Texas A&M-CC wins on Hoosiers' home court 59-49

When IU hit Branch McCracken court Thursday night the Hoosiers had the chance to win back-to-back games for the first time since mid-December. Instead IU will have to start back at square one after a loss to Texas A&M Corpus Christi 59-49.\nThe Islanders (18-5) provided the Hoosiers a break in their Big Ten schedule, but no reprieve from their shooting woes as IU was limited to 30 percent shooting on the night.\nMuch of the problems for the Hoosiers (10-14, Big Ten 3-10) came in the paint as the much smaller Corpus Christi team got to every loose ball and outscored IU 30-12 in the lane.\nA lack of passion proved to be a downfall in the Hoosiers' only non-conference home loss this season, IU coach Kathi Bennett said.\n"I just thought our intensity level and our effort level and the amount of heart that we showed were very poor tonight," Bennett said. "The whole game I didn't think that we played together. There was no togetherness on the floor whatsoever today."\nAfter a close game throughout much of the first half and the beginning part of the second half, the Hoosiers hit a problem that has plagued them all season long -- cold shooting.\nIn a 12-minute span, IU went from leading to 34-32 to trailing 50-40. The Hoosiers only found the basket once in the stretch, missing their other nine attempts.\nEven once IU found the basket it was too late as the Hoosiers would cut the deficit to no lower than five during the final seconds.\nWhile IU became more flustered and searching for answers, the Islanders continued to add to their lead by getting inside and to the line. Corpus Christi outscored the Hoosiers by seven points from the free throw line in the second half. \nEven though Corpus Christi is only in its sixth season at Division I, it wasn't a team that IU took lightly. The Islanders nearly came away with upset at Michigan State earlier this season.\n"I just think we didn't come out and play, we didn't bring it," senior forward Jamie Gathing said. "We have to turn it around. Anything we can get in (the paint) we need to convert, those are easy buckets we need."\nThe main thorn in Hoosiers' side was Jackie Ododa, who grabbed 19 rebounds in addition to her 12 points. She was one of three Corpus Christi players to reach double figures on the evening.\nAs Bennett scoured the bench looking for anyone to step and contribute to the comeback effort, only two players were able to get anything going -- Gathing and junior guard Cyndi Valentin.\nAvoiding falling into the same trap of not playing together will be important in order to knock off Purdue 2 p.m. Sunday, Valentin said.\n"I think that (when we are losing) is when we need to come together the most, and not try to do it all by yourself," said Valentin, IU's leading scorer with 21 points. "I think we'll come together for Purdue and we'll play hard."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Dan Click at daaclick@indiana.edu.