Hoosiers continue 3-game road swing at Maine, Boston

By Matt Ostrega\nIndiana Daily Student\nJunior Cyndi Valentin's career-high 30 points and eight rebounds were just not enough last time out for the Hoosiers. IU Coach Kathi Bennett will have to look for more contributions from others on the squad this weekend as her Hoosiers (3-3) continue on their three-game road swing in Maine and Boston as they hope to bounce back after a 66-59 loss to Indiana State.\nBennett's Hoosiers will look for their first road victory of the season. They are 0-3 away from Bloomington. The cream and crimson have been gearing up for a streaky Maine squad Friday night and a scrappy Boston University team Sunday. \nMaine will enter Friday night's contest against the Hoosiers with an identical 3-3 record for the year. After starting off with three consecutive losses, the Black Bears have strung together three straight wins to bring their record back up to .500. The Black Bears are coming off of a 69-57 win at Buffalo Dec. 4 behind 26 points from sophomore guard Bracey Barker, who is second on the team in scoring with 10.5 points per game.\nBoston University is 3-2 on the season and in its two defeats has lost by a combined four points, one that came in a double-overtime loss at LaSalle University. The Terriers are led by freshman standout Corinne Jean and junior Rachael Vanderwal and will look for the dynamic duo to carry the load against the Hoosiers Sunday. In five games this season Jean is averaging 14.4 points per game while Vanderwal has been adding 10.8 per game.\nBoston plays host to Indiana Sunday in its second game of a three-game home stand. The Terriers are undefeated at home with a 2-0 mark, with their most recent victory coming against Central Connecticut State, 73-58.\nAlthough the Hoosiers have played well of late, Bennett said she and her squad feel they must take care of the ball better and play with more energy to come away with a pair of victories this weekend. IU turned the ball over 26 times in its last game against Indiana State compared to only 12 Sycamore turnovers, most of those coming in the opening minutes.\nAdditionally, Bennett said she feels more of her squad needs to contribute, especially her post players, to take the load off standout guard Valentin, who is currently the only Hoosier player averaging points in double digits with 16.3 per contest. \n"Our energy level from the start of the game has to be there," Bennett said. "Maine is a very good team. We need to have energy and be locked in against them. For us to be successful against good teams, we also have to find consistent scoring on the block and we've got to find another scorer other than Cyndi. We do have a good group of players that can step up to get that balance we are looking for."\nValentin, on the other hand, said she feels the Hoosiers need to continue playing hard on the defensive end to come away with a pair of victories this weekend. \n"Our biggest emphasis has been defense," Valentin said. "Indiana State broke down our defense throughout the whole game and it wasn't where it should be. Everyone needs to come mentally prepared and play hard for us to win this weekend."\nThe Hoosiers were able to get only five players in the scoring column Monday night against the Sycamores. Sophomore Sarah McKay was among the few bright spots for IU Monday night against the Sycamores as she tallied 12 points and brought down 8 rebounds along with senior LeAnn Stephenson's 10 points. Similarly to Bennett, McKay said she believes the Hoosiers begin games with more intensity to overcome their next few opponents.\n"We just have to come out strong," McKay said. "We have to have more energy this time out. We didn't start out strong enough last game and it really got us."\nThe Hoosiers will return to Bloomington Dec. 18 as they play host to Eastern Michigan followed by Virginia Commonwealth Dec. 22. IU will wrap up the calendar year at Iowa as they open up Big Ten action against the Hawkeyes Dec. 30. \n-- Contact staff writer Matt Ostrega at mostrega@indiana.edu.