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(02/15/08 5:09am)
Rebounding plagued the IU women’s basketball team throughout its 72-68 loss to Michigan State Thursday night in Assembly Hall. \nMichigan State earned a 45-31 rebounding advantage and scrapped and clawed its way to 16 offensive rebounds, leading to 16 second chance points. \n“That was us coming out of the gates with heart and with energy and a mental focus on hitting the boards,” Michigan State’s Allyssa DeHaan said after the game. “I think we definitely outworked them on the boards.”\nDeHaan, a 6-foot-9 center, led the Spartans’ rebounding efforts grabbing 15 rebounds to go along with her 16 points. Guards Brittney Thomas and Kalisha Keane added 8 and 5 rebounds, respectively. \nAfter the game, IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack said she was disappointed in her teams’ rebounding effort.\n“We understand DeHaan getting her 15 rebounds, but we don’t understand their point guard Brittney Thomas coming down with eight rebounds,” she said. “I thought we could have done a better job of getting those guards off the boards.”\nWhile Thomas’ rebounding frustrated Legette-Jack, DeHaan said it came as no surprise. \n“She’s a strong rebounding guard for us and she knows how to get in and out of people and where to go and she grabs it strong and goes,” DeHaan said.\nWhen the two teams met on Jan. 20 in East Lansing, IU outrebounded Michigan State 48-36 on the way to a 70-56 victory. Tonight was a different story, though, and Michigan State coach Suzy Merchant attributed the reversal to the strong rebounding of her big center.\n“I thought (DeHaan) made a huge difference,” Merchant said. “This was probably by far her best rebounding game of the year. She just went up and got rebounds that she didn’t get before. Whether we were in man or zone, she really went up and snatched ones offensively and defensively. I think the more aggressive she can be on the boards the better.”\nJunior forward Whitney Thomas leads IU with 9.4 rebounds per game, which is third in the conference. Junior forward Amber Jackson is tied for 11th in the conference at 6.3 rebounds per game. Thomas sat for much of the first half with foul trouble, and Michigan State held her to only two rebounds, well below her average. The Spartans also held Jackson below her average, limiting her to five rebounds. \n“We knew their two post players were one of the top rebounding combos in the conference,” she said. “We knew that we had to come out and put a body on them and hit the boards strong. I think everyone on our team did that well tonight.”\nWith an undersized team, IU has remained focused on rebounding throughout the season. Legette-Jack often stresses box-out drills in practice. While tonight wasn’t the teams’ best effort on the glass, Legette-Jack said her team will continue to improve in that regard. “We’ll get better with that,” she said.
(02/15/08 1:13am)
We're about ready to begin the second half. Whitney Thomas is back in the lineup after sitting most of the first half with two fouls.
15:56 to play: Tied 34-34
Thomas quickly picked up third personal with a silly over the back foul. Thomas stayed in the game following the foul though. Michigan State got a few easy baskets inside. Amber Jackson was inadvertently elbowed in the face by DeHaan. Jackson walked back to the bench appearing a bit woosy.
(02/15/08 12:05am)
Hey everyone. Hope Valentine's Day is treating you well. THe Hoosiers are about to tip off against Michigan State in the first of two big home games. IU needs to hold court at home against Michigan State tonight and against Michigan on Sunday if they have any hopes of making the NCAA tournament. A couple quick notes before the game: Haylie Linn is getting the start tonight in place of Nikki Smith. Jori Davis isn't dressed for tonight's game, but she is out of her protective boot. She has been nursing a stress fracture.
15:51 left in the 1st Half: Tied 4-4
Both teams are starting off slowly. Michigan State hit two free-throws with 17:6 to play for the first points of the game. Amber Jackson quickly answered with IU's first basket. Jackson has all four of IU's points. Michigan State's 6-foot-9 center Allyssa DeHaan looks like she'll makes things tough on IU's forwards all game long.
11:53 left in the half: Tied 11-11
Whitney Thomas picked up her second foul and quickly headed to the bench. Kim Roberson and Ebony Jackson both hit 3-pointers to spark the Hoosiers offense. Michigan State is beating up the Hoosiers on the offensive glass. IU is having touble securing the ball for a rebound.
