Jackson’s first-half run sparks Hoosier blowout

INDIANAPOLIS – If IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack had any doubts whether her team came to play in Thursday’s Big Ten Tournament opener against Northwestern, junior forward Amber Jackson quickly erased them. \nJackson set the tone early in IU’s 74-52 win, scoring the first seven points of the game and the first 11 points for IU. \n“She’s been working hard to have a moment like this,” Legette-Jack said. “She’s been in the gym working hard. She’s done all she can do to be the best she can be. For her to have an outing like this is really a tribute to what she’s done in the past.”\nJackson finished the game with 15 points and seven rebounds in only 21 minutes of play. \n“My teammates found me when I was open,” she said. “It was all about them seeing me and then just me making the easy layups.”\nJackson, a transfer from San Jose State, said the quick start gave her confidence in her first Big Ten Tournament game. \n“I was a little bit nervous before the game,” she said. “It’s like a new season. Now we’re 1-0, but we came in 0-0. It feels good to be playing now, and hopefully we can do well and make some noise.”\nNorthwestern coach Beth Combs said the early run by Jackson and IU was one of the keys to the game. \n“We talked a lot about rebounding and our help-side rotation,” she said. “They had four-on-three breaks and three-on-two breaks, and they’re making four passes in the paint, and we’re not making any stops. Amber did a great job of finishing down low. ”\nLegette-Jack said earlier in the week she wanted to keep her team focused on Northwestern after beating the Wildcats two times in the regular season. \nAfter Jackson’s early run and a 38-24 halftime lead, IU extended the lead to 26 points early in the second half and Legette-Jack gave some of the team’s younger players extended minutes in the tournament atmosphere. \n“We have a lot of freshmen that have never been here or played here, and for that matter, we have an upperclassman who hasn’t been here,” junior forward Whitney Thomas said. “It’s good to know the court and know the atmosphere and that really helped us.”\nJackson, who averages 12 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, will get a taste of what Big Ten Tournament play is like when the Hoosiers face Purdue today. Jackson said she is ready for the Boilermakers after a strong performance in her first game.\n“Purdue is our in-state rival so I’m excited to get out there and play hard and do what we can to win,” she said.