Hoosiers capture 1st conference victory over Northwestern

When the second half began, the IU crowd stood on their feet in hopes of turning around a lackluster first half performance.\nWhen it ended, they stood on their feet in celebration of a 53-42 win over Northwestern.\nFalling behind 24-21, IU (8-6, Big Ten 1-3) played a more motivated brand of basketball in the second half scoring the first nine points and giving them a 30-24 lead.\nThe Wildcats (4-14, Big Ten 1-4), like they did in the first half, charged back, cutting the lead to a point with 12 minutes remaining.\nRather than folding, the Hoosiers went on a 12-3 run over the next four minutes, providing a 10-point cushion and the momentum for the remainder of the game.\nSparking the run was junior guard Cyndi Valentin with three pointers on back-to-back possessions. Valentin paced IU with 20 points on the evening.\nGrabbing the lead was important, especially after Northwestern clawed back from an eight-point deficit in the first half, Valentin said.\n"(The run) was really important with the game tight the whole way," Valentin said. "My teammates did a good job penetrating and kicking and I had a lot of open shots."\nThough Valentin sparked the run, sophomore center Jamey Chapman played an integral part. After being hampered with a hip injury for the first 13 games, the Nebraska native made the most of her seven minutes.\nChapman scored four points, grabbed a rebound and provided an assist on Valentin's second three during the pivotal run, pushing the Hoosiers lead out to 36-29.\nHaving Chapman contribute, despite her short time back on the court, will be important if the team hopes to improve offensively, IU coach Kathi Bennett said.\n"The big key (in the run) was Jamey Chapman and the respect they had to give to her," Bennett said. "That helped a lot, if we can establish a post presence where our post player makes a good decision ... and if we can get smarter on that end, that presence is going to make a difference for us."\nDefensively, the Hoosiers maintained the intensity they have had much of the season, forcing 17 turnovers and limiting the Wildcats to 33 percent shooting.\nWhen IU had the opportunity to convert turnovers into points they didn't waste them. Senior guard LeeAnn Stephenson went coast-to-coast early in the game giving the Hoosiers their first lead 4-2. Later in the game she sliced through the lane and scored on another fast break. \nTaking advantage of the opportunities the Wildcats provided was important, Stephenson said.\n"We felt like we could get a lot of transition points on Northwestern and our goal was to penetrate as deep as we could until they stopped us," said Stephenson who finished with 10 points. "It allowed me to get a couple of takes, or if not, to find the open person."\nNext up for the Hoosiers is Penn State (9-6, Big Ten 4-0), 2 p.m. Sunday at Assembly Hall. The Lady Lions finished off Illinois 76-41 Thursday night and will mark IU's first time on television this season with the game being broadcast on WTIU.\nPicking up the first conference win before such a big game was important, Bennett said.\n"It wasn't pretty and we didn't play extremely well, but we needed to find a way to win," Bennett said. "Confidence does a lot and we needed to win in the worst way. From this victory we have to build."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Dan Click at daaclick@indiana.edu.