Hoosiers stumble on the road again

The situation was eerily \nsimilar, but this time it ended differently.\nThe IU women's basketball team fell behind by double digits against Minnesota on Sunday, just like they did a week earlier. But while the Hoosiers were able to escape the first meeting with a win, round two, this time in Minneapolis, was a 79-69 Golden Gophers victory.\nMuch like Thursday night's 60-53 loss at Wisconsin and last Sunday's 69-65 win against Minnesota, the Hoosiers fell behind early before fighting their way back. \nDown 11-3 early, the Hoosiers slowly clawed even with the Golden Gophers, finally tying the game at 20 just inside 10 minutes to go in the first half when sophomore forward Kim Roberson made her second 3-point basket of the game.\n"We didn't come and play with energy at first," IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack said. "We let them trap us and we conceded and went backwards instead of going forward. Once we realized if they're going to attack us, we have to attack them back, then we were a better team."\nRoberson's 3-pointer would be the last thing the Hoosiers had to celebrate in the first half. Minnesota went on a 15-3 run to take a 35-23 lead into halftime behind 46 percent shooting in the first half.\nThe Hoosiers continued to struggle in the second half, falling behind by as many as 18 points. \nBut once again IU fought back and were able to cut Minnesota's lead to just five points at 67-62 with 2:29 remaining in the game.\n"We're a positive team and we're going to stay positive," Legette-Jack said. "If we're down by 18 we're going to learn a lesson, and if we're down by five we're going to learn a lesson. Anytime we're on the basketball court and there's time left on the clock, we're going to think we have a chance to win."\nBut the late push was not enough for IU (15-11, 4-9 Big Ten), as it fell for the second game in a row and the seventh time in the last nine games. Freshman guard Jamie Braun's 17 points, a double-double by senior center Sarah McKay and 16 points by Roberson were not enough to counter Minnesota. The Golden Gophers had four players scoring in double digits, including Emily Fox, who finished with 23. The defeat was also the fifth road loss in a row for the Hoosiers, who are 1-6 on the road in Big Ten play.\nIU now has a full week off before its next game when the Hoosiers come back to IU's Assembly Hall on Sunday to play Illinois. The Hoosiers defeated the Fighting Illini on Jan. 7 in Champaign, Ill., 71-64.