Indiana University Athletics
Indiana Drops Second Straight (2-23-03)
2/23/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 23, 2003
Hoosiers Fall to Michigan, 75-64
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Bloomington, Ind. – Indiana dropped its second straight game on Sunday, falling to Michigan, 75-64 at Assembly Hall.
The Hoosiers fell to 11-13 on the year and 4-10 against Big Ten opposition, while Michigan improved to 12-13 and 3-11 in conference.
“Michigan’s physical strength was evident out there today," said Bennett. "Jennifer Smith worked very hard and was really physical against us. Lisa Eckart played well matching up against her, but losing Brigett (Branson) in the game really hurt us. She’s our best defensive rebounder. I still thought we played well enough on defense, but we’re just really inconsistent right now with shot selection and playing together."
A piece of Indiana history was made in the second half, as Cyndi Valentin became the first IU freshman ever to score 250 points, drain 25 three-pointers and record 30 steals in a season.
“It’s a great honor to break the record," Valentin said. "As a freshman, you just want to come in and help out the team.”
A crowd of 2,058 fans came through the gates for Sunday’s game, putting Indiana over its existing single-season total attendance record. 23,449 fans have seen the Hoosiers play in their 11 home games this year, breaking the existing record of 23,184, set in the 1997-98 season in which Indiana played 16 home games. The Hoosiers are on pace to average over 2,000 fans per home game for the first time in the history of the program.
The Hoosiers raced out to an 8-0 lead behind four points each from Jamie Gathing and Jenny DeMuth. The Wolverines struggled to get back and contain the Hoosiers’ transition game.
However, when Michigan was able to get set in its 2-3 zone, Indiana struggled to keep its momentum going. The Wolverines went on a 33-18 run to go into the half with a 33-26 advantage behind strong interior play from center Jennifer Smith, who went into the locker room leading the team with 13 points. Smith finished the game with a game-high 25 points.
Lisa Eckart continued her hot shooting for Indiana early on, leading all scorers with 14 first-half points. Eckart sunk four of her six three-point attempts in the first half. Eckart finished the game with 22 points and nine rebounds. When the 19 points she scored last game at Northwestern is added, the senior is averaging 20.5 points per game in Indiana’s last two contests.
"We have had trouble blending in the younger talent with the veteran players," said Eckart. "It’s just a matter of time before we click, and you’ll be able to tell a difference when we do. Right now, we just don’t have five players working hard out there at the same time. We need that.”
And Bennett agrees with Eckart's view.
"We have to get five players on the floor at the same time, playing every minute, just like Lisa does," Bennett remarked. "This team has to accept the fact that we have to outwork and outhustle every team we play.”
The second half saw the two teams trade baskets for the majority of the time, with Michigan finally distancing itself in the final minutes.
The Hoosiers return to action at 7 p.m. on Thursday when they travel to West Lafayette to square off against Purdue at Mackey Arena. Half of a Titan Series point will be at stake in the contest, as Thursday’s game is the second meeting between the two teams this year. The Hoosiers and Boilers met at the RCA Dome earlier in the year, with Purdue claiming a 53-51 win. The game can be heard live in Bloomington on 105.1 WHCC Radio with Jeremy Gray calling all the action. The game can also be accessed on the internet by visiting iuhoosiers.com.
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