98 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(05/26/13 3:43am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>MINNEAPOLIS --- The IU baseball team looked poised to capture a Big Ten Tournament championship before a slip-up by its bullpen spoiled the celebration. Nebraska catcher Tanner Lubach ended a wild back-and-forth affair with an 11th inning walk-off homer that propelled Nebraska to a 7-6 win against the Hoosiers Saturday at Target Field.Lubach rocked a fastball from Hoosier closer Ryan Halstead four rows deep into the left-field bleachers for his first hit of the tournament, keeping the one-loss Cornhuskers alive for the conference tournament crown.No. 1-seeded IU and No. 3-seeded Nebraska will play in a winner-take-all game at 1:05 p.m. ET Sunday with the Big Ten Tournament championship on the line.“It’s one loss, we’re not out of it all, and we still have our goal right in front of us,” senior shortstop Michael Basil said. “That was a hard fought game, ball bounced their way today but we still have a chance to do exactly what we want to.”The Hoosiers had a 5-2 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth before the Cornhuskers put together back-to-back two-run innings in the sixth and seventh. In all, Nebraska scored five runs off four IU relievers, a rarity considering the Hoosiers came into the tournament with nation’s 5th-best ERA. “That was probably the one thing I was a little upset with today is if we got a lead in the seventh inning, the game should be over,” IU Coach Tracy Smith said. “We did a good job of getting to two strikes and then we’d leave stuff out over the plate.”At 29-29, Nebraska has little-to-no shot at earning an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, and would need to beat the Hoosiers Sunday to get the Big Ten’s automatic bid and make the postseason. IU (42-14), on the other hand, is well-positioned to earn an at-large bid and is projected to host a regional regardless of the outcome Sunday because of its No. 14 RPI. With that said, Smith said he plans to use his pitchers carefully on Sunday to preserve them for the NCAA Tournament. “Mark my words, we want to win this championship,” he said. “In fairness to being a competitor, in fairness to Hoosier fans all over, we didn’t come up here to lose, we came up here to win. “But I think at the same time, we need to be smart about our pitching. I believe we’re in. We feel like we’ve got a lot of season left to play and I think that we have to manage that right.” Nebraska Coach Darin Erstad said he plans to start left-handed sophomore Kyle Kubat on three-days’ rest. Kubat tossed seven inning of one-hit ball in Nebraska’s first tournament game, an 11-2 win against Michigan on Wednesday. Erstad said only three pitchers would be off limits tomorrow: Dylan Vogt, who allowed five runs in seven innings against IU tonight, Christian DeLeon, who started Nebraska’s win over Ohio State earlier Saturday, and senior righty Ryan Hander. With two outs in the 9th and IU down a run, Pinch hitter Ricky Alfonso delivered a clutch RBI-double that landed just fair down the right field line, scoring Dustin DeMuth from second to tie the game at 6-6.“We hoped that we’d carry that momentum through, but seeing Ricky do that is not surprising to us,” Basil said. “Ricky’s been clutch in pinch-hit situations all year.”IU took a 5-2 lead in the top of the fifth on a three-run homer to left by Sam Travis, a mammoth shot that made it to the second deck.Nebraska then started its two-inning rally. Michael Pritchard led off the bottom of the sixth with a single and advanced to second on a throwing error by Nick Ramos. Two batters later, Kash Kalkowski doubled home Pritchard and Blake Headley followed with an RBI single to center to cut the lead to 5-4.One inning later, another error cost the Hoosiers.Bryan Peters and Pat Kelly led off the bottom of the 7th with back-to-back singles off freshman right-hander Scott Effross. Michael Pritchard then flew out to shallow center, keeping the runners at first and third. Chad Christensen followed with a chopper to third that scored Kelly, but DeMuth booted it, allowing Christensen to reach first safely.Kash Kalkowski took advantage of the extra out, serving a single to center that gave the Huskers a 6-5 lead.Halstead (3-4) worked the final two innings, allowing the game-winning run on three hits.Luke Bublitz (4-1) pitched the top of the 11th for the Cornhuskers, pitching through an error to lead off the inning to strand Michael Basil at second.Nebraska got on the board first on a two-run homer to left-center by Kalkowski in the bottom of the first. Sophomore catcher Kyle Schwarber tied the game at 2-2 in the third with his Big Ten-leading 16th homer of the year, a ball that barely cleared the fence in left and stayed fair.
