big Ten numbers," Moren said. "We looked at Maryland. That's how we compare ourselves. What's the top doing — the Maryland's? Who's scoring the most points right now in the league?"
The Hoosiers struggled with turnovers early in the season and are averaging 15.1 turnovers per game. In the victory over the Buckeyes, Indiana kept possession of the basketball and improved to 12 turnovers.
"We start three senior guards, so obviously the turnover issue is something that shouldn't be happening," senior guard Grace Berger said.
Berger has always been a strong weapon for the Hoosiers. She's currently averaging 42.9 percent from the field and saw great improvement in the Ohio State game putting up 21 points.
"I think my game's been the same," Berger said. "I'm just out of my shooting slump the last couple games, and I'm confident that it's over with."
Indiana was grateful to have its starting five back on the floor, but Moren has been utilizing her bench in the rotation, especially sophomores Kiandra Browne and Chloe Moore-McNeil.
"I think what I'm looking for is consistency," Moren said. "We just need those guys that we are using from a bench perspective to be more consistent."
Browne and Moore-McNeil are contributing plenty of minutes getting more experience in tough games. Moren also likes what she sees from junior guard Grace Waggoner.
"I think Waggoner's minutes might be the one that perhaps could go up a little more," Moren said.
Tipoff versus Western Michigan is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 19 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
How to watch Western Michigan at Indiana
- Who: Western Michigan (6-2) vs. Indiana Hoosiers (8-2)
- When: 1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Dec. 19
- Where: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Ind.
- TV: Big Ten Plus
- Radio: WHCC 105.1 FM
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