7:37 to play: Tied 16-16
Whitney Lindsay nailed a three-pointer off a nice pass from Ebony Jackson. Amber Jackson now has seven points and seems ready to shoulder the load for IU offensivley. Michigan State is killing IU on the glass, geting six offensive rebounds. The rebounding is keeping the Spartans in the game, because they have yet to make a 3-pointer.
Halftime: IU leads 31-28
Nikki Smith hit two 3-pointers during the final eight minutes. Jamie Braun is still quiet and has yet to score. Michigan State also just made their first 3-pointer of the game. Kim Roberson just sliced and diced through the defense for an old-fashioned 3-point play. IU had the ball out of bounds in their backcourt and Jamie Braun was fouled in the back court. She missed the front end of a one and one though. IU double-teamed DeHaan every time she touched the ball in the first half. We'll she if she gets on track in the second half. She only has two first half points.
(02/14/08 6:10am)
The IU women’s basketball team (14-10, 7-5) begins a crucial two-game home stand tonight when it faces Michigan State (14-11, 6-7) at Assembly Hall.\nAt 7-5 in the Big Ten, IU is in fifth place in the conference. The Hoosiers will look for a win against Michigan State and against Michigan on Sunday to boost their conference record and increase their NCAA tournament chances. \nDespite the big weekend coming up, junior guard Kim Roberson said the Hoosiers are not placing too much emphasis on the games. \n“As a player, you just have to take each game the same way,” she said. “If you don’t then you get too high or too low. If you look at every game by itself and prepare the same way for each game then hopefully you’ll come out on top.”\nThe Hoosiers topped Michigan State 70-56 earlier this season in East Lansing on Jan. 20. But with the season winding down and the postseason tournaments approaching, Roberson said she expects a tougher game against the Spartans. \n“It’s a different part of the season,” she said. “It’s later, everyone is getting better and we expect their best game. Everybody is trying to get to the tournament. We expect nothing less than their best.”\nMichigan State is led by 6-foot-9 center Allyssa DeHaan, who averages 14.8 points per game and 7.8 rebounds. DeHaan recorded a double-double in the Jan. 20 game scoring 15 points and adding 11 rebounds. \nIU hopes to rebound from a disappointing 73-62 road loss to Illinois last Sunday. IU’s shooting woes put the team in too poor of a position to make a comeback, even though the Hoosiers forced 18 turnovers, including seven steals.\nThe Hoosiers lead the Big Ten in steals at 9.46 per game and hope their defense will lead them to victory on Thursday.\n“It’s a great category to lead, but we just want to play great defense,” Roberson said. “If we get the ball on a steal it’s just a reward for playing great defense.”\nRoberson has been a force on the defensive end all year and is second in the conference in steals at 2.67 per game. She said the Hoosiers look for their defense to jump start their offense.\n“I take pride in pressuring (the ball-handler) and hopefully raising the intensity so that we can get the ball back and score,” she said. “Scoring is what they keep track of.”\nThe Hoosiers had four players in double figures in the Jan. 20 game against Michigan State, including junior forward Amber Jackson and sophomore guard Jamie Braun, who scored 21 and 18 points respectively. \nFour IU players also average double figure scoring for the season, with Braun leading the way at 15.2 points per game. Junior forward Whitney Thomas averages 12.4 per game and Jackson adds 12.2 per game. Roberson is also averaging 10.8 points per game.\nHeading into the stretch, IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack said she is proud of how her team is coming together. On her radio show Monday night, Legette-Jack said her team is starting to reveal its character late in the season.\n“This young team is growing up right before my eyes,” she said.