(05/25/13 2:01pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>MINNEAPOLIS — Give a good team extra outs, and it will make you pay.What had been a back-and-forth, deadlocked contest turned into a rout thanks to a crucial fielding miscue by the Buckeyes.The IU baseball team scored six runs in the bottom of the fifth, all coming after a throwing error by Ohio State starter Brian King, to beat the Buckeyes 11-3 Friday at Target Field.The win puts the No. 1-seeded Hoosiers in the driver’s seat for a Big Ten Tournament championship as the only undefeated team remaining. Ohio State will face Nebraska in an elimination game, and the winner of that game would have to beat IU twice to win the tournament.The Hoosiers will play either Ohio State or Nebraska at approximately 8:05 p.m. ET Saturday. A win secures their first conference tournament championship since 2009. “This is the game that’s kind of the pivotal game where it can send you the long road to the championship or much shorter, so I think we’re very fortunate to get the win,” IU Coach Tracy Smith said. “We’ve certainly been on the other side of that, so we’ll expect, whether it be Ohio State or Nebraska, a good ball game (Saturday).”IU was down 3-2 entering the bottom of the sixth. Senior center fielder Justin Cureton led off with a single to left, and moved to second after sophomore outfielder Chris Sujka bunted to the mound and King’s throw pulled Buckeyes shortstop Kirby Pellant off the second base bag.From there, the Hoosiers (42-13) didn’t have to necessarily hit the ball all that hard to keep the line moving.After a flyout, sophomore first baseman Sam Travis sac fly, infield single by sophomore designated hitter Scott Donley and RBI single by senior shortstop Michael Basil, junior third baseman Dustin DeMuth got down a perfectly placed bunt to the left side, scoring Donley and giving IU a 5-3 lead. On the next two plays, it became clear it was IU’s inning.Casey Smith followed with a soft single to right that scored Basil, but got caught rounding to far off first. Smith looked dead to rights in the rundown, but limboed underneath an attempted tag by Pellant and reached second, allowing DeMuth to score.Chad Clark then hit a nubber past the mound that first baseman Brad Hallberg charged and flipped to a covering King, who tried to barehand the feed but dropped it and slipped to his knees. Meanwhile, Smith hustled around from second and scored, sliding in just ahead of King’s throw.“Yea it was a wacky inning, but we make our own luck,” Cureton said. “When you put the ball in play, good things happen.”IU junior starter Joey DeNato (8-2) went seven innings, allowing three earned runs on seven hits with six strikeouts and two walks.DeNato, who limited Ohio State to two runs over eight innings on May 16, said he changed his approach against the Buckeyes this time around to keep them off-balance. “The first time I faced them, I was mostly working fastballs away,” he said. “So this time around I kind of tried to flip it around a little bit, throw more fastballs inside and start off with more offspeed pitches, so that kind of helped me out a little bit.”The Hoosiers added a run in the sixth when Travis cranked a fastball to left that clanged off the eighth row of the left-field bleachers for his seventh home run, chasing King. Travis finished 3-for-4 with two runs and four RBI, including the home run and a double. Travis, last year’s Big Ten Freshman of the Year, had been slumping badly toward the end of the season. After hitting over .300 for most of the year, his average fell to as low as .285. He is 6-for-11 (.545) with three extra-base hits, four runs and six RBI over his last three games, raising his average to .298.“If we can get him going again like he’s capable, I think this team can be as good of team as there is the country offensively,” Smith said. “And hopefully tonight’s gonna jumpstart him.”King (7-6) gave up eight runs (two earned) on 12 hits with three strikeouts and no walks for the Buckeyes (35-22). Sophomore catcher Kyle Schwarber got IU on the board in the first, cranking his conference-leading 15th home-run of the year to an estimated feet to right. The Hoosiers might have had more if not for highlight-reel catches against the wall by Tim Wetzel on a drive by Sujka to left and by Joe Ciamacco on a shot to center by Travis. “Maybe the baseball gods were looking out for us when it kind of evened up and we got some cheepy runs,” Smith said. “But again, we’ll put this one to rest, refocus and not think it’s going to be that easy offensively whomever we play tomorrow.”
(05/24/13 3:41am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>MINNEAPOLIS — Things got tense in the late innings, but Ryan Halstead allowed Hoosier fans to breathe the ultimate sigh of relief.Halstead closed out Minnesota in the ninth for the school-record 21st save of his career, preserving IU’s 4-2 win over Minnesota in game five of the 2013 Big Ten baseball Tournament at Target Field.The junior right-hander picked up his 11th save of the season, a school record for saves in a single season.And yet it was Halstead’s unselfishness that IU Coach Tracy Smith was raving about. Smith said that Halstead never complained when freshman Scott Effross, who has five saves, was called on to close out a game. “This guy probably could have shattered the record by now if we had not given the ball to Effross as much as we did in close situations,” Smith said. "So he’s a consummate team guy, but very, very rewarding, very deserving for him to get that because he probably could have had more.”The top-seeded Hoosiers will play No. 2-seeded Ohio State at 8:05 ET Friday. The Buckeyes beat Nebraska 3-2 earlier Thursday in their first game of the tournament.Minnesota closed the gap to 4-2 in the eighth on an RBI groundout by Andy Henkemeyer. The Gophers then mounted one last threat in the ninth with two outs. Dan Olinger hit a ball off the fists that cued down the third base line. Junior third basemen Dustin DeMuth letting it roll in the hope it would go foul, but the