Ground Report

THE OPENING TIP
Indiana wraps up the regular season non-conference schedule at Oakland on Saturday, Dec. 20 at 2 p.m. ET inside the Athletics Center O’rena. The game can be heard on IUHoosiers.com with Greg Murray on the call. The contest will also be available on ESPN3.

DID YOU KNOW? 
• Sunday’s game marks just the second meeting ever between Indiana and Oakland as the Hoosiers topped the Golden Grizzlies in Bloomington last year, 85-55, on Nov. 9, 2013.
• IU is averaging a Big Ten-leading 84.3 points per game this season. That total ranked 11th nationally in the latest NCAA Statistical Report on Dec. 15.
• Indiana has scored 80 or more points in seven out of the 10 games played for the second-straight season. It is the first time in program history that IU has tallied 80 or more points in seven of its first 10 games in back-to-back years.
• In each of the last two years, IU has won at least nine of its first 10 games. The last time that happened in back-to-back seasons for Indiana was 1994-95 and 1995-96.
• In five games this year, the Hoosiers have dished for 20 or more assists in a game. That hasn’t happened for an Indiana team since the 2005-06 season when IU dished for 20 assists or more seven times that year. Indiana leads the Big Ten in assists (18.0 apg) and ranks in the top 20 nationally.
• The Hoosiers shot 55.7 percent from the field as a team last time out at Milwaukee. Three times this year Indiana has shot over 50 percent. For the season, IU ranks second in the Big Ten shooting 47.9 percent.
• IU leads the conference and ranks in the top five nationally in 3-point field goal defense as Indiana is limiting opponents to just 21.9 percent from long distance.
• Freshman Tyra Buss leads IU in steals with 3.8 steals per game so far in 2014-15. That total ranks in the top five in the NCAA in steals. She has totaled 38 steals this season. That is the most steals by an IU player since 2010-11 (Jori Davis, 52).
• Buss leads the Hoosiers in scoring (15.1 ppg) and steals and is second on the team in assists (3.0 apg).
• Larryn Brooks is shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 45.1 percent from 3-point ranges while averaging 13.6 points and a team-best 4.1 assists per game. Brooks has connected on three or more 3-point field goals in five games this season.
• Freshman Amanda Cahill is averaging just less than a double-double with 11.6 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Cahill has scored in double figures eight times and has had 10 or more boards five times.

THE COACHES
Indiana
Teri Moren
Career Record: 208-131 (12th year)
Indiana record: 9-1 (1st year)

Oakland
Jeff Tungate
Career Record: 18-21 (2nd year)
Oakland Record: 18-21 (2nd year)

OAKLAND AT A GLANCE
Oakland will take on Indiana on Saturday riding a two-game winning streak. The Golden Grizzlies have won four of their last five contests and have yet to lose at home this year. OU shares the ball and defends well as it averages 16.1 assists per game as a team and 10.2 steals per contest. Oakland also rebounds at a high rate with 45.7 boards per game. Olivia Nash leads the team in scoring and rebounding with 15.0 points and 8.7 rebounds per game while shooting 47.0 percent from the field. Elena Popkey scores 9.2 points per game and leads the team in steals. Peyton Apsey compliments Popkey as she tallies 8.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. She paces the team in assists.

GETTING OFFENSIVE
• Indiana is averaging a Big Ten-leading 84.3 points per game in 2014-15. In the latest NCAA Statistics Report, that total ranked 11th in the country.
• Three times this year IU has scored 97 or more points, marking the first time in program history an Indiana team has tallied 97 or more points three times in the same season. Only five times prior to this year has a Hoosier team scored 90 or more on three occasions in the same year.
• In five games this year, IU has had five or more players score in double figures, including two contests where six players tallied double digits. The last time Indiana had five games of five or more double-figure scorers came during the 2006-07 season. Prior to this season, the last time Indiana had six players score in double-figures in the same game was Nov. 14, 2008 vs. Ball State.
• Indiana has scored 80 or more points in seven out of 10 games this year and IU has accomplished that feat in back-to-back seasons as the Hoosiers scored 80+ in seven of its first 10 games a year ago. It is the first time in program history that IU has scored 80 or more points in seven of its first 10 games in back-to-back years.
• Indiana shot 55.7 percent in the win at Milwaukee on Dec. 14. Three times this year the Hoosiers have shot over 50 percent from the field. For the season, the Hoosiers are shooting 47.9 percent as a team to rank second in the Big Ten.

PASSING THE PUMPKIN
Last week at Milwaukee, the Hoosiers dished for 22 assists, marking the fifth time this year that IU has dished for 20 or more assists as a team. The last time an IU team had 20 or more assists that many times in a season was in 2005-06 when Indiana dished for 20+ dimes seven times that year.

The Hoosiers lead the Big Ten and rank in the top 20 nationally with 18.0 assists per game.