(02/14/08 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With Little 500 Rookie Week underway, icy conditions delayed what would have been the first-year riders’ first time on the track at Bill Armstrong Stadium.On Monday rookie riders watched a video on the history and tradition of the Little 500 and took a written test on the rules. Tuesday was supposed to be the first day on the track, but race officials decided to cancel the day’s events. “Speaking with the head maintenance guys at the track, we just determined that it wasn’t really possible to be out on the track in the freezing rain,” Little 500 Race Director Matt Ewing said. “We tried to roll the track but we couldn’t get it in enough shape to ride on.”Rookie Week is an eight-day training period for first-year riders, designed to educate riders on race rules, racing technique and track safety. Rookie Week started on Monday Feb. 11 and runs through Feb. 20. While Ewing said the cancellation of Tuesday’s events was not ideal, he is still confident that the Little 500 schedule of events will remain the same and all Rookie Week events will be completed by Feb. 21, when the track opens to non-rookie riders. “The forecast is supposed to warm up in the next few days, so if we can get out on the track by Thursday the schedule should be alright,” he said. “If we’re on the track on Thursday and Friday of this week, and then Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, it will still be a full week for the rookie riders.”The IU Student Foundation Riders Council, a group of experienced riders, coordinate Rookie Week by teaching rookie riders about the fundamentals of the race.Riders Council member and Phi Kappa Psi rider Mike Segal said one benefit of Rookie Week is the ability to mix indoor and outdoor activities. Segal said the Metz Lounge under the track is available to show past race videos to the rookies. However on Tuesday, the weather would not even allow for that.“The parking lot by the track all the way down the stairs to the Metz Lounge was just full of ice,” Segal said. Women’s Riders Council president and Alpha Chi Omega rider Nattie Deinlein also said she is confident they will be able to complete the week’s activities, but she also stressed that the Riders Council will be able to help the rookies throughout the Little 500 season.“The Riders Council maintains our presence on the track throughout the season,” she said. “Our goal is to make sure that the rookies still feel comfortable as the season progresses. We still feel that the rookies will be more than competent.”
(02/08/08 6:26am)
The IU women’s basketball team (14-9, 7-4) let Northwestern (4-19, 0-11) hang around for much of the first half in its 74-58 victory Thursday night at Assembly Hall. \n“No energy!” IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack yelled to her team from the sidelines early in the first half. \nAfter Northwestern’s Nadia Bibbs hit a wide open 3-pointer with 4:43 to play in the first half, the Hoosier lead was a tight 21-20. \nAfter Bibbs’ 3-pointer, Legette-Jack turned to the bench and was right in the faces of her players, challenging her team. \n“You have to coach the team as if you’re playing against anybody in the country,” she said after the game. “If you give anyone confidence, they become somebody great.”\nThe Hoosiers heard her message loud and clear. \nIU hit three unanswered 3-pointers to extend the lead to 30-20. In just over one minute of action, the Hoosiers increased their lead from one point to 10 points.\n“We gave up a couple possessions and they came down in transition and hit a couple three’s,” Northwestern coach Beth Combs said. “We just dug ourselves in a big hole. We were just back on our heels at that point. They just made a couple big plays and we just didn’t answer quickly enough.”\nFreshman guard Haylie Linn hit the first 3-pointer, and after a media timeout, sophomore guard Jamie Braun and junior guard Kim Roberson added 3-pointers on consecutive possessions.\n“It was just back-to-back-to-back,” Linn said of the 3-point barrage. “That’s a lot of points real fast. I definitely think that helped to break the game open. It gave us a lot of energy on defense and on offense.”\nFreshman forward Ebony Jackson hit another 3-pointer on the way to a 36-23 halftime advantage, and IU never looked back.\n“It’s frustrating to know that you’re in a game and then you allow a couple baskets,” Combs said. “You have to be able to play through streaks and play through runs, and we’re just not doing that right now.”\nIU continued its energized play in the second half and extended the lead to as many as 26 points before winning by 16.\nThe Hoosiers finished the game 8-19 from beyond the arc after missing their first two attempts. Linn finished with three 3-pointers, and Braun and Jackson added two apiece.\n“I think it all had to with the fact that we started looking for our shot,” Braun said. “We were driving and kicking it out to the open players that were just kind of hesitant about their shots. Then our players started shooting with a lot of confidence.”
(02/08/08 1:09am)
We're getting ready to start the 2nd half. We'll see if IU can keep up the momentum from the end of the first half.
Timeout Northwestern-16:39 to play-IU leads 42-25
IU is starting to attack the basket and get some easy looks. A great spin move by Jamie Braun in the open court gave her a wide open layup. Nikki Smith also finished a nice drive to bucket with an underhand scoop layup. IU looks more focused to start the second half.