ball instead kicked the third-base bag for a base hit. Michael Handel followed with a bloop single to right-center, putting the tying run on base, but Halstead shut the door by striking out Troy Larson looking. ?For the first time, Aaron Slegers started the first game of a series for IU, taking over the slot normally filled by experienced ace Joey DeNato.Slegers (9-1) did not disappoint, tossing seven innings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts and no walks.The plan to start Slegers — normally the team’s No. 3 starter — at the beginning of the series had been in the works for two weeks, however. Smith said the team planned to go with whichever starter had been pitching well on the most consistent basis for IU’s first game of the tournament. “I’d say it had more to do with what Aaron was doing, not with what (DeNato and left-hander Kyle Hart) weren’t doing,” Smith said. “But I think his numbers speaks for themselves. He’s a legitimate force out there.”The Hoosiers (41-13) jumped on Minnesota left-handed starter DJ Snelten in the first, hitting three doubles. Chris Sujka doubled off the wall in left-center field to lead things off. Three batters later, Scott Donley hit a ground-rule double to left that plated Sujka. Michael Basil added a sac-fly to right and Dustin DeMuth an RBI-double that hit the warning track in center and one-hopped the wall, giving IU a 3-0 lead.“It’s just huge to get kick-started and we knew if we jumped to a lead right away, Slegers is gonna come out and do what he’s been doing all year,” Donley said. Sujka’s and DeMuth’s double may have been a home-run in other ballparks, as Target Field’s dimensions (339 feet to left, 403 to center) are larger than the typical major league park. Slegers said he was more than happy to get the early run support. “That’s big for confidence, throwing strikes and just getting after hitters,” Slegers said “You don’t need to kind of pitch around anyone. When you got a lead to work with you can just let ‘em put the ball in play and pitch with some confidence.”IU added a run in the 5th on an RBI single to center by Donley, who finished 2-for-4 with 2 RBI.Snelton (5-2) took the loss for Minnesota (31-21). He gave up four runs (three earned) in six innings on seven hits with five strikeouts and two walks.
(05/19/13 11:39pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>COLUMBUS, Ohio — People are taught to share, but sometimes it’s better to have something all to yourself.After staging a late-inning comeback to beat Ohio State and capture a share of the Big Ten regular season title on Friday, the IU baseball team wanted to leave no doubt about who the best team in the conference was.The Hoosiers captured their first outright Big Ten regular season title since 1932 with an 8-1 victory Saturday at Bill Davis Stadium’s Nick Swisher Field by scoring six runs through the first three innings. “That was unreal,” sophomore catcher Kyle Schwarber said. “It’s been too long before we actually had that, and the head coach says, ‘This group of guys, you deserve it,’ and I feel like we do. “We’ve worked hard all year and we’ve been to hell and back sometimes.”IU’s “hell” was a 1-5 stretch in mid-April that included being swept at Michigan State and a loss at home to MAC squad Ball State. Now the team is in Hoosier heaven. The Hoosiers (40-13, 17-7 Big Ten) were predicted by most national publications to win the Big Ten, and they took care of business in a resounding fashion a day after securing their first shared conference title since 1949. That takes two monkeys off IU’s back: the 64 years since the last shared title and the 81 years since the last outright title, at the same time winning its 40th game against Division-I opponents, a school single-season record.“I’d be lying to you if I said I wasn’t proud but it’s really it’s everybody, what we’ve all put in,” IU Coach Tracy Smith said. “It’s still shocking when you think about the context of not having done this in however many years at such a great institution.”Winning the outright regular season conference crown and reaching the 40-win mark also positions IU to secure an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament and the right to host a regional at Bart Kaufman Field. Trailing 2-0 in the ninth inning of Friday’s game, IU rallied for an improbable 7-2 win against the Buckeyes and one of the Big Ten’s best closers in Ohio State’s Trace Dempsey, highlighted by freshman second baseman Nick Ramos’ 10th-inning grand slam. On Saturday, IU didn’t wait so late in the game to score.Senior shortstop Michael Basil continued his hot hitting in the first inning, ripping a double into the left center field gap that scored sophomore first baseman Sam Travis and sophomore designated hitter Scott Donley, who both singled with two outs.The Hoosiers added three runs in the second, capped by a two-run double from Travis that sliced into the right field corner. Sophomore starter Kyle Hart did the rest, firing 8.1 innings of one-run ball on four hits with two strikeouts and two walks. Hart started shaky, though.He walked Joe Ciamacco to lead off the bottom of the first and promptly allowed an RBI double to Kirby Pellant. The rocky start brought back memories of Hart’s previous start against Northwestern in which he lasted just 1+ innings and allowed six earned runs. This time, Hart buckled down. “The rest of my time here I might not get a chance to pitch in something like that,” Hart said, “so I kind of just grabbed the reigns and said, ‘I’m not going to let this happen again,’ and worked out of it.” Hart (8-2) settled into a grove after allowing two hits and two walks through the first couple of innings, at one point retiring 12 consecutive Buckeyes and pitching 10 ground-ball outs. Ohio State (34-21, 15-9) threatened with back-to-back two-out singles in the sixth, but Hart induced a ground out to get out of it.“I feel fortunate to be the one chosen,” Hart said. “I didn’t pitch well last week. (Smith) could have easily put someone else in there. He came to me in the third inning and said, ‘You’re my guy, I want you out there, and settle in, you can do this,’ and shook my hand, and I didn’t look back. “It meant a lot for him to put our season in my hands.”When Ramos flipped pinch-hitter Aaron Gretz’s grounder to first to end the game, the Hoosiers stormed the field. Smith stuck with his recent theme: the Big Ten championship is just one more accomplishment, and there are even loftier goals ahead. “We’ll celebrate with a nice meal on the way home, and then unload on the bus there in Bloomington and get back to work tomorrow and focus on that first game of the tournament on Thursday,” he said.A lot has changed since the baseball team’s last outright Big Ten championship in 1932
