Big Ten woes continue for team

Junior Cyndi Valentin became the 19th player in IU history to tally 1,000 career points Thursday night, but the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes took her spotlight away as they knocked off the Hoosiers 52-30.\nValentin, with 15 points in the game, recorded her 1,000th career point on a fastbreak lay-in with 11:56 left in the second half. By that time, though, the game was out of IU's reach and Ohio State was en route to their 18th win of the year and their fifth in Big Ten action.\nThe 30 points scored by the Hoosiers in the game marked a school record for low points in regulation. Their previous record low was set earlier this season against Purdue when they netted only 31 points.\nThe Hoosiers looked impressive in the opening minutes of the game as they jumped out to an early 6-4 lead with 15:31 left in the first half. A few timely jump shots in addition to a stifling Hoosier defense caused the Buckeyes some headaches as they turned the ball over four times during the opening five minutes of the contest.\nIU was not able to keep up with the Buckeyes on the offensive end as the team was shut out for the next 15 minutes. OSU took advantage of IU's cold shooting and went on a 22-0 run during the Hoosier dry spell. Senior Jamie Gathing finally stopped the run with a 12-footer seconds before halftime. \nOhio State was not surprised that the Hoosiers were unable to find a rhythm in the first half shooting the basketball.\n"The shots that they (IU) got were difficult shots," OSU coach Jim Foster said. "Their strategy was to get back on defense, so they weren't really rebounding the offensive glass and we were sustaining our defensive stance and sustaining our effort, making their shots difficult."\nUnfortunately for IU, Ohio State never looked back after taking a 26-8 lead into the locker room. In the second half, the Buckeyes continued playing an aggressive style of basketball on both ends of the floor led by their star, sophomore center Jessica Davenport. Davenport ended the night with 12 points on top of 10 rebounds and a career-high five assists. Davenport's 12 points, though, were five less than her season average.\nHead coach Kathi Bennett stressed in practice all week the importance of containing the 6'5" Davenport. For the most part the Hoosiers were able to hold Davenport off the glass and out of the scoring column, but after a few quick fouls on junior Angela Hawkins, IU struggled to contain Davenport.\n"Jessica Davenport is the best post player that I have ever seen," Bennett said. "She broke us down (tonight). In the first half we tried to double but couldn't rebound and without Angie (Hawkins) in the game our defensive rebounding takes a toll." \nAlthough the Hoosiers weren't able to turn eight first-half OSU turnovers into many points, IU stepped up the intensity level in the second half and held a hot-shooting Buckeye team to 39 percent from the field.\n"In the second half our defense played really well and we stepped up," Valentin said. "When you go through a funk you just have to turn around and pick up your defense."\nThe Hoosiers will look to turn things around and this Sunday and end a two-game losing streak, when they travel to Ann Arbor, Mich., to battle the Wolverines of Michigan as part of a two-game conference road swing. Game time is set for 2 p.m.\n-- Contact Staff Writer Matt Ostrega at mostrega@indiana.edu.