Timeout IU-12:24 to play-IU leads 50-35
The Hoosiers are really picking it up defensively and are beginning to force Northwestern into turnovers. Whitney Lindsay just stole the ball and was fouled in the open court. IU played some of this stretch with an all-freshman lineup. Andrea McGuirt scored her first basket of the game.
5:37 to play-IU leads 67-43
IU stretched the lead to 24 points and continues to handle and out-matched Northwestern team. Haylie Linn added two more 3-pointers and the Hoosiers continued their good sooting.
IU wins 74-58
Better performance by IU in the second half. They attacked the basket well and played much more agressively on the defensive end. IU moves to 14-9 overall and 7-4 in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers will have a big game road game this weekend when they travel to Champaign, Ill. to take on Illinois.
(02/08/08 12:21am)
Indiana takes on Northwestern tonight at Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers look for their seventh Big Ten win, which would already surpass last year's conference total. The crowd is pretty thin tonight. Maybe folks are gearing up for the game at the other Assembly Hall. Volleyball coach Sherry Dunbar is on the bench with IU for tonight's game. The game is about to tip and we'll keep you posted on all the action.
15:42 in 1st Half: Tied 6-6
Whitney Thomas, Amber Jackson and Jamie Braun all have early baskets. Amy Jaeschke, Northwestern's 6-foot-5 center, is giving the Hoosiers trouble down low early. She has four points and is rebounding well too.
(02/07/08 7:24am)
After an 81-65 road loss at Iowa on Sunday, the IU women’s basketball team will look to rebound against Northwestern (4-18, 0-10) Thursday night at Assembly Hall.\nThe Hoosiers won the first meeting between the two teams, cruising to an 84-53 win on Dec. 31 at Northwestern. IU (13-9, 6-4) is in fourth place in the Big Ten conference while Northwestern sits at the bottom of the standings. Despite the Wildcats’ record, IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack said Northwestern improved since the teams previously met.\n“They are a tougher team,” she said. “I think (Amy) Jaeschke, her hand is better, she’s shooting the ball better and her cardio is there now.”\nJaeschke broke her left hand in Northwestern’s first game of the season and was still limited by the injury against the Hoosiers on Dec. 31. She scored six points and managed to grab nine rebounds. With her hand finally healed, Jaeshke is hitting her stride lately, scoring in double-figures in five of her last six games.\nAfter Iowa outrebounded IU 44-26 on Sunday, the Hoosiers will try to keep Jaeschke and Northwestern off the glass. \n“Our first focus is boxing out and we didn’t do a good job of that against Iowa,” junior forward Whitney Thomas said. “We’re going to focus on that and make sure we pick that up.”\nLegette-Jack said the Hoosiers have been working on box-out drills in practice and said rebounding success is largely due to effort.\n“It just takes heart,” she said. “It doesn’t matter how big you are if you block somebody out. It’s hard to get the rebound without your legs. We’re going to work on trying to keep that box out important to us.” \nAgainst Iowa, IU struggled defensively, allowing the Hawkeyes to shoot 10-20 from the 3-point line, but Legette-Jack expects IU’s defense to toughen up starting Thursday.\n“I don’t think our defense was nearly as good as it’s going to be moving forward,” she said. “It’s easy to shoot when you have time to look at the rim. We’re not going to give people time to look at the rim.”\nDefense has been a staple of Hoosier basketball all season, and junior guard Kim Roberson said IU is ready to return to its aggressive approach on the defensive end.\n“We’re just trying to play Indiana basketball,” she said. “Pressure the ball, get in people’s shorts and make sure we dictate, not them.”\nSophomore guard Jamie Braun leads the Hoosiers in scoring at 15.3 points per game and has scored in double-figures in eight consecutive games. She scored 20 points in the first meeting between the two teams.\nLegette-Jack urged her team in practice on Wednesday to play with energy. \nAfter practice, she said she expects Northwestern to come out strong and push the tempo.\n“Their guards are better. They are just running the floor real well,” she said. “We’re going to have to match their energy and surpass it.”