(05/18/13 10:19pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>COLUMBUS, Ohio — A night after needing a late-inning comeback to beat Ohio State and capture a share of the Big Ten regular season title, the IU baseball team wanted to leave no doubt who the best team in the conference was.The normally-potent Hoosier offense looked vulnerable through the first 17 innings of the series, scoring just one run, but broke out in a big way Saturday to help IU to do something it hadn’t done in more than eight decades.IU jumped all over Buckeye starter Jaron Long, scoring six runs through the first three innings to beat Ohio State 8-1 and capture its first outright Big Ten regular season title since 1932 Saturday at Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium.Senior shortstop Michael Basil continued his hot hitting in the first, ripping a double into the left center field gap that scored Sam Travis and Scott Donley, who both singled with two outs.The Hoosiers (40-13, 17-7 in the Big Ten) added three runs in the second. Kyle Schwarber knocked a base hit up the middle to score Justin Cureton. Following a Will Nolden walk, Sam Travis sliced a ball down deep the right field line that rattled around in the corner, plating Nolden and Travis.Casey Smith got IU’s sixth run in the third with a single through the right side that scored Basil, who led off the inning with a walk.Sophomore left-hander starter Kyle Hart did the rest, his only blemish an RBI double by Kirby Pellant that knocked in Joe Ciumacco, who led off the bottom of the first with a walk.Hart (8-2) did look a little shaky at the start, allowing two hits and two walks through the first two innings, along with some hard-hit outs.He settled into a grove after that, though, retiring 12 straight Buckeyes. Ohio State (34-21, 15-9) threatened with back-to-back two out singles in the sixth, but Jacob Bosiokovic hit a chopper to DeMuth. DeMuth’s throw was low but Travis made a beautiful pick at first to save his third basemen and end the inning.Hart got the first out in the ninth before being pulled in favor of freshman righty Scott Effross. Hart allowed one run on four hits with two strikeouts and two walks in 8.1 innings pitched.Schwarber added his Big-Ten leading 14th home run in the ninth, an opposite-field shot to left with one out that made it 8-1 IU.Long (6-6) last eight innings, allowing eight runs on 11 hits with six strikeouts and three walks.The Hoosiers will head to Minneapolis for the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 1 seed for the first time. Ohio State, who was trying to capture a share of the Big Ten title, is the No. 2 seed.
(05/16/13 12:22am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Sophomore catcher Kyle Schwarber has been named to USA Baseball’s 2013 Collegiate National Team, IU baseball announced in a press release Wednesday.“I just think that speaks to how good that guy is,” IU Coach Tracy Smith said. “We talk about all the players across the country and the many great players across the country — that he has the honor of wearing the stars and stripes across his chest is something I think he’ll never forget.”Schwarber is the fourth Hoosier to be selected by Team USA, and the second since Smith took over in 2006. Alex Dickerson earned a spot via a tryout in 2010.“The best part about it him is our best players are our hardest workers,” Smith said. “When you have that you have something special, and he truly is something special — not just talent-wise but the type of person he is and his work ethic.”Schwarber is hitting .384 with 13 home runs, 41 RBIs and 48 runs scored. The 13 homers lead the Big Ten while his runs and RBIs rank second and third in the Big Ten, respectively. Schwarber also leads the conference in slugging (.680) and is second in on base percentage (.474).“Seeing some of these wonderful opportunities he gets — playing on a good baseball team and being a big part of that but playing on Team USA this summer — I think his confidence level coming back next year is even gonna be greater because these are some of the best players in the country, and I think he’s going to fit in very, very well with that group,” Smith said.— Joe Popely
(05/15/13 11:59pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The baseball field was located where the IMU is now, IU Coach Tracy Smith wouldn’t be born for more than twenty years, and IU’s now-vacant Sembower Field was still two years from construction. It’s been quite a while since the IU baseball team won its last Big Ten regular season title — 64 years to be exact — but the Hoosiers are staring down a chance at championship No. 5. “Everything in the past in the season doesn’t really matter,” senior shortstop Michael Basil said. “We have everything in front of us that we want to accomplish. We haven’t been in this situation since I’ve been here and being in the driver’s seat going into the last weekend is unbelievable.” The Hoosiers (38-12, 15-6 Big Ten) head into a three-game set with Ohio State in first place in the Big Ten to conclude the regular season. With a sweep of the Buckeyes, IU would clinch its first Big Ten title since 1949 and first outright title since 1932. First pitch of Game 1 is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Thursday at Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium in Columbus, Ohio as junior