Indiana University Athletics
IU Snaps Five-Game Losing Streak vs. Wisconsin
2/3/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The Hoosiers, who have not had five players score in double figures since Nov. 23, 2002, were led by junior Cyndi Valentin (14 points) sixth-year senior Jamie Gathing (12 points) sophomore Sarah McKay (11 points), junior Angela Hawkins (11 points) and sophomore Annika Boyd (10 points). Boyd also earned her first collegiate start. The fivesome helped IU put forth its highest scoring effort of the season.
"I just know it feels good to win," said head coach Kathi Bennett. "I thought the start of the second half was the difference in the game. We came out very ready and got the big lead and extended it."
Hawkins got things started for Indiana as she scored the first Hoosier bucket at the 19:26 mark and then earned back-to-back defensive stops with two consecutive blocked shots. The Winter Haven, Fla., native continued to dominate underneath as she registered four of her career-high five blocks before the first media timeout.
Indiana slowly began to find its offensive rhythm as McKay, who has been nursing a knee-injury for the past nine games, came off the bench to help the Hoosiers earn a slight advantage over the Badgers, 12-8, at the 13:21 mark. IU fought to hold on to the lead, but Wisconsin came charging back and went on a quick 7-0 run to move ahead, 15-12, with just nine minutes remaining in the first stanza. The Hoosiers committed several costly turnovers down the stretch, and allowed UW to go up by six, the largest lead of the half for either team, 24-18, with 5:01 showing on the clock.
Both teams battled for a grasp of the lead in the closing minutes of the half as they traded basket for basket. A three-pointer from Boyd followed by a free throw from McKay would allow IU to jump ahead, 29-27. Just when the Badgers thought the horn would sound for halftime, Valentin broke free and scored on a fast break lay-up to allow the Hoosiers to take a, 31-27, advantage heading into the locker room.
"We had four or five people in double figures and I really can't remember the last time we had that," said Bennett. "Cyndi (Valentin) had an off first half so we had other people step up. I thought our posts were huge, they did a great job."
Wasting no time at all, Indiana stormed out of the gates and scored four consecutive points, courtesy of Gathing. The Hoosiers began to put the game into their own hands and extended their lead to, 40-29, at the 17:29 mark. The rest of the way would pretty much be smooth sailing for Indiana until the last minute of the game when the Badgers gave the Hoosiers a bit of a scare. Indiana led by as much as 18 points when it went up, 51-33, with just eight minutes left but Wisconsin refused to give up. The Badgers attempted to slice into the Hoosier lead, as they whittled the it down to four points on three different occasions in the last 30 seconds. However, Stephenson and Valentin hit critical free throws with just seconds remaining on the clock to close out the Hoosier victory.
Freshman Jolene Anderson led the way for the Badgers with a game-high 20 points, while her teammate Janese Banks added 12.
IU shot the best it has all year in the first half, going 13-for-21 (.619) in the first 20 minutes of the game. On the night, the Hoosiers shot 23-for-48 (.479) in comparison to the Badgers 25-for-63 effort (.397). Wisconsin held a slight rebounding advantage over the Hoosiers, 38-35. While Hawkins had a team-high and game-high nine rebounds, and four different Badgers had a team-high five rebounds, both teams recorded more team rebounds IU (10) and UW (eight) in the game.
"It feels so nice to get a win," said Boyd. "It feels like a new fresh start to this season. It is definitely a good feeling."
The Hoosiers are back in action when they start a three-game conference road swing starting with the No. 2/3 Ohio State Buckeyes on Sunday, Feb. 6. Tip off is slated for 2 p.m. (EST). Due to the men's basketball game vs. No. 1/1 Illinois, the game can be heard on a tape-delay basis on WHCC (105.1) with Jeremy Gray calling all of the action.
Game Notes: Annika Boyd earned her first collegiate start....Angela Hawkins had career-high five blocked shots in a single game...Sarah McKay (12 points) scored for the first time since the Dec.30 game vs. Iowa after nursing a knee injury for the past nine games...Cyndi Valentin missed six free throws in the game, the most she has ever missed in a single game during her career...LeeAnn Stephenson tied her career-high five rebounds...Five Hoosiers scored in double-figures for the first time since Nov. 23, 2002...Also of note, each team had more team rebounds than its leading rebounder...Of McKay's 11 points, 10 of them came in the second half as she was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field before halftime.