(02/03/08 10:11pm)
The Hoosiers suffered a tough 81-65 road loss to Iowa to move their record to 13-9 overall and 6-4 in Big Ten play. Before the game IU sat a half-game behind Iowa, who was in a three-way tie atop the Big Ten standings. The win moved Iowa's record to 8-3 in conference.
Jamie Braun continued her strong play, scoring a game-high 26 points and Whitney Thomas recorded 11 points and 10 rebounds for her 10th double-double of the season.
Iowa's 3-point shooting and rebounding was too much for the Hoosiers, though. The Hawkeyes shot 50% from beyond the arc, going 10-20. Iowa also grabbed 15 offensive rebounds and out-rebounded the Hoosiers 44-26.
IU won't get a chance to avenge the loss to Iowa as the Hawkeyes aren't scheduled for a game in Bloomington.
What do you guys think? Can the Hoosiers rebound from this missed opportunity? How do the Hoosiers stack up in the Big Ten race?
We'll have more for you this week as IU prepares for a home contest against Northwestern on Thursday night.
(02/01/08 6:40am)
The Hoosiers are back to their winning ways.\nAfter a road loss to Michigan last Thursday snapped a three-game winning streak, the Hoosiers found their way back into the win column with an 86-62 victory over Wisconsin in Assembly Hall Thursday night.\nIU (13-8, 6-3) used a balanced scoring attack and aggressive defense to earn its thirteenth victory of the season. \nJunior forward Whitney Thomas scored 16 points to lead five Hoosiers in double figures and added a career-high seven assists.\n“Coach Jack was on me about reverse pivoting every time I got the ball in the block,” Thomas said of her assists. “That really opened it up and allowed me to see other players and see what was open.”\nFreshman guard Haylie Linn scored 15 points off the bench, including four first-half 3-pointers. Juniors Amber Jackson and Kim Roberson added 15 and 13 points respectively and sophomore Jamie Braun finished with 12 points.\nIU turned up its defensive pressure from the beginning of the game and built a 42-25 halftime lead behind its strong defensive effort. The Hoosiers forced Wisconsin into 23 turnovers, including 15 in the first half. On the other side, the Hoosiers committed only 12 turnovers.\n“Twelve turnovers for any team is great,” IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack said. “If we can continue to control the turnover category I think we will be very successful.”\nJolene Anderson, the Big Ten’s leading scorer, led the Badgers with 23 points in the game, despite the Hoosiers holding her scoreless in the first half.\n“We didn’t think we could hold her scoreless for a half,” Legette-Jack said. “But we said that if we could pay attention to her, because we thought their offense went through her, then we could be successful.”\nThe Hoosiers played a match-up zone and made sure they always had a defender on Anderson.\n“They were always there with me,” Anderson said. “Whether I was standing there or I was moving, there was always someone following with me.”\nIU’s defense frustrated Anderson in the first half and limited her looks at the basket.\n“She only had two touches in the first half and that isn’t enough for an All-American,” Wisconsin coach Lisa Stone said of Anderson.\nAnderson only attempted two shots in the first half, but Stone challenged her at halftime and she came out more aggressive in the second half.\n“I got called out at halftime,” Anderson said. “I’m a senior captain and I wasn’t leading the team the way I should. I knew coming into the second half that I had to pick it up in every aspect.”\nThe win over Wisconsin is IU’s sixth Big Ten win, which already matches last year’s total. The Hoosiers will travel to Iowa on Sunday in search of their seventh conference win.\n“We have to go after Iowa and get to number seven,” Legette-Jack said. “Seven is my favorite number. It’s going to be fantastic to get to that number.”