Joey DeNato (7-1, 2.67 ERA) will go for IU opposite senior right-hander Brad Goldberg (6-1, 3.41).Inside the IU clubhouse stands a large board detailing 10 team goals. Quite a few have already been checked off the list — maintain a team ERA under 4.0, secure a top-25 ranking, beat Louisville two out of three times, for example — but the one at the top of the list still remains: “Win Big Ten Championship.” “It’s nice to accomplish those goals but as competitive athletes we always want that next one. We always want them all,” sophomore pitcher Aaron Slegers said. “If we don’t achieve one goal, we feel like it’s not good enough.” IU doesn’t necessarily have to sweep the Buckeyes to capture the conference crown. If the Hoosiers take two-of-three from Ohio State and Minnesota loses one game to Illinois in its three game series, IU would clinch a share of the regular season title.If all of those things happen and Nebraska loses one game in its three-game series with Michigan, IU clinches the outright title. The Buckeyes (33-19, 14-7) sit one game back of the Hoosiers while Minnesota, at 12-6 in conference, trails in winning percentage points and is in third. Nebraska is 14-7 in the conference and tied for third with Minnesota. The Cornhuskers have a three game set with Michigan starting Thursday. “I’m not stupid … Everybody knows what’s at stake this weekend,” Smith said. “You can call those trap games, call them whatever — we weren’t sharp (Tuesday at Kentucky). As a coach, I’m striving for these guys to play no matter what the circumstances are. “If these guys aren’t ready to play this weekend and focus this weekend then they don’t deserve to play baseball.” Smith acknowledged the media hype surrounding this year’s team, calling the extra attention “inevitable.” Should the Hoosiers take care of business against Ohio State, they are also in line to capture an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament — goal No. 2 on the board — and host a NCAA regional at Bart Kaufman Field. “To think that you can totally block that stuff out is not realistic,” he said. “To me the best thing you can do is just take it head on and just make sure they’re professional about it and understand they’re just words. It’s just stuff on paper. You still gotta go do it out on the field. “It’s just like this whole hosting thing — if we don’t play well down the stretch, kiss this whole hosting thing goodbye.”
(05/13/13 12:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After two consecutive games in which an IU starting pitcher failed to make it through the third inning, sophomore pitcher Aaron Slegers reminded Hooiser fans what a strong outing looks like. Slegers (8-1) registered his team-high eighth win of the year, scattering nine hits in 6.2 innings, allowing two runs (both earned) with four strikeouts and no walks in IU’s 9-2 win against Northwestern Sunday at Bart Kaufman Field. “I think when you look at that he probably had as much to do with the way this game goes because the first two games we didn’t get quality starts, and we always say it starts on the mound,” IU Coach Tracy Smith said. “The way we expended ourselves the last couple days, we needed him to go deep and he did, so good job by him.” Sleger’s win didn’t come without some drama in the top of the sixth, though. Pinch-hitter Jack Livingston led off the inning with a single to left. Trevor Stevens followed with a single to center to put runners on first and second for Kyle Ruchim. Ruchim hit a one-hop liner to short that senior Michael Basil tried to backhand. The ball instead caromed off Basil and into left field, scoring Livingston.Pitcher Zach Morton then singled to left to make it 6-2 IU, sending Ruchim to third. After a popout, catcher Scott Heelan hit a chopper back to the mound. Ruchim broke for the plate, and Slegers tossed it to sophomore catcher Kyle Schwarber to cut down Ruchim at the plate. Slegers got out of the jam by getting Jack Mitchell to pop out in the infield. “This deep in the season it gives you confidence, you know,” Slegers said of pitching with runners on base. “I’ve sort of been there, and sit back and trust your stuff and keep doing what kind of got me here. It does help with all this experience, being the middle of May to just take a deep breath on the mound and continue to throw strikes and let the defense work.” IU got the scoring started in the second. After the first two hitters reached with singles and Casey Smith sacrificed them to second and third, freshman second basemen Nick Ramos singled the opposite way to left to drive in two and give the Hoosiers a 2-0 lead. All of the Hoosiers’ 16 hits were singles, led by junior third baseman Dustin DeMuth’s 4-for-4, two-runs-scored day. The four hits raised DeMuth’s team-best batting average to .417. “Everyone had quality AB’s and was waiting on that slider and just being patient with it and putting good wood on it,” DeMuth said. “You don’t always have to have the big hits, they’re always nice, but you can string singles together and have timely hitting to put some runs on the board.”The Hoosiers (38-11, 15-6 Big Ten) added four runs in the fourth on an RBI bunt single by senior centerfielder Justin Cureton and a two-run single to left by sophomore first baseman Sam Travis. After Northwestern’s mini-rally in the top of the sixth, IU responded with three runs in the bottom half. Morton (3-5) lasted just four innings, allowing six earned runs on 11 hits with one strikeout and one walk. With the win, IU took two of three from Northwestern (22-23, 9-15) for the fourth-consecutive year. Before the game, IU honored its four seniors, Basil, Cureton, infielder Trace Knoblauch and right-handed pitcher Walker Stadler. “This is a special year, probably one of the best in Indiana’s history,” he said. “And for those guys to be a part of it, not just be a part of it but be a big part of the reason why is something I hope they don’t forget because we’re certainly not going to. Certainly going to miss those guys when the season’s over but we hope it’s not for a while.”
