Hoosiers fall in Bennett's final game

INDIANAPOLIS -- The opener to the Big Ten Tournament that pitted IU against Wisconsin showed exactly why March is known for its "madness."\nIn a game that featured 10 ties and 11 lead changes -- all occurring after the 11-minute mark in the second half -- the final lead change proved to be the demise for the Hoosiers as they fell 75-74 to Wisconsin in double overtime.\nEven though IU managed to get to the second overtime, it almost didn't happen. \nTrailing 66-63 with eight seconds left, senior guard LeeAnn Stephenson raced the ball up court, finding junior guard Cyndi Valentin open on the right wing with three seconds left. As quick as Valentin got the ball she launched a three-pointer from 25 feet out, hitting nothing but the bottom of the net, tying things up and putting the Hoosiers in the first double overtime game in IU women's basketball history.\n"I think we did a great job drawing the defense inside and kicking it back towards me and it was an open shot it and it went in," Valentin said.\nIU carried that momentum into the second overtime, but it wouldn't last as the Badgers (12-15) drained back to back threes, going ahead 72-70. \nThe Hoosiers (10-18) continued fighting back as junior center Angela Hawkins hit the team's first free throws since the first half to knot the game at 72.\nAfter a Wisconsin free throw, Valentin continued her heroics sinking a running jumper to give IU a one-point lead with just under a minute remaining. \nAs IU frantically tried to keep the Badgers off the scoreboard, and their slim postseason hopes alive, Valentin was called for the game-changing foul, putting Jordan Wilson at the line. \nWilson would convert both charity shots, and despite Stephenson's two shots at the bucket, IU couldn't get any more bounces to fall its way and left Conseco Fieldhouse with its first loss to the Badgers in the conference tournament in the last three years.\nThe foul on Valentin proved to be big in the game's final seconds, said IU coach Kathi Bennett.\n"I was a little upset about Cyndi fouling out," said Bennett in her final game on the sidelines as coach of IU. "I would like to see that again and I definitely felt it had an impact on the game."\nAfter establishing a lead as large as 12 in the first half, the Hoosiers led 34-30 at the intermission. Throughout much of the season the team has been led by the guards, but during the second half it was all down low. Of the team's 22 points in the second half, 16 came from the post, including eight from sophomore forward Jamey Chapman.\nGoing into the game, the team knew if it could establish a presence inside it would have a chance to win, Hawkins said.\n"I felt the key to this game was the post and the way Wisconsin played us it left open a lot of open lay ins and shots," she said.\nIn addition to Chapman chipping in with 10 points on the evening, Hawkins led the team with 15 points and 16 rebounds.\n"(The inside) was very important and that was the reason that we have been better our last four or five games," Bennett said. "It is because have established and had more consistent play and Jamey Chapman is a huge reason for that. She has come in and stabilized that and Angie has had a really good game today and that is the reason why we have been more successful and competing better."\nAfter a tough game with so many ups and downs, Bennett said it will be tough not to forget this one.\n"I'm very proud of the effort this team put forth," she emotionally said. "It's really difficult to end on a note like this game, because it is so difficult to swallow."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Dan Click at daaclick@indiana.edu.