Hoosiers win 6th game in a row

Senior guard Kim Roberson, the IU women’s basketball team’s defensive specialist, picked up her fourth foul with 14:43 to go in the second half, earning her a seat on the bench.

The Indianapolis native only played 22 minutes due to foul trouble, but she made them count, scoring 15 points and pulling down six rebounds to help IU (7-2) beat the West Virginia Mountaineers (7-2) on the road on Dec. 13, 77-73. 

The Hoosiers have now won six consecutive games with the victory against West Virginia.

IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack, who recorded her 98th career victory Dec. 13, said last year she played Roberson one-on-one and had great success. But this year, Legette-Jack said, Roberson won’t even let opposing players by the 3-point line.

On one particular play, the Mountaineers had what appeared to be a breakaway layup chance for an easy basket. Roberson, playing with the four fouls, sacrificed her body, diving in front of the West Virginia player and disturbing her just enough to force a miss.

After the game, Legette-Jack said that was what IU basketball is all about.

“We are tough and relentless, that is just who we are,” she said. “Defense is what we are all about.”

In a game where the Hoosiers gave up more points than their coach would have liked, the Hoosiers did manage to hold the Mountaineers to less than 43 percent shooting from the field, including just 2-of-13 from behind the 3-point line.

Legette-Jack said if her team was going to give up so many points, it was good they had a solid offensive game. The Hoosiers knocked down six of their 10 3-point attempts in the first half and built a four-point lead going into the break.

Helping lead the way for IU on the offensive end, senior forward Amber Jackson had another stellar game with 25 points, which included a key put-in with 15 seconds left to give the Hoosiers a four-point lead and effectively sealing the game for IU.

Jackson said she is increasingly more focused and determined this year because it is her last and added her teammates are helping her greatly.

“My teammates do a great job of getting me the ball,” Jackson said. “I give all the credit to my teammates.”

For the Hoosiers, Dec. 13 represented another game where balanced scoring set the tone, with six players scoring at least seven points in the game. In addition to Jackson’s 25 and Roberson’s 15, junior guard Jamie Braun played a complete game with 12 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Freshman guard Ashlee Mells also had a productive game with seven points and four rebounds in just 13 minutes of action.

For the Mountaineers, the three-headed monster of Sarah Miles, Liz Repella and Takisha Granberry combined for 61 of the team’s 73 points. The Hoosiers did well against the rest of the West Virginia squad, as their bench outscored the Mountaineers 10-2.

With their sixth consecutive win, the Hoosiers, ranked fourth in the Big Ten, will bring their 7-2 record into tournament play as they open with Northwestern, ranked last in the Big Ten, at home on Dec. 20.

Jackson, when asked about the difference between this year’s team and last year’s, summed it up in one word: maturity.

“We are a mature team,” Jackson said. “We are taking it one game at a time, and every night is a different game.”