(05/09/13 2:24pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Danny Rosenbaum hit a sacrifice fly to right to score Cole Sturgeon from third as No. 10 Louisville beat the No. 16 IU baseball team 4-3 in walk-off fashion Wednesday night in Louisville.Sturgeon led off the bottom of the ninth with a double off the wall in right-center field. Catcher Kyle Gibson sacrificed Sturgeon to third for the first out, drawing the Hoosiers’ infield in and setting up Rosenbaum’s heroics.Rosenbaum, who entered the game as a pinch hitter in the seventh, took a fastball up and on the outside corner from IU right-hander Ryan Halstead (2-3) and lined it deep enough to right for Rosenbaum to tag up and score. Sophomore Tim O’Connor gave it a desperation heave, but it was well late and off the mark.IU (36-10) led 3-1 with two outs in the seventh inning when things started to fall apart. Gibson singled to center field. Rosenbaum then hit a slow grounder to second that would have ended the inning, but freshman Nick Ramos charged and mishandled it for IU’s second error of the game.With runners on first and second, shortstop Sutton Whiting then tied the game at 3-3 with a double down the right field line. Both runs were unearned but spelled the end of the day for IU freshman starter Will Coursen-Carr.With the win, Louisville (39-10) salvaged the season series after losing the first two games to IU.
(05/09/13 12:14am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU baseball team (36-9, 13-5 in the Big Ten as of Wednesday afternoon) will play in front of a home crowd for the final time this season when it welcomes Northwestern to Bloomington for a three-game set starting at 6:05 p.m. Friday at Bart Kaufman Field. “It used to be you look at the 30 wins as significant,” IU Coach Tracy Smith said after IU secured its 30th win against Eastern Kentucky April 24. “But anymore it’s probably the 40-win is kind of that benchmark for the NCAA Tournament.”Smith has repeatedly said securing an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament prior to the Big Ten Tournament is one of the team’s most important goals. A 40-win season makes reaching that goal practically a lock. IU will have a good opportunity to move closer to that total against a middling Northwestern team at home, where the Hoosiers are 14-2 and on a seven-game winning streak. The Wildcats (21-20, 8-13) are on the outside looking in for a berth to the six-team conference tournament, currently in eighth place.To pull off an upset win against the Hoosiers, Northwestern will have to ride its pitching. The Wildcats rank third in the conference with a 3.11 earned run average. The Northwestern pitching staff is led by senior right-hander Luke Farrell, who won his second Big Ten Pitcher of the Week award in three weeks Tuesday and is the probable pick to start Friday. Farrell, the conference’s leader in ERA (1.60) and strikeouts (72), dominated Ohio State last Saturday, allowing just two hits while striking out eight in eight scoreless innings to improve his record to 3-2. He will be tasked with holding down a potent IU offense, which ranks first in the Big Ten in hitting, runs, doubles, home runs, slugging, on-base percentage, walks and several other categories. Farrell will likely be opposed by IU junior left-hander Joey DeNato (7-1, 2.75 ERA). DeNato notched his seventh win of the year at Nebraska on Saturday, allowing three earned runs on five hits with six strikeouts and three walks in 6.1 innings pitched. It won’t get any easier for Northwestern’s offense — which ranks ninth in the conference in runs with 205 and has struck out the second-most times of any Big Ten team — against Saturday and Sunday’s probable starters for IU.Sophomore Kyle Hart (7-1, 2.34 ERA) and Aaron Slegers (7-1, 1.89 ERA) will likely get the nod on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
(05/06/13 3:08am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It was too little, too late for the IU baseball team Sunday, as the Hoosiers’ late rally came up short and could not make up for early mistakes in a 3-2 loss to Nebraska at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park.The Hoosiers scored two runs in the top of the eighth on a two-out, two-run single by senior shortstop Michael Basil that brought the Hoosiers to within one run of the Cornhuskers at 3-2. But Husker right-hander Josh Roeder retired three IU pinch hitters in order in the top of the ninth to close out the Hoosiers (35-9, 12-5).Nebraska started the scoring in the first inning after two defensive miscues by IU. Pat Kelly singled to center with one out. Designated hitter Michael Pritchard then reached on an error at third by Dustin DeMuth and advanced to second on a throwing error by Sam Travis, moving Kelly to third. Chad Christensen hit a ball that glanced off IU starter Kyle Hart for a base hit that scored Kelly and moved Pritchard to third. Hart later loaded the bases with a two-out walk to Blake Headley, but got out of the jam by getting Tanner Lubach to line out to left. Nebraska tacked on another run in the second, again unearned. Leadoff hitter Rich Sanguinetti walked with two outs and made it to third when Chad Clark’s snap throw to first got away from Sam Travis, IU’s third error through 1.2 innings. Kelly then ripped a grounder down the right field line that Travis snared while diving to his left. Travis nearly completed the would-be highlight reel play, feeding a covering Hart at first base while face-down on the infield, but Kelly slid head-first into the bag just ahead of the throw. Sanguinetti scored to extend Nebraska’s lead to 2-0. The Cornhuskers (21-24, 12-5) added a run in the fifth inning when Hart walked Lubach with the bases loaded to score Pritchard, who got on with a one-out single to center. Pritchard got to third after two wild pitches by Hart. With Pritchard on second, Christensen hit a chopper to the mound. Hart fielded it, checked Pritchard at second and lobbed