Fouls, cold second half does in IU

WEST LAFAYETTE -- Mackey Arena was a sea of gold and black with the occasional spec of cream and crimson. In front of a crowd of 9,819, the IU women's basketball team (11-14, 4-11 Big Ten) fell to Purdue (22-5, 11-4) for the second time this year. While the last meeting at the RCA Dome left the Hoosiers with only a two-point loss, this contest had Purdue the victors 74-48.\nSophomore guard/forward Jenny DeMuth said it was different playing at Purdue instead of a neutral location, but that it shouldn't make a difference in how the team played.\n"Here it was a lot louder," DeMuth said. "Here everything is on top of you. You feel enclosed, but that doesn't really make a difference. You have to go out there and do what you have to do."\nIt was the Hoosiers' ballgame for the first 10 minutes of the first half. Purdue never saw the lead until nine minutes remained until halftime. It was then that they really started scoring and drew some key fouls against the Hoosiers.\nFreshman guard Cyndi Valentin had three fouls and DeMuth and freshman center Angela Hawkins each had two fouls apiece heading into halftime.\nScoring was all over the roster for IU in the first half, but DeMuth led the team with eight and finished with 15 overall.\nThe score was in Purdue's favor 30-24 at halftime, but it was downhill from then on for the Hoosiers in the second half. Coach Kathi Bennett said she knew at halftime that Purdue was physically wearing down her team.\n"I feel that we got worn down," Bennett said. "In the first half we fought and then it started getting away, and this is where this team, when it starts to get away, really needs to come together."\nPurdue led the entire second half and also managed to get IU into even more foul trouble. Valentin and DeMuth both had four fouls but stuck it out the rest of the game without fouling out.\nIt was rough for the Hoosiers to get inside looks, Bennett said. She also said the Purdue defense threatened her team's aggressiveness on the court.\nWhile junior forward Shereka Wright was Purdue's standout player the last time these two teams met, it was Purdue's junior guard Erika Valek that dominated on the court with 15 points and two assists.\n"She's a really good guard," Bennett said. "She's one of the best point guards we've gone against this season, and she had a great game. She was dynamite."\nFreshman guard/forward April Williams saw her first action in a Purdue game and said it was even more fierce on the court than she had imagined.\n"It was exciting because there is such a huge crowd," Williams said. "We wanted to go out there and win so bad."\nSunday marks the Hoosiers' last regular game of the season. It's also senior night. The team will recognize its graduating seniors Lisa Eckart, Jill Hartman, Kristen Bodine, Jamie Gathing, Allison Skapin and Khisha Asubuhi in a game against Illinois.\n"We really want to win on Sunday," Williams said. "We're going in with a positive attitude, and it's senior night so we want to get the win for the seniors"