'Our Championship Game'

The annual IU-Purdue match-up always has a lot at stake -- but the stakes are even higher this year.\nFor the third consecutive year, the Hoosiers will "Pack the Hall" in order break the school's attendance record and raise money for breast cancer research 2 p.m. Sunday at Assembly Hall.\nIf IU can bring in 10,000 fans into Assembly Hall, Vera Bradley Designs will donate $10,000 for breast cancer research to the IU Cancer Center in Indianapolis.\nIn the program's first year trying to break the record, they did, as 7,986 people came. Last year a snow storm prevented the Hoosiers from breaking the record, but despite the weather, the second-largest crowd in the school's history came.\nTo have the opportunity to break the school record and help breast cancer research is a great feeling, IU coach Kathi Bennett said.\n"It is a great honor for us to be able to team up with Vera Bradley for such a great cause," Bennett said. "The research that they are doing and the strides that they are making are phenomenal, and give hope that we are closer to finding a cure."\nIn order to make it a memorable day, the Hoosiers will have their work cut out for them. The last time the two teams met, IU came away setting the schools lowest scoring performance at the time with 30 points.\nPurdue (14-10, Big Ten 7-6) boasts Naismith trophy candidate sophomore Katie Gearlds as well as a full stable of young talent.\nTo be able to beat the Boilermakers for the first time since the 2002 Big Ten Tournament, IU knows they will have to play better than they did Thursday night in a loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, senior forward Jamie Gathing said.\n"Like always Indiana-Purdue game is a big game," Gathing said. "The people are an additional factor. The key is that we have to come out and play better than what we did (Thursday)."\nWith all the struggles that the team has dealt with this year and all that is on the table, a lack of passion for this game shouldn't be an issue, Bennett said.\n"It's our national championship, and we need to prepare like this is the biggest game that we've had all year," Bennett said. "If we can't bring energy for that, something is wrong."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Dan Click at daaclick@indiana.edu.