Losing streak at 2

After duking it out with No. 8 Purdue and No. 16 Minnesota, the IU women's basketball team will get a break from nationally ranked opponents when the Hoosiers go up against the Ohio State Buckeyes Sunday. \nMake no mistake, this is no break for IU, as the Buckeyes aren't a pushover team. Currently, Ohio State is running at 10-7 overall and came within six points of beating current Big Ten leader Penn State (15-3, 8-0 conference). So far, OSU has faced the conference's finest and has come out with a tattered 2-4 Big Ten record. \nOSU's power comes from a scoring triple-threat in junior Caity Matter, freshman Jessica Davenport and senior LaToya Turner, who average 13.5, 12.5 and 12.0 points per game, respectively. Turner and Davenport are also dangerous on the defensive end, as the duo have batted away a combined 57 shots and each average around six rebounds a game. Davenport is also deadly from the field, shooting at a conference-leading .659 clip.\nIU coach Kathi Bennett said the Buckeyes are a more team-oriented squad than most Big Ten programs, as OSU's scoring is spread throughout the roster.\n"I think they're a really well-balanced team," Bennett said. "We've got to keep Caity Matter and (sophomore) Kim Wilburn in check. Caity Matter is a great three point shooter, and then they have a great size inside with the freshman Jessica Davenport, and I think they will try to isolate and try to do something with those players."\nIU's twin towers, 6-foot-7-inch freshman Sarah McKay and 6-foot-3-inch sophomore Angela Hawkins, will have their hands full with the Davenport/Turner duo, as McKay and Hawkins' combined scoring average is .2 ppg shy of Davenport alone. \nHowever, McKay and Hawkins match up well against the OSU post in blocks and rebounding. McKay is only two blocks shy of Davenport's 33, while IU's post out-rebounds the Buckeyes 12.2 to 11.6 rpg.\nWith two dominate post players in OSU's roster, McKay said her goal is to shut down the Davenport/Turner tandem. \n"I'm really going to work on my defense," McKay said. "They have two strong post players, and I want to do whatever I can so they don't go off on us."\nTurner, a fifth year senior, recently came off of an injury and has emerged as one of OSU's strongest players.\n"Latoya Turner has been around for awhile but had to rehab from some injuries," OSU coach Jim Foster said. "But she is one of the better players, and this year she will be a great leader for the team."\nIU's weapons remain in the hands of junior Jenny DeMuth and sophomore Cyndi Valentin, whose success is typically synonymous with the success of the Hoosiers. Valentin and DeMuth provide the lion's share of IU's offense, scoring 52.4 percent of the Hoosiers' points and nearly a third of the team's rebounds, even though both players are guards.\nThe Minnesota Golden Gophers ran over the Hoosiers, 78-46, in Big Ten play yesterday. Valentin led the Hoosiers with 13 points, while freshman Leah Enterline and Hawkins flanked Valentin's efforts with 11 and 10 points, respectively. DeMuth was taken out of the game, as she scored only 3 points -- her lowest point total of the season.\nIU suffered from stagnant shooting, hitting only 28.3 percent of their shots. The Gophers also destroyed the Hoosiers on the defensive glass, grabbing 31 rebounds to IU's 15. \nThe loss drops the Hoosiers to 3-5 in the Big Ten and 10-9 overall, while Minnesota rises to 5-3 in conference play and 16-3 overall.\n-- Contact staff writer Dan Patrick at djpatric@indiana.edu.