HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The IU Indy women's basketball team begins the Horizon League Tournament on the road at No. 4 Northern Kentucky. The Jags face the Norse in the first round of the Tourney on Wednesday, March 4 at 7:00 PM ET.
 
The Jaguars split the regular season series with Northern Kentucky with the Norse taking the first match up in Kentucky 63-44 (January 2) before the Jags got their revenge on their home court on January 21, 75-70.
 
IU Indy used a resilient fourth-quarter surge and clutch overtime performance to earn an 80-77 win at Milwaukee on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 28), securing the No. 7 seed in the Horizon League Tournament. Destini Craig led IU Indy with a career-high 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting and added eight rebounds. Olivia Smith finished with 11 points and six boards, while Hailey Smith added 10 points.
 
IU Indy puts forth a nagging defense, leading the Horizon League in steals and turnovers. The Jags strip the ball 10.8 times per game, forcing 20.2 turnovers per game. Olivia Smith leads the way defensively with 1.8 steals per game. IU Indy also ranks at the top of the league in free throw attempts with 23.3 per game, which puts them at seventh in the nation. With 11.2 offensive rebounds per game, the Jags sit at fourth in the conference for second chance points opportunities.
 
IU Indy returned five from last year's roster with Nevaeh Foster leading the returning group. Foster has shown her IU Indy experience, leading the Jags in scoring with 12.7 points per game. She adds 4.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. Foster is the only Jaguar to start every game this season for IU Indy and was named Horizon League Player of the Week on February 9 and named to the All-League Third Team.
 
Twins Hailey and Olivia Smith transferred to IU Indy after spending two seasons at Ball State and have made an immediate impact on the court. Olivia is second on the team in scoring with 10.4 points per game and adds 3.9 rebounds per game while her sister Hailey adds 9.6 points per game and leads the team in rebounding with 5.8 per game. The dynamic duo from Fishers, Indiana have started in 22 games together this season.
 
Coach Bruce's squad was picked to finish tenth in the Horizon League Preseason Poll, just ahead of Oakland. The Jags fought their way through the Horizon League standings this season to finish in seventh with a 9-11 mark in Horizon League play and will face No. 4 Northern Kentucky in the first round of the #HLWBB Tournament.