Indiana University
7/7 Ohio State
Hoosiers Drop Battle with Buckeyes, 60-50
1/19/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 19, 2006
Box Score
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Indiana women's basketball team dropped a tough, 60-50, battle with No. 7/7 Ohio State on Jan. 19. Led by seniors Cyndi Valentin and Angela Hawkins and freshman Whitney Thomas' double-digit scoring nights, the Hoosiers could not overcome the relentless Buckeye offense. IU dropped to 9-8 overall and 3-3 in the Big Ten, while the Buckeyes improved to 13-2 overall and 4-1 in conference play.
"I thought we did a great job on Jessica Davenport," Indiana head coach Sharon Versyp said. "We let them get to the free-throw line more than we would have liked and that's where we lost the game in some respects. We didn't shoot the ball exceptionally well especially in the first half, but this team had a lot of grit and wouldn't give up. I was proud of their effort tonight in continuing to battle against a really good team. Whitney (Thomas) keeps getting better and is a key to our game. She finds ways to score and can pull down an offensive rebound when we need it and that takes heart. Overall, we played hard and can take away a lot of good things from this game. Ohio State comes to our place next and after tonight, we have a lot of confidence."
Ohio State opened the game with a 7-0 run. Thomas put a halt to the Buckeyes' momentum with a steal that set up Hawkins for IU's first points of the game.
The Hoosiers continued to chip away at the Buckeyes' lead. With less than 12 minutes left in the half, IU went on a 10-0 run to take its first lead of the game. Thomas ignited the offensive surge with her second steal of the half before driving the length of the court for a layup. Thomas' basket pulled the Hoosiers within six. Indiana knotted the score at 12 with eight minutes left in the half. Valentin gave Indiana the 14-12 lead at the seven-minute mark with a driving layup.
Led by Debbie Merrill, the Buckeyes surged back to claim a 21-16 lead with 3:30 left on the clock. To finish out the half, the Buckeyes went on a 15-6 run that included its first double-digit lead at 10 with just under a minute left.
At the half, Ohio State led Indiana, 29-20. OSU's Merrill led all halftime scorers with seven points. For IU, senior Jenny DeMuth topped the team with six points and three rebounds in the opening 20 minutes. Thomas, who registered four first-half tallies and five boards, picked up three steals in her 18 minutes of first-half action. Defensively, IU held the Big Ten's third-leading scorer, Jessica Davenport, to only two points.
A pair of Buckeye baskets by Davenport gave Ohio State a 33-22 lead to open the second stanza. With 14:53 on the clock, Valentin netted Indiana's first three-pointer of the game to pull IU within eight. On the next Indiana possession, Valentin connected with Hawkins, who drove around Davenport, to put the score at 33-27.
With just under 10 minutes remaining, the Hoosiers trailed 44-31. Thomas hit a trio of layups which sparked an 8-1 run that drew IU to within six at 45-39 with 6:50 left. It would be as close as the Hoosier would get.
Thomas, who registered 12 points and 13 boards, earned her third double-double of the season. Additionally, Thomas recorded a career high in both steals (three) and rebounds. Valentin led Indiana in scoring with 18 points, while Hawkins notched 10 points and five rebounds in Indiana's first conference road loss.
Defensively, Hawkins and Thomas held the reigning Big Ten Player of the Week Davenport, who came in averaging 18.7 points per game, to a season-low 10 points. For the game, IU outrebounded the Buckeyes 37-34. Indiana shot 38 percent (21-of-56) from the field, while the Buckeyes shot 45 percent (22-of-49).
Indiana is back in action on Sunday, Jan. 22, against Michigan. Tipoff with the Wolverines is set for 2 p.m. (EST) and can be heard locally on WHCC-FM 105.1, with Jeremy Gray calling all the action. Fans can also follow the game on Gametracker on IUHOOSIERS.com.