the ball over to first. Travis had to jump to catch the ball, and was ruled to have come down with his foot on the base just in time for the out on a bang-bang play. The call brought Nebraska Coach Darin Erstad out of the dugout to argue. Replays showed Christensen may have been safe on the razor-close play, but the call stood as out. Hart then issued three straight walks, capped by Lubach’s RBI walk, that gave the Huskers a 3-0 lead through five innings. Nebraska left-handed starter Kyle Kubat (4-0) got the win, going 7.2 innings while allowing two runs (both earned) on five hits with two strikeouts and two walks. Hart (7-1) took his first loss of the year after pitching 5.1 innings, allowing three runs (one earned) on seven hits with four strikeouts and five walks. The win by Nebraska evened the series at one game each. Right-handed sophomore Aaron Slegers (6-1, 1.85 earned run average) will start for IU opposite Nebraska left-handed sophomore Aaron Bummer (1-0, 3.20 earned run average) in the rubber match at 1:05 p.m. Monday.
(04/29/13 4:28am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU football will play in the Big Ten’s East Division as part of the conference’s realignment starting in 2014, the Big Ten announced Sunday.Joining the Hoosiers in the East will be Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and Rutgers. IU will play Purdue, a West Division school, every year in the only protected cross-division game.“For me, it was a deal breaker. If we weren’t playing Purdue every year, I would’ve opposed the realignment,” IU Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Fred Glass said. “And as a fan, I’m thrilled. Being able to have those traditional, upper-tier teams in our rotation every year is something I’m embracing and looking forward to.”The West Division includes Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin.In 2014 and 2015, each school will play the other six schools in its division and two teams from the opposite division. The Big Ten will move to a nine-game conference schedule in 2016, when each school will play three teams from the opposite division in addition to its division foes. The Purdue game will remain a protected cross-division matchup.“Big Ten directors of athletics concluded four months of study and deliberation with unanimous approval of a future football structure that preserved rivalries and created divisions based on their primary principle of East/West geography,” Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany said in a press release. “The directors of athletics also relied on the results of a fan survey commissioned by BTN last December to arrive at their recommendation, which is consistent with the public sentiment expressed in the poll.”When the nine-game conference schedule starts in 2016, teams in the East Division will play host to five conference home games during even-numbered years, while West Division teams will do so during odd-numbered years.The realignment plan was unanimously recommended by conference athletic directors and was supported by the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors.“Hopefully this is going to be the configuration for a long, long time,” Glass said. “From my view, I think we belong in the East. We’re in the Eastern time zone, and we in Indiana tend to look more to the East than we do the West.“Sure, we’re playing those tough teams, but the flip side of that is those are the teams our fans want to see and our recruits want to play against.”
(04/28/13 5:51pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Starting in 2014, IU football will play in the Big Ten’s East Division as part of the conference’s realignment, the Big Ten announced Sunday.Joining the Hoosiers in the East will be Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and Rutgers. IU will play Purdue, a West Division school, every year in the only protected cross-division game.“For me, it was a deal breaker; if we weren’t playing Purdue every year, I would’ve opposed the realignment,” IU Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Fred Glass said. “And as a fan, I’m thrilled. Being able to have those traditional, upper-tier teams in our rotation every year is something I’m embracing and looking forward to.”The West Division includes Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin.In 2014 and 2015, each school will play the other six schools in its division and two teams from the opposite division. The Big Ten will move to a nine-game conference schedule in 2016, when each school will play three teams from the opposite division in addition to its division foes. The Purdue game will remain a protected cross-division matchup.“Big Ten directors of athletics concluded four months of study and deliberation with unanimous approval of a future football structure that preserved rivalries and created divisions based on their primary principle of East/West geography,” Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany said in a press release. “The directors of athletics also relied on the results of a fan survey commissioned by BTN last December to arrive at their recommendation, which is consistent with the public sentiment expressed in the poll.”When the nine-game conference schedule starts in 2016, teams in the East Division will play host to five conference home games during even-numbered years, while West Division teams will do so during odd-numbered years.The realignment plan was unanimously recommended by conference athletic directors and was supported by the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors.“Hopefully this is going to be the configuration for a long, long time,” Glass said. “From my view, I think we belong in the East. We’re in the eastern time zone, and we in Indiana tend to look more to the East than we do the West.“Sure, we’re playing those tough teams, but the flip side of that is those are the teams our fans want to see and our recruits want to play against.”
