By Skip Daley
#5 IUWBB beats Minnesota in an empty Assembly Hall
It was an eerie feeling at Assembly Hall on Thursday evening for the Indiana/Minnesota Women’s Basketball game, reminiscent of last season, as the stadium was closed to the general public due to the safety concerns brought about by the ongoing snow and ice storm.
“It felt like last year,” said Indiana University Women’s Basketball Senior Guard Grace Berger in reference to the lack of fans in attendance. The unofficial total attendance of players, staff, and media was at around 100, including a rogue group of about 20 in the student section.
“Not really sure how they snuck in,” said Berger with a large grin. Regardless, it was obvious that the team was happy for the energy that those students brought.
Minnesota came out of the gate fighting, pulling out a 21-17 lead after the first 10 minutes of play. It would be a game of cat and mouse all evening. The second quarter sparked a 6-0 run by Indiana, which led to a series of lead changes throughout the quarter. Indiana’s perimeter defense also tightened up, as the Hoosiers did a better job of containing Gopher Guard Sara Scalia, who went 3-4 from behind the arc in the first quarter.
“Sara Scalia is a tough Guard,” said IU Head Coach Teri Moren. Scalia was red hot from 3-point land this evening, hitting 7-12, including a few from several feet behind the arc.
Minnesota led by a point at halftime, and then the third quarter opened up with both teams trading 3-point shots. Aleksa Gulbe got into the action, stepping out from the post to nail 4-4 from the perimeter during the game. But Minnesota would not bow down. The Gophers kept pressure on the Hoosiers the entire evening, maintaining a great balance of points from both inside the paint and downtown.
With 8 minutes remaining in the game, and down 2 points, Indiana brought Ali Patberg back into the action. She had been sitting on the bench after gaining her fourth personal foul. Patberg’s presence seemed to elevate her teammates and was imperative to orchestrate the comeback required to outlast this Minnesota team that brought their ‘A-game’!
With 3 and a half minutes remaining in the game, a no-look pass from Aleksa Gulbe to Grace Waggoner gave Indiana a lead, which they refused to release. The Hoosiers would take command with a 14-0 run, and at the final buzzer displayed an 80-70 final score. Indiana brings their record to 15-3, and 7-1 in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers maintain their streak of not allowing any team this season to score more than 70 points against them, while Minnesota falls to 10-13 and 3-8 in the Big Ten.
Gulbe scored a career-high 28 points, Berger had 19 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, Nicole Cardano-Hillary had 14 points, and Ali Patberg added 11. Kiandra Browne, Kaitlin Peterson, and Waggoner all contributed offensively, as well. Indiana was 28-55 from the field for 51 percent, 7-14 from three-point range for 50 percent, and 17-20 from the Free Throw Line for 85 percent. The Hoosiers pulled down 34 rebounds, 18 assists, 5 steals, 4 blocks, and committed 12 turnovers.
Next up, #5 Indiana hosts Purdue this coming Sunday at 1 pm.
