Indiana University Athletics
IU Loses Heartbreaker to Ark. (12-1-04)
12/1/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
With under three minutes to go in the contest and the score tied at 45, sophomore forward Danielle Allen put in lay-up to give Arkansas the lead for the first time since 5:36 of the first half. Sophomore guard Leah Enterline came up clutch and hit a 15-footer to tie the score again with 53 seconds remaining.
The next trip down the court would be all Arkansas needed to capture the victory as sophomore guard Kristen Peoples nailed a three-pointer with 44 seconds to play.
Indiana got a chance to score again when Annika Boyd pulled up for the shot, but it did not fall.
"I thought we had a good look, but it got deflected," said Head Coach Kathi Bennett. "Arkansas did a good job of defending that three-pointer. I think the game really came down us not grabbing defensive rebounds when we were ahead."
In the opening minutes of the game, Indiana struggled to take care of the ball as they turned it over on the first three possessions down the court. The Lady Razorbacks, who are notorious for causing turnovers, average 37.4 per game, took advantage of the mishaps and jumped out to an early 12-6 advantage with junior guard Rochelle Vaughn leading the way. Vaughn scored on her first three attempts and had eight of Arkansas' 12 points at the 14:40 mark.
Indiana began to heat up during the next few trips down the court and became red-hot from behind the three point arc, going 4-for-4 in the first seven minutes of play. Freshman guard Nikki Smith led the charge as she scored a pair of treys to even the score at 12 apiece.
The Hoosiers were delt a big blow when junior forward Angela Hawkins picked up her third foul midway through the first half. Hawkins was just starting to get on a roll, as she scored three points and grabbed three rebounds, before being taken out due to foul trouble.
The game turned in IU's favor for the first time all half, when junior forward Brigett Branson found Enterline underneath, who in turn, put it up for two points and moved the score to 22-21. Junior guard Cyndi Valentin would help the Hoosiers on the offensive end as she connected on several solid drives to the hoop to maintain the Hoosier lead.
Sophomore forward Carrie Smith also proved to be an important asset off the bench as she entered the game and pulled down five rebounds and scored two points in just seven minutes of play in the first stanza.
In what was a very quick-paced first half of action, Indiana held a 32-27 edge over the Lady Backs heading into the locker room.
Indiana came out strong in the second-half and while the Hoosiers allowed the Lady Backs to tie the game, 43-43, at the 5:30 mark, and again at the 3:53 mark, at 45 apiece, IU held Arkansas' leading scorer, Kristin Peoples to just eight points on the night.
The Cream and Crimson return to action on Friday, Dec. 3, when it plays host to the Louisville Cardinals. Game time is set for 7 p.m. (EST). The game can be heard locally via WHCC (105.1) with Jeremy Gray calling all the action.
Game Notes: Nikki Smith scored a career-high nine points... Carrie Smith had a career-high five rebounds... IU snapped its two-game winning streak... its was the Hoosiers' second-consecutive non-conference road loss... Arkansas now has a 3-1 edge over the Cream and Crimson in the series history.
