Indiana University Athletics
IU Wins Big Ten Home Opener (1-9-03)
1/9/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
January 9, 2003
Hoosiers Down Northwestern, 62-52, for First Big Ten Win
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Bloomington, Ind. – Kathi Bennett is a coach known for her attention to detail on defense…but not this kind of defense.
Bennett’s Hoosiers broke from their customary halfcourt man-to-man defense to press and trap Northwestern into submission during the second half of Indiana’s 62-52 win.
Indiana improved to 8-4 on the year and 1-1 in the Big Ten, while Northwestern dipped to 6-8 overall and 1-2 in the Big Ten.
“I’m glad we got the win tonight. It was an important for us to get," Indiana coach Kathi Bennett said. "We’re just going to have to continue to work at it.”
Jenny DeMuth led the way for Indiana, finishing with 17 points and nine rebounds. Lisa Eckart added 10 points and nine rebounds. Angela Hawkins turned in her third double-double, with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
IU point guard Kristen Bodine finished with nine points, all in the second half. Cyndi Valentin chipped in with eight points, including a 4-of-4 effort at the free throw line, and five boards for the Hoosiers.
Indiana’s ability to create easy looks in transition off their defense in the second half fueled it to a lead and control of the game.
“We want to come out every game and play two halves the way we did in the second half tonight," Bennett said. "I really liked what I saw tonight in the second. We just didn’t have any energy in the first half."
The Wildcats actually controlled the action in the first half, taking a 30-23 lead into halftime before IU rattled off an 18-4 run to open the second half to take a 41-34 lead behind dramatically-increased intensity and a very effective full-court defense.
The Wildcats would rally, creeping to within two points at 46-44 with just over six minutes remaining, but IU answered with a quick 8-2 run to give itself some breathing room.
“We were a lot more intense in the second half tonight," DeMuth said. "Our defense was a lot better in the second, and I think we really added some pressure on defense.”
Indiana struggled with Northwestern’s 2-3 zone defense in the first half and was unable to generate many easy scoring opportunities. When the Hoosiers did get clean looks from the outside, they couldn’t get the shots to fall, going 1-for-10 from three-point range.
Things weren’t much better for IU on the defensive end, as the Wildcats enjoyed a far better shot selection than the Hoosiers usually allow.
Leading the way for Northwestern was Sarah Kwasinski. The center did some damage with her steady medium-range and inside game. The Wildcats went to Kwasinski time and time again, and the All-Big Ten selection finished with 17 points and six rebounds.
Northwestern took a 30-23 lead into the half, thanks in large part to ice-cold shooting from the Hoosiers, who were 9-of-28 from the field (32.1 pct.). On top of that, Indiana was only 4-for-12 from the charity stripe in the first half.
The Hoosiers return to action at 2 p.m. on Sunday when they host Ohio State at Assembly Hall. The game can be heard live on WHCC Radio 105.1 in Bloomington with Jeremy Gray calling all the action. Fans outside of the Bloomington area can listen to the game live by visiting iuhoosiers.com and clicking on the women’s basketball home page. From there, go to the schedule page and click on the “Listen Live” icon under the Ohio State game.
The game will also be televised locally in Bloomington on WTIU with Jim McGuire handling play-by-play and Jennifer Forney providing analysis.
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