Valentin drains 17 first-half points

MADISON, Wis. -- It has almost been like a broken record for freshman guard Cyndi Valentin this season. She just keeps having good games over and over again. Valentin, typically the smallest player on the floor, has been doing this the whole season. But this time it was in a Big Ten road victory, IU's first such victory of the season. Valentin netted a career-high 23 points on 8-for-14 shooting, including two three-pointers to lead the Hoosiers (11-11, 4-8 Big Ten) to a 49-48 win over Wisconsin (7-17, 5-8 Big Ten) Sunday at the Kohl Center. \n"She (Cyndi) has to be a scorer for us and she has to be very aggressive," IU coach Kathi Bennett said. "Her shot selection the last few games has been better for us. That's something that's very important. She just has to keep taking it to the rim and making good decisions when she's out there. I think that she has been more effective because her shot selection has been better."\nValentin's previous career scoring high came in a win against Illinois State on Dec. 30 when she tallied 22 points. \nOn Sunday, Bennett was not the only coach who noticed Valentin's scoring outburst and her hustle in the first half. Wisconsin coach Jane Albright said she was thoroughly impressed with the 5-foot-8 inch guard's performance.\n"Valentin single-handedly was on a mission in the first half," Albright said. "We didn't find her in the first. She wasn't really running off screens. She was just finding a way to get open. But we did a better job in the second half against her. We held them to 23 points in the second half, and we did a better job on Valentin."\nValentin recorded a mere six points in the second period, compared to 17 in the first, when she only missed two field goals. In addition, she buried all five of her free throws that she attempted, which was very crucial in a game that was decided by one point.\nValentin is learning to become a leader on the floor. She said patience has been the key to her success. \n"I knew just to be patient," Valentin said. "If I'm patient, good things will happen."\nValentin, who has notched 11 double-figure scoring games in her freshman year, gave the credit to her teammates.\n"Throughout the game my teammates did a good job of penetrating and getting me open shots," Valentin said. "That was important for me and our team today."\nSenior guard Kristen Bodine said she feels this team is a guard-oriented team and knows a great deal of the scoring pressure falls on Valentin and herself. Bodine added this team can compensate for its lack of size with a solid transition offense, which starts with the guards. \nValentin was effective in the open court as IU led the Badgers in fast-break points for the contest.\nThe guard was humble in summing up her performance, crediting her teammates for her success.\n"You just have to be confident in your play, and I'm confident in my play right now," Valentin said. "I did receive some great help from teammates though"