(01/24/08 5:02am)
With the 2008 Little 500 season quickly approaching, over 200 men’s and women’s riders packed into the Kelley School of Business last night for a riders’ meeting. \nThis season marks the 58th men’s race and the 21st women’s race. After a thrilling finish in the men’s race and a dominating performance by Kappa Delta last year, this year’s Little 500 is looking to build on last year’s excitement. \n“Last year’s men’s race couldn’t have been more exciting,” Little 500 race director Matt Ewing said. “There were five teams in a sprint to the finish on the final lap. We’re really excited about the women’s field as well. In the past, there were one or two women’s teams with a chance to win. Now there are five or six teams with a legitimate shot. We expect this year to be more of the same.”\nEwing said he expects the rider turnout to be similar to last year.\n“On the men’s side, we’re right about where we were last year,” he said. “We expect about 40 teams to compete in qualifying. We’re expecting about 31 women’s teams. We know there are two teams not returning from last year but there are two or three new teams this year.”\nThis year’s race is on the weekend of April 11, one week earlier than last year’s race. Ewing said the earlier date caused a few changes in the schedule for this year. \n“With the race in the second week of April, it kind of crunches everything together,” he said. “One change we’ll have this year is the Team Pursuit. Normally it has been held mid-week, but this year it will be moved to a Saturday. The Rider’s council has shown support of the decision and they like the idea of having it on a weekend.”\nThis year, Rookie Week, which Ewing described as a sort of mini-camp for rookie riders, begins Feb. 11. \n“You never know with Indiana weather in February,” Ewing said. “It could be 60 degrees, but it also could be freezing. We’re praying for some good weather for that week.”\nFor the riders in attendance, especially the first-time riders, the meeting served as a preview of things to come. \n“Seeing all the people here definitely makes it more real for me,” first year Gamma Phi Beta rider Caitlin Greenwald said. “We’ve been training in our basement for a while now, so it’s nice to see all riders here.”\nProspective Weston Voirol is also a first-time rider who attended the meeting. While Voiral is still looking for a team he can ride for, he is already planning for race day. \n“Looking at all the dates, I’ve already got some changes I have to make in my schedule,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of things going on, but this definitely takes precedent. It looks like my girlfriend may not see too much of me during Valentine’s week.”
(01/24/08 5:00am)
With the 2008 Little 500 season quickly approaching, over 200 men’s and women’s riders packed into the Kelley School of Business last night for a riders’ meeting. This season marks the 58th men’s race and the 21st women’s race. After a thrilling finish in the men’s race and a dominating performance by Kappa Delta last year, this year’s Little 500 is looking to build on last year’s excitement. “Last year’s men’s race couldn’t have been more exciting,” Little 500 race director Matt Ewing said. “There were five teams in a sprint to the finish on the final lap. We’re really excited about the women’s field as well. In the past, there were one or two women’s teams with a chance to win. Now there are five or six teams with a legitimate shot. We expect this year to be more of the same.”Ewing said he expects the rider turnout to be similar to last year.“On the men’s side, we’re right about where we were last year,” he said. “We expect about 40 teams to compete in qualifying. We’re expecting about 31 women’s teams. We know there are two teams not returning from last year but there are two or three new teams this year.”This year’s race is on the weekend of April 11, one week earlier than last year’s race. Ewing said the earlier date caused a few changes in the schedule for this year. “With the race in the second week of April, it kind of crunches everything together,” he said. “One change we’ll have this year is the Team Pursuit. Normally it has been held mid-week, but this year it will be moved to a Saturday. The Rider’s council has shown support of the decision and they like the idea of having it on a weekend.”This year, Rookie Week, which Ewing described as a sort of mini-camp for rookie riders, begins Feb. 11. “You never know with Indiana weather in February,” Ewing said. “It could be 60 degrees, but it also could be freezing. We’re praying for some good weather for that week.”For the riders in attendance, especially the first-time riders, the meeting served as a preview of things to come. “Seeing all the people here definitely makes it more real for me,” first year Gamma Phi Beta rider Caitlin Greenwald said. “We’ve been training in our basement for a while now, so it’s nice to see all riders here.”Prospective Weston Voirol is also a first-time rider who attended the meeting. While Voiral is still looking for a team he can ride for, he is already planning for race day. “Looking at all the dates, I’ve already got some changes I have to make in my schedule,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of things going on, but this definitely takes precedent. It looks like my girlfriend may not see too much of me during Valentine’s week.”
