Indiana University
Michigan
Hoosiers Handle Wolverines, 69-44
1/22/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 22, 2006
Box Score | Photo Gallery
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - In front of its largest crowd of the season, 2,546, at Branch McCracken Court at Assembly Hall, the Indiana women's basketball team rolled over the Michigan Wolverines by a score of 69-44 on Jan. 22. Thanks to strong shooting and equally impressive defense, IU never relinquished the lead after the 13:59 mark in the first half of play.
Indiana improved to 10-8 on the year and 4-3 in the conference, while Michigan dropped to 6-13 overall and 0-6 in the Big Ten.
"We had a great turnout today," head coach Sharon Versyp said. "I hope we continue to have between 2,500 and 3,000 fans every game. The fans are the sixth player and it really helps the program and the players. We encourage everyone to continue to come and support IU women's basketball and all IU athletic sports."
After the Hoosiers jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, Indiana and Michigan traded baskets for the next several minutes. With Indiana trailing 7-6, the Hoosiers began clicking on offense as they took a 12-7 lead with 11:27 remaining in the first half.
The Hoosiers' defense kept the Wolverines off the scoreboard for more than six minutes in the first half as IU pushed its lead to 18-7 with 8:18 left in the opening frame. Led by strong defensive play on both the perimeter and inside the paint, the Hoosiers forced 10 turnovers in the first half and held the Wolverines to just 6-of-26 (23.1 percent) from the floor.
Indiana's offense featured a balanced attack throughout the first period, with seven different Hoosiers tallying points. Indiana was an impressive 8-of-16 (50.0 percent) from the floor and 14-16 (87.5 percent) from the free throw line. Senior guard Jenny DeMuth led IU with 10 points as Indiana went into the locker room with a 31-15 lead at halftime.
The Hoosiers wasted little time in the opening minutes of the second half as IU went on a 9-4 run and built its lead up to 40-19 with 15:31 remaining in the game. Indiana continued to put on a shooting clinic and extended itself beyond the three-point line as the second period progressed.
With 13:01 left in the second half, sophomore guard Nikki Smith connected on her second three-pointer of the game. Senior guard Cyndi Valentin followed with her first three pointer of the game on the next trip down the court. Indiana was 4-10 (40.0 percent) from behind the arc in the second half alone.
Indiana's defense put continuous pressure on Michigan throughout the game, as the Wolverines never found their offensive rhythm. The Hoosiers forced Michigan into shooting just 16-of-52 (30.8 percent) from the field and 4-of-18 (22.2 percent) from the three-point line for the game.
Valentin led Indiana in scoring with 22 points, while DeMuth poured in 16 points of her own. Indiana's 25 point win was its largest margin of victory in Big Ten play since Jan. 11, 2001 when they beat Minnesota by 28 points.
The Hoosiers will return to the Assembly Hall on Thursday, Jan. 26 against Illinois. Tip off is set for 7:00pm. Fans can tune into the game locally on WHCC-FM 105.1, with Jeremy Gray calling the action. The game can also be followed on Gametracker on IUHOOSIERS.com.
