Forwards step up, lead Hoosiers to victory

In the closing minutes of Friday's game, senior guard Tara Jones stood tall with her back to the basket and blocked a desperate shot by the Premier All-Stars' Tez Kraft. Kraft is listed as an inch shorter than Jones, but at that moment Jones towered over the former University of Massachusetts forward.\nJones also dominated Kraft's entire team in the Hoosiers' 89-72 exhibition win. She led IU with 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting in 31 minutes. She also contributed two assists, two steals and one rebound.\n"I just felt I was in the right places for my teammates," said Jones, who averaged 7.1 points last year. "I just tried to be more active within the offense. I know I'm more of a defensive player, but my coach told me to be more offensive-minded today."\nBut Jones alone didn't steal the show. Senior forward Erin McGinnis scored 24 points on 9-of-19 shooting with 11 rebounds and five steals in 34 minutes. McGinnis also was a perfect 5-5 from the free-throw line.\nWith senior center Jill Chapman on the bench with foul trouble, McGinnis and Jones provided hustle and aggressiveness on the boards. The two forwards combined for 51 of the Hoosiers' 89 points and seven of IU's 13 steals. \nThey took advantage of Premier's tired, foul-plagued former college players.\n"They did have a smaller lineup," said McGinnis, who averaged 6.8 points last year. "I think we used our post pretty good. We were just able to overpower them inside and we got a lot of offensive rebounds because of that."\nMost visible in the second half, McGinnis scored 14 points, including a three-pointer, nine minutes into the second half.\nThe Hoosiers' stretched their lead to 44-30 with 19 minutes remaining after McGinnis rebounded her own missed layup and was fouled by the All-Stars' Angela Bray on a put-back. McGinnis then completed the three-point play.\nMcGinnis stretched the lead to 20 five minutes later with another quick layup. That would be the Hoosiers' largest margin of the night. The Auburn University transfer flaunted strength both inside and on the perimeter.\n"I think the fact that I can do both (hit threes and score inside); they don't know whether to guard me up close or stay off me, I guess," McGinnis said.\nJones also sparked the Hoosiers on both sides of the court. Late in the second half, Jones stole the ball from Premier's Jamie Lewis. Jones then brought the ball upcourt and passed to Chapman for a layup.\n"I think her defense gets her offense going," coach Kathi Bennett said. "It gets her charged with energy. I thought she went out and picked up, applied pressure early. ...When she puts it on the floor and rises and can hit that mid-range jumper, she's pretty hard to stop"