Hoosiers unhappy with second half

Eight seconds were left on the clock, and Illinois had whittled IU's lead down to one. Sophomore Cyndi Valentin played damage control and drilled a jumper to put the score at 28-25 to give IU some breathing room, but Illinois junior Tiffanie Guthrie had a different idea as she heaved a 35-foot shot and drilled it to knot the game at 28.\nUnfortunately for IU, most of the second half went in a similar manner. \nIU was in control for the majority of the first half and held its largest lead at 22-15 with just over five minutes left in the half. Illinois then put together a 13-6 run, capped off by a 35-foot last-second shot that cut through the net and tied the score at 28 at the break. The Hoosiers showed impressive defense in the first half, forcing 13 turnovers on the Illini. \nIU started the second half in the driver's seat with a 36-30 lead, but Illinois was able to put together a 13-2 run to bring the score to 43-38 in Illinois' favor. After the run, IU was able to cut Illinois' lead down to one with 11:14 left in the half, but was never able to regain the lead. Five turnovers and nine of 12 missed shots later, Illinois took the 64-52 victory on IU's home turf. \nIU coach Kathi Bennett said flat play in the second half is nothing new for the Hoosiers as second half play has been lacking throughout the entire season.\n"We've tried to answer (why IU's second half play lags) the entire season," junior Jenny DeMuth said. "It seems like every game that we play, we're in it for the first half and then when we come out in the second half we come apart. Game after game, we're in it in the first half and then we're nonexistent in the second."\nWhile the team was unhappy with its performance in the second half, Bennett said one bright spot for IU was the play of sophomore Angela Hawkins. In 28 minutes of play, Hawkins grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds and finished with eight points despite fouling out with 5:19 left in the game. Because of her energetic play, Hawkins even earned the respect of her opponents. \n"(Hawkins) is a hard worker and she goes in there and gets it," Illinois senior Cindy Dallas said. "I think people underestimate her because she's shorter than (Freshman center Sarah) McKay, but you can't forget about her because she's very athletic and she can rebound the ball." \nWhile Hawkins finished with nearly half of IU's 31 total rebounds, DeMuth and sophomore Cyndi Valentin led the Hoosiers in scoring with 17 and 15 points, respectively. Scoring wasn't DeMuth's only asset as she finished with six boards and four steals in 40 minutes of play. McKay was the only other IU player to reach double digits, finishing the game with 10 points, four rebounds and three blocks. \nIllinois' triple threat of Dallas and juniors Tiffanie Guthrie and Angelina Williams lived up to its billing in the contest as all three nearly finished with double-doubles. Dallas garnered her eighth double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 rebounds while junior Tiffanie Guthrie flanked Dallas' attack with 18 points and 9 rebounds of her own. Williams also turned in a fine performance for Illinois as she added 16 and 8 to the Fighting Illini cause. \nDespite suffering through a five game slide, the Hoosiers said the team can still turn the season around.\n"We've still got five more games to play and we can turn it around," Valentin said. "You can't just hold your head down and say 'Oh man, we've lost.' You have to move on and get better."\n-- Contact senior writer Dan Patrick at djpatric@indiana.edu.