Indiana University Athletics
un (1-24-03)
1/24/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 24, 2003
Hoosiers Fall to Wisconsin, 69-58, With Record Crowd on Hand
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The theme of Friday’s game between Indiana and Wisconsin was clear: if the Hoosiers broke their single-game home attendance record at Assembly Hall of 5,503, head coach Kathi Bennett would donate $5,000 of her own money to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
Sure enough, 7,986 fans came through the gates to shatter the existing record.
What they saw was an Indiana performance that was as up-and-down as the wave that went about the building midway through the second half. The Hoosiers got themselves in trouble with terrible free throw shooting and struggled to put lengthy runs together, falling to Wisconsin, 57-48.
"It was a really hard-fought game," Bennett said. "Wisconsin played incredibly well. We didn’t take advantage of our opportunities, especially early in the second half. We improved our play from last week and have to keep battling to get better."
Indiana fell to 9-7 overall and 2-4 in the Big Ten, while the Badgers improved to 4-13 overall and 2-5 in the Big Ten.
Indiana’s slow starts in both halves were costly, as the Hoosiers were three for their first 17 to open the game and two for their first 13 from the field in the second half.
Wisconsin did its damage by going inside consistently to 6-7 Lello Gebisa. Indiana started the game by having 6-0 Lisa Eckart guarding the finesse-minded Gebisa. IU began to take the Badgers out of their rhythm when Angela Hawkins was inserted into the lineup.
The 6-3 Hawkins proved a far better match for Gebisa inside, and gave Indiana the rebounding presence it was lacking. With Hawkins on the floor, the Hoosiers rallied to cut a 12-point first-half deficit to three points at 31-28 going into the locker room at halftime.
The fact that IU committed only three turnovers in the first half made the rally possible, as did the hustle of Hawkins, who went into halftime with seven rebounds in 11 minutes of action. She finished the game with a double-double,notching 10 points and12 rebounds.
“We felt good going into halftime." IU sophomore Jenny DeMuth said. "We had it at 33-30 and didn’t take advantage of the opportunities to pull ahead."
However, the second half was not nearly as promising, as the Hoosiers were unable to get the shots to fall and Wisconsin began to do damage from both the perimeter and by getting to the rim. Indiana answered by getting to the free throw line 20 times in the second half, but missing 13.
Badger guard Stephanie Rich led all scorers with 24 points, while Indiana’s Cyndi Valentin extended her consecutive free throw streak to 24 on the way to scoring 12 points.
“(The crowd) was amazing," Bennett said. "I’m thankful for the crowd. I wish we could have gotten them a win. We were grateful to play in front of this crowd."
The Hoosiers return to action Sunday at 2 p.m., when they host Michigan State at Assembly Hall. Tickets are $4 for adults and $2 for youths 18 and under. IU students are admitted free.
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