DIALING LONG DISTANCE
Land phone lines are thing of the past, but the Hoosiers are still dialing long distance in 2014-15. IU has hit 78 3-point field goals through 10 games this year, just ahead of last year’s record-setting pace when Indiana hit a program record 259 3-point field goals (2nd highest total in Big Ten history). Last year through 10 games, IU hit 77 3-pointers. The Hoosiers are shooting 35.5 percent from long distance as a team and are connecting on 7.8 3-point field goals per game (2nd in B1G).

PROTECTING THE PUMPKIN
The Hoosiers are also taking care of the basketball so far this season as IU leads the Big Ten in turnover margin (+5.7) and assist-turnover ratio (1.3). The Hoosiers are second in the conference in fewest turnovers per game (13.7).

LIMITING FOES
As a team, IU is limiting opponents to shoot just 34.9 percent from the field. Six times this year, the Indiana defense has held opponents to less than 35 percent from the field. By comparison, IU held seven opponents under 35 percent shooting last year, and this year IU has accomplished that feat six times.

Indiana’s defense has held opponents to shoot 25 percent or less from 3-point range in all but two games this year, including three games of 12 percent or lower. For the year, IU opponents are shooting only 21.9 percent from 3-point range, that total ranks fourth nationally and it leads the Big Ten in that category.

THE BENCH PRESS
In each of the last two games, Indiana’s bench scored 32 points in both contests. In seven games this year, at least one Hoosier reserve has scored 10 or more points. For the season, Indiana’s bench is averaging 26.4 points per game.

BEWARE OF STEALERS
IU has had 10 or more steals in six games this season, including 18 steals in each of the first two games of the year, marking the first time in program history an IU team had 18 or more steals in back-to-back games. The 18 steals tied for the fourth-most steals in a single game in program history. Prior to this season, the last time an Indiana team had 18 steals in a game was Dec. 5, 2007 vs. Dayton (18). IU is averaging 10.4 steals per game. The last time an IU team had six games of 10 or more steals in the same year came during the 2011-12 season.

LARRYN LIGHTING IT UP
Indiana sophomore Larryn Brooks continues to improve her game. In her last four games, Brooks shot 61.1 percent from the field, 52.9 percent from 3-point range and 88.9 percent from the free throw line. She has averaged 15.3 points per game during that stretch with 4.0 assists per contest.

For the year, Brooks has scored in double figures in all but two games this year and is averaging 13.9 points, 4.1 assists (leads team), 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 45.1 percent from 3-point range. Brooks has hit three or more 3-point field goals in five games this year.

Brooks had one of the most productive seasons by any freshman in the history of the program last year. She broke the IU freshman scoring record, tallying 554 points (7th on school single season list), breaking a 34-year-old freshman record held by Dorothy Reffel who scored 454 points in 1979-80. She was the first freshman in program history to ever eclipse 500 points in a season. Brooks also set freshman marks for 3-pointers made with 67 (T-4th), assists with 154 (3rd) and free throws made with 129. Brooks led the Hoosiers in scoring (16.3 ppg), field goals made (179), 3-point field goals made, 3-point field goal percentage (.379), free throws made, free throw percentage (.832) and assists.

Brooks earned Second Team All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors last season. She was the first Hoosier to earn second team all-conference honors since 2011 (Jori Davis) and just the fifth freshman ever at IU to be named to the conference’s all-freshman squad and the first since 2006 (Whitney Thomas).

CLIMBING TO THE CA-HILL TOP
Freshman Amanda Cahill has recorded three double-doubles and is averaging 11.6 points and 9.5 rebounds per game while shooting 50.6 percent from the field. Cahill has scored in double figures in all but two games this year and has collected 10 rebounds or more in five contests to become the first player with five games of 10+ rebounds in the same season since Sasha Chaplin in 2011-12. Against Indiana State on Nov. 30, Cahill led IU with 13 points and 18 rebounds. Her rebounding total vs. ISU tied for the third most ever by an Indiana freshman in a single game.

THE BUSS IS ROLLING
Freshman Tyra Buss has scored in double-figures in every game but one this season and currently leads the team in scoring (15.1 ppg) and steals (3.8 spg), while adding 4.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. Buss ranks in the top five nationally in steals. Buss has had three or more steals in seven games and has totaled 38 steals so far this year. Her 38 thefts are the most by an Indiana player since 2010-11 (Jori Davis, 52).

Twice this year, Buss has earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors (Nov. 17, Nov. 24). She became the first IU player to ever receive Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors on consecutive occasions and the second Hoosier to earn the award twice in the same season (Larryn Brooks, 2013-14). Buss became the first Indiana player to earn conference weekly laurels in back-to-back weeks since Cyndi Valentin was named Big Ten Player of the Week two straight times in 2005-06.

JENN BECOMING A GEM
Sophomore Jenn Anderson has started in each game this year and has made her presence known so far in 2014-15. Anderson is third in the Big Ten in field goal percentage as she is shooting 60.8 percent from the field while averaging 11.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game She has scored in double-figures in six games this year.

Media Contact: Ryan Sheets, rmsheets@indiana.edu