(01/22/08 4:51am)
Four IU players scored in double figures Sunday afternoon as the IU women’s basketball team (12-7, 5-2) earned its third straight win in a 70-56 victory over Michigan State (11-9, 3-5) in East Lansing. \nJunior forward Amber Jackson led the way for the Hoosiers with 21 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore guard Jamie Braun added 18 points and junior guard/forward Kim Roberson scored 14. Junior forward Whitney Thomas posted her third consecutive double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds on her way to Big Ten Player of the Week honors.\nAfter a grueling 80-77 double-overtime win over Minnesota on Thursday night, each of IU’s five starters played at least 36 minutes against Michigan State just three days later. \n“It was just one of those things where the starters were really effective,” IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack said. “They’re in great shape and they didn’t look tired out there. They just had to stay out there. There will be times when we need the bench to step up but today we didn’t really need to go to the bench.”\nMichigan State led 13-7 with 9:59 to play in the first half, but IU responded with an 8-0 run of its own to take a 15-13 lead with 5:55 remaining in the half. The Hoosiers then held on to a 26-23 advantage at halftime. \nAfter the break, IU scored the first 12 points of the half to lead 38-23. The Spartans cut the lead to eight points, but were never able to get any closer.\nAllyssa DeHaan, a 6-foot-9 center, led the way for Michigan State with 15 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks. Despite DeHaan’s defensive presence, the Hoosier post players had a good day offensively.\n“I knew it would be a challenge going up against someone that tall,” Jackson said. “Coach really emphasized the reverse pivot and the dribble. I knew she would block some shots but I just tried to keep going after it.”\nIU got to the free-throw line early and often, shooting 20-of-31 from the line, while Michigan State shot just 4-of-10. The Hoosiers also committed only 10 turnovers while the Spartans had 19. \n“We did a good job taking care of the ball,” Braun said. “Our passes were nice and crisp and we were finding the open people. We were a lot more focused out there. Less turnovers is going to equal more wins.”\nAt 5-2 in the conference, IU is tied for second place with Purdue and trails Ohio State, at 6-1, by one game. \n“The Big Ten is wide open this year,” Jackson said. “So we have to come out strong in every game. We think we’re a contender in the conference and we want to be one of the 64 teams in the Big Dance at the end of the year.”
(01/18/08 6:09am)
Fresh off a hard-fought road win at Purdue on Monday, the IU women’s basketball team (10-7, 3-2) returns home for another tough test against Minnesota (13-5, 4-2) today at Assembly Hall.\nAfter an emotional win over the rival Boilermakers and a couple days of preparation for the Golden Gophers, the Hoosiers have shifted their focus to the task at hand. \n“We talk about staying in the moment,” IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack said. “That was a great win for us, but we’ve moved on. We’re going to stay focused on what we need to do to stay competitive against Minnesota. I think we’ve moved on already.”\nSitting in a five-way tie for third place in the Big Ten and looking up at second place Minnesota, Legette-Jack stressed the importance of getting a win at home. \n“You have to take care of your home court,” she said. “Assembly Hall is a tough place to play for our opponents. Our fans are getting louder and our numbers are getting better and it’s getting tougher to be here. Our kids have to continue to do their part and play competitive defense and play with a sense of urgency.”\nDefending the Minnesota offense won’t be easy because the Golden Gophers have two of the top three scorers in Big Ten conference play. Guard Emily Fox and forward Leslie Knight have accounted for 17.7 and 16.3 points per game in Big Ten games,respectively. Despite the impressive numbers, the Hoosiers are confident they can slow down Fox and Knight. \n“I think Kim (Roberson) puts a lot of pressure on the ball, so she’s going to do a really good job on Emily Fox and our post players work so well together,” senior guard Nikki Smith said. “Obviously they are really good, but we play good people every single week, so we’re just going to keep doing what we’re doing and pressure them.”\nLegette-Jack said Minnesota can attack on offense in different ways, but she agreed that keeping Fox and Knight in check is a key to the game. \n“If we can maintain balance and find out where they are and pay attention to those two, then we have a shot to be competitive in this game,” she said.\nIU has four starters averaging double-figure scoring on the season – sophomore guard Jamie Braun, junior forward Whitney Thomas, junior forward Amber Jackson and Roberson – but the Hoosiers have also seen key contributions from their bench.\n“That is huge, because we can’t do it by ourselves, just the starting five,” Jackson said. “We need to have people come off the bench and keep it going. It’s great that some of our freshmen are stepping up and really helping us out.”\nGoing into the contest against Minnesota, the Hoosiers hope to build on the good performance against Purdue, but they know there is plenty of room for improvement.\n“We watched the Purdue film and for how many good things we did, there were also a few bad things.” Smith said. “We just have to learn from those bad things and apply them to the game against Minnesota.”
