BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Seniors Tyra Buss and Amanda Cahill paced Indiana Women's Basketball with another pair of double-doubles, but it wasn't enough as a big third quarter sent Chattanooga to victory, 64-61, on Monday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Buss led with 17 points and dished out 10 assists for her ninth career double-double. Cahill's 10 rebounds were a game-high as she added 11 points from the floor to go along with two steals, a block and assist. Junior forward Kym Royster tallied 16 points and grabbed six boards but Indiana shot just 40 percent including a 21.4 percent clip from 3-point range. They also struggled from the line, going 10-for-18 to finish 55.6 percent on the night.
Indiana (3-1) fell behind by four in the first half before a 7-2 run sparked the Hoosiers as Buss found a cutting Royster who scored and completed the and-1. Marchese scored her first career points as she also completed the and-1 to give IU a 9-8 lead with 4:08 to play. Going up by five after a Penn steal and Buss feed to sophomore forward Bre Wickware, IU would take a 15-11 lead after one complete.
Early on in the second quarter, they would take their largest lead of the game but Chattanooga would pull ahead in the next four minutes to regain a 21-20 lead with 5:19 to play. However, battling back into it IU closed the half on a 7-0 run, five of those points coming from Buss, and take a 27-23 lead at the break.
An 8-0 run by the Mocs (2-3) would open the third quarter, as IU was outscored 22-15 in the frame. Despite the advantage for UTC, three score changes would be featured in the third quarter including a 38-36 lead after a transition layup from Buss on a dish from Cahill. Tied up at 40-40 with 2:03 left, a 3-pointer and last second bucket by Aryanna Gilbert gave Chattanooga 45-42 lead.
In the fourth, IU faced a nine-point deficit in the opening minute and a half of play before IU chipped away on a triple by Cahill and a pair at the line for Buss. Neither team scored for a two-minute stretch late into the quarter as Royster got IU to within two, 52-50, with 3:32 to play. The Mocs would push its lead back up to seven with under a minute to play before an and-1 one by Royster with 49 ticks remaining.
With both teams in the double bonus and Indiana forced to foul, Chattanooga hit five free throws in the final 40 seconds despite the valiant effort of a 3-pointer by Buss with nine seconds remaining cut it down to 63-61. UTC would get another at the line as IU set up for a final 3-point attempt to tie the game by Buss, but the ball rimmed in and out as time expired.
QUOTABLE
Head coach Teri Moren
"I am disappointed obviously. I thought from the beginning, we always talk about the first four minutes and we can never get anything going. I though we looked lethargic for pretty much 40 minutes. And I don't know what to attribute that too, but a lot of people want to give me the excuse that it's because I have young kids But I don't buy that. So, I'm disappointed in the way that we performed for 40 minutes. But you have to show up to win games and I thought tonight we didn't show up."
NOTABLE
- Indiana has three players score in double-figures, led by Tyra Buss with 17 points.
- Indiana outscored Chattanooga in points in the paint (36-32), points off turnovers (16-10), second chance points (17-10) and fast break points (12-2). • Indiana outrebounded Chattanooga 39-33. The Hoosiers have outrebounded each of their four opponents this season.
- The Hoosiers had a season-high 17 offensive rebounds and are averaging 14.5 offensive rebounds per game this season.
- Buss scored 17 points and added 10 assists for her second double-double of the season and the ninth of her career. Buss now has 1,691 career points.
- Amanda Cahill scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for her fourth straight double-double. Cahill has recorded a double-double in each game this season and now has 33 career double-doubles.
- Kym Royster scored in double figures for the fourth straight game and 12th career game with 16 points.
- Trailing 51-42 in the fourth quarter at the 8:33 mark, Indiana held Chattanooga without a field goal for five minutes and 29 seconds and closed the gap to three at 52-49 with 5:37 to play in the game.
UP NEXT
Indiana will spend Thanksgiving in California when it takes part in the Hilton Concord Classic hosted by Saint Mary's on Friday and Saturday. They will face UAB on Black Friday and the host Gaels on Saturday.
Story & Photo Courtesy of IU Athletics.
