Jan. 10, 2012
| INDIANA (5-12, 0-4) at MICHIGAN STATE (11-5, 3-0) | |
| Â Date | Jan. 12, 2012 |
| Â Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| Â Location | East Lansing, Mich. (Breslin Center) |
| Â Live Web Broadcast | BTN.com |
| Â Radio | IUHoosiers.com Jeremy Gray, play-by-play |
| Â Game Notes | Indiana Notes |
| Â Internet Coverage | Gametracker |
| Â Twitter | @IndianaWBB | @rmsheets |
THE OPENING TIP
Indiana will travel to East Lansing, Mich. to battle the Michigan State Spartans on Thursday, Jan. 12. The game will begin at 7 p.m. ET from the Breslin Center. Thursday's game will conclude the regular season series between the Hoosiers and Spartans as they met on Dec. 30 to open Big Ten play. The game can be heard live on IUHoosiers.com by clicking the live radio stream link on the schedule page or game preview page with Jeremy Gray on the Call and will also be aired as a live web broadcast that can be accessed by visiting video.BTN.com.
DID YOU KNOW?
• Indiana has topped Michigan State in each of the last three meetings that have taken place in East Lansing.
• The Hoosiers have not lost a contest to the Spartans at the Breslin Center since Dec. 28, 2006.
• Indiana head coach Felisha Legette-Jack was an assistant coach at Michigan State from 2000-2002 under Joanne P. McCallie.
• With making three 3-point field goals against Northwestern, Aulani Sinclair has hit three or more 3-pointers in a game three times this season and 12 times in her career.
• In conference games only, junior Linda Rubene is connecting on 45.5 percent of her 3-point field goal attempts to pace the team in Big Ten games.
• Sophomore Milika Taufa has brought down five or more rebounds in each of Indiana's last three games and is averaging 4.2 rebounds per game this season.
• Sasha Chaplin has led the team in scoring in two of the last three games and is averaging 11.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game in those three contests. • Jasmine McGhee and Sinclair lead the team with nine double-figure scoring games this season.
THE COACHES
Indiana
Felisha Legette-Jack
Career Record: 140-151 (10th year)
Indiana record: 86-88 (6th year)
Michigan State
Suzy Merchant
Career Record: 307-166 (17th year)
Michigan State Record: 106-46 (5th year)
MICHIGAN STATE, ROUND TWO
Indiana heads to Michigan State to battle the Spartans for the second time in the last two weeks. MSU topped the Hoosiers in Bloomington on Dec. 30, 63-49, to open Big Ten Play. Thursday's game will be IU's first visit to East Lansing in over two years, as Indiana topped Michigan State in the last contest played at Breslin Center on Dec. 6, 2009, 68-63. The Spartans are currently riding a three-game winning streak with all of those wins taking place against conference foes. In Big Ten games only, senior Taylor Alton has been leading MSU in scoring with 13.3 points per game while shooting 51.9 percent from the field, including nailing 50 percent of her 3-point field goal attempts in conference play. For the season, senior guard Porsche Poole paces the balanced attack of the Spartans with 10.9 points per contest. On the defensive end, the Spartans are holding opponents to just 56.8 points per game as a team.
SINCLAIR SINKING SHOTS
Aulani Sinclair scored a team-high 17 points vs. Northwestern on Jan. 8, connecting on 3-of-7 3-point field goal attempts. With her three 3-point field goals made in that game, it marks the third time this season that Sinclair has connected on three or more field goals from beyond the arc in a single contest. For her career, the junior has hit three 3-pointers in a game on 12 occasions.
The junior is also pacing the team and is third in the Big Ten in free throw percentage hitting 87.8 percent of her attempts from the charity stripe. Sinclair is shooting a perfect 100 percent from the free throw line so far in conference games only.
For the season, Sinclair is second on the team in scoring averaging 11.2 points per game. She is leading the team in 3-point field goals made while connecting on 36 percent (27-of-75) of her long distance attempts. She has scored in double-figures nine times this year, which is highlighted by two career-high 23 point performances against Toledo and Oklahoma State.
MCGHEE FITS IN NICELY
Indiana junior Jasmine McGhee has played a major part in the IU offense this season, as she has led the team in scoring seven times this season. Her year has been highlighted by nine double-figure scoring games, including scoring 20 points or more three times. She set career marks with 27 points and 15 rebounds at IUPUI on Dec. 11, for one of her two double-doubles on the season.
McGhee was named the WBCA Junior College Player of the Year at the conclusion of the 2010-11 season after leading Vincennes University to a 28-4 record and has not let up since moving to the Division I level. McGhee is currently leading the team in scoring averaging 13.5 points per contest, and is tied for the team lead in rebounding with 5.9 boards per contest.
GOOD TO HAVE CHAP BACK
After playing in just two games a year ago and missing 61 games in her career due to injuries, Sasha Chaplin has appeared in every game this season, starting in 12 of those contests. The redshirt junior has scored in double figures six times this season, including twice in Indiana's last three games. Most recently, Chaplin tallied 14 points at Minnesota on Jan. 2 and tied for the team lead with eight rebounds. At Nebraska, Chaplin scored a season-high 15 points and had a career-best four blocks against the Huskers. Chaplin has tallied two double-doubles so far this season. The St. Petersburg, Fla., native is currently averaging 7.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.0 blocks per contest.
A BOOMING BENCH
In six games this season, the Hoosier bench has accounted for 45 percent or more of the team's total point output in those contests. Indiana is 3-3 in the six games in which the IU reserves have played a major role in putting points on the board. The highest bench point total this season came in the win at Belmont on Nov. 18 when Hoosier reserves poured in 44 points, accounting for 69.8 percent of Indiana's 63 total points. At least one bench player in each of those six games has scored 10 or more points to provide a spark for IU.
THE LATVIAN LASER
Junior Linda Rubene, a native of Gulbene, Latvia, has earned a starting spot in each of Indiana's last two contests, and has started in six games total this season. In Big Ten games only, Rubene is connecting on 45.5 percent (5-of-11) of her 3-point field goal attempts. Her season is highlighted by a career-high 10 points against Michigan State on Dec. 30 when she connected on 3-of-5 3-pointers and had a block and a steal.
YES SHE CAN-DYCE
Freshman Candyce Ussery was a major contributor to Indiana's rally to get back into the ball game against Northwestern. Ussery scored a career-high eight points shooting 3-of-6 from the field and connecting on both of her free throw attempts. She had back-to-back runaway layups, the second coming with 8:18 to go, to put Indiana within single-digits of the Wildcats and cause an NU timeout. She also hit her two free throws with 1:13 to go to pull IU within three, 62-59.
BIG TEN ROAD WARRIORS
Early in Big Ten play, the Hoosiers have a stretch where they play six out of nine conference games away from Assembly Hall, including three of the first four contests in the month of January. Those road stops include Minnesota (Jan. 2), Nebraska (Jan. 5), Michigan State (Jan. 12), Michigan (Jan. 22), Northwestern (Jan. 29) and Penn State (Feb. 2).
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