(01/18/08 1:17am)
After an impressive half-time show by the IU cheerleaders, we are ready for some second half action.
(01/18/08 12:04am)
Zach and I are here at Assembly Hall for the first IU-Minnesota basketball game of the night. While the men's team prepares for action at the Barn, I'll keep you posted as the women take on the Golden Gophers and look to improve to 4-2 in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers sit in a 5-way tie for third in the conference, while Minnesota sits alone in second. Looks like we're about ready for the opening tip. Should be a good game.
(01/17/08 5:00am)
What makes a good soundtrack? Should it be a compilation of your favorite songs, like an awesome "movie mixtape"? Or should it be some artists you don't recognize, but enjoyed when you heard their snippets of music during the movie? Or maybe it should be all by one artist, an original score -- like a John Williams-arranged orchestra? \nThere is no correct answer in this situation (other than that it's a bad idea to start a review with a rhetorical question). But movie soundtracks comprise one of the most wide-ranging and overlooked sectors of the music industry. \n"Juno," the Jason Reitman film starring Ellen Page and Michael Cera was released in theaters not long ago, and along with it came its unique and eclectic soundtrack. With its many samplings of popular indie artists, it has garnered comparisons to the Garden State soundtrack, arguably one of the most popular soundtracks in recent history.\nThe Juno soundtrack is slightly less mainstream than Garden State, but it holds up nearly as well. In the film, music plays an important role, both in terms of affect and in the subject matter. Songs on the soundtrack that I immediately remembered from the film were Barry Louis Polisar's "All I Want is You," the Kinks' "A Well Respected Man" (played as a theme for Michael Cera's character Paulie Bleeker) and the Moldy Peaches' "Anyone Else But You," which was both featured as background music and played as a duet by Cera and Page in the end of the film -- both versions are included on the soundtrack.\nFor someone like myself who isn't widely knowledgeable about music outside the mainstream, the Juno soundtrack still made for great listening. It's dominated by Kimya Dawson, who has five tracks as a solo artist and two with her band The Moldy Peaches. Anyone who saw the movie will instantly remember her folksy, acoustic-guitar songs with nearly spoken-word lyrics. After Dawson and the artists mentioned before, there's two songs by Belle & Sebastian, and the rest includes The Velvet Underground, Antsy Pants, Cat Power and Mateo Messina.\nAs a whole the soundtrack has an impressive flow -- no easy task for an album with artists so different from each other. Anyone already familiar with the artists or pleasantly surprised by a Wes Anderson soundtrack should definitely check out Juno. This is one group of songs that are great both as background music for the film and as a CD.
(01/16/08 11:33pm)
I'll have a preview story in the paper tomorrow about the Minnesota game, but as promised by Zach in a previous post, I'll give you an update on the Minnesota game with some other news and notes from practice today.
(01/16/08 11:05pm)
After a long layoff, I figured now is a good time to make my much anticipated return to blogging. Thanks to Zach for holding down the blog lately. I made the scenic trip to West Lafayette for the game on Monday night and I thought I'd mention a few more things about the game.
First off, from observing the game, it was really apparent how much the Hoosiers wanted that win. Coach Jack was extremely animated on the sidelines all game long. After a big Jamie Braun three-pointer in the second half she even went out on the court to greet Braun after a timeout was called.
After the game, Purdue coach (and former IU coach) Sharon Versyp had some nice things to say about a couple Hoosier players. After Whitney Thomas burned the Boilers for 18 rebounds Versyp called Thomas "the best offensive rebounder in the Big Ten."
She also had this to say about Jamie Braun...
"She's a great player. She came out against Ohio State and had 25 points. As soon as you relax on her she is going to find a three and hit one from three to seven feet behind the line...She's a difference-maker. She's the key to that whole team"