Michigan State defeats Hoosiers again

It wasn't a blowout, but for the second time in less than two weeks Michigan State defeated the IU women's basketball team, this time in Bloomington. The Hoosiers blew a three-point lead late in regulation and lost 64-56 in overtime against the No. 19 Spartans. On Dec. 28, Michigan State beat IU 74-49 in East Lansing, Mich. \nJunior guard Nikki Smith led the Hoosiers with 16 points in the contest while only shooting 33 percent from the field. Though IU had fewer turnovers than Michigan State, the Spartans won the rebound battle, grabbing 16 more boards than the Hoosiers. \nThe Hoosiers hung tight to the Spartans early in the game and entered halftime with a one-point lead. IU managed to hold a slim lead against Michigan State throughout the second half and led by three points late after sophomore forward Whitney Thomas hit two free throws to make the score 54-51. But the Hoosiers were unable to stop Spartans forward Rene Haynes from hitting one of her three 3-pointers on the night to even the score and send the game to overtime.\nIn the extra minutes, the Hoosiers scored an early basket to take the lead but would never score again. IU was outscored 10-2 in overtime.\nThe Hoosiers, now 1-2 in Big Ten play, travel to Champaign, Ill., to challenge Illinois on Sunday afternoon.