(04/16/13 5:05pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The track at Bill Armstrong Stadium is the only cycling track in the country made of cinder, and it’s been that way since it was first built.“Cinders are pretty nasty,” senior Delta Upsilon rider Aaron Starkston said. “I’ve had my fair share of cinder tattoos.” Nonetheless, Starkston said cinder is the safest material to crash on because it is the softest. He broke his elbow March 9 after falling off his bike during a training ride on open road. Miss-N-Out on April 6 was Starkston’s first day back on the track since the injury. Though he had less than a week to get re-acclimated to the cinder, his experience as a three-year rider has him prepared for the unusual surface. Helen Han, a senior rider for Ride On, has also had her share of “cinder tattoos.” “You really can’t prepare for the track,” Han said. “We do lots of work on the rollers. Same with road rides. But there’s nothing quite like it. It’s a really unique feel.” Unlike many asphalt cycling tracks, the track at Bill Armstrong is relatively flat around the turns. At the same time, cinder offers less traction than traditionally paved surfaces. The result: Riders will crash if they take turns too fast. “On the corners your back wheel slides out — fishtailing — and you have to keep your body relaxed,” said senior Brad Koszuta, who has coached Ride On for one year and is a rider for Hillel. “It takes some getting used to. There’s no substitute for experience.” IU relies heavily on coal-burning power plants for its electricity. Cinder is made from the remnants of burnt coal, so it was a logical substance to use for the track at Bill Armstrong. Wally Hansford is a crew leader at the IU Physical Plant and has helped maintain the cinder track since 1981. He said the track was originally intended for running only. Little 500 came later, and the rest is history. “Because the first track they rode on was cinders, which was a common substance for people to use, tradition says that it has to be a cinder track,” Hansford said. “It’s all about tradition.”Hansford and his team maintain the track every day. The process includes packing the cinder down with a steamroller, watering the track and using a blower to remove loose pieces off the top, in that order. Han, like most riders, said she prefers a moist track. Otherwise, loose pieces of cinder fly around as if part of a dust storm. Hansford makes sure that doesn’t happen and said watering the track is the most important part of daily track maintenance. “The moisture is the most important thing — we put water on it every day,” he said. “It’s the only substance that holds it together like glue. When it dries out, it would be like riding on sand. If it’s cloudy and moist on race day, I’m the happiest guy out there.” Riders can be confident Hansford will get it right, as he has been in charge of maintaining the track for the last 32 years. This race will be his last and the last time he will be challenged to nail the exact science of cinder. “The kids —they have to adjust to what they’re riding on,” he said. “It is different. There just isn’t another bicycle track made of cinders anywhere. “So that makes it unique but challenging for them, me, everyone.”
(03/08/13 6:40am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When IU Coach Curt Miller looks for game film from this past season to use as lessons for improvement, he will have plenty of it featuring Michigan. The Wolverines beat IU twice in the regular season by an average margin of 17.5 points and made life miserable for the Hoosiers Thursday night in the first round of the 2013 Women’s Big Ten Tournament in Hoffman Estates, Ill. Michigan thumped IU 67-40 behind a dominant post game and fast break offense, using big runs at the start of each half to put the Hoosiers behind big in a hurry. “I don't know why we didn't have more energy in the beginning,” Miller said. “But it's unfortunate, that start, it dug us a hole. Michigan had more determination and more fire in the beginning, and we challenged our kids early.”The Wolverines started the game on a 12-0 run as IU missed its first eight shots from the field. Through the first 10:43 of the game, the Hoosiers shot just 16.7 percent from the field (3-of-18).IU got its first points on an Aualni Sinclair jumper with 15:20 to go in the first half. Michigan would go up by 16 with 7:53 to go before IU went on a 13-8 run to cut the Wolverine’s lead to single digits, 29-21, with 1:32 to go. The Hoosiers found themselves down just 10 at the half despite shooting 29 percent. It was one of the few times the Hosiers would string together some offense, and it was short-lived. “I thought we were very focused and we were really sharp,” Michigan Coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “I thought Indiana made a run at the end of the first half, but then we started the second half crisp and sharp again.”Michigan started the second half on a 12-2 run as Kate Thompson hit two threes in the Wolverines’ first three possessions of the half. Like in the first two matchups, Thompson was held below her team-leading average of 14.9 points per game by the tight defense of senior guard Jasmine McGhee. Thompson finished with eight points on 2-of-10 shooting. While McGhee chased around Thompson and tried to carry the offense on the other end, Michigan had its way in the post. The Wolverines won the rebounding battle 45-30 and finished with a 32-10 advantage in points in the paint. And like in the first two matchups, it was one of the Wolverines’ role players who stepped up with a big night. Sophomore guard Nicole Elmblad scored a career-high 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds, five of them on the offensive end.Miller said his team was focused on stopping Rachel Sheffer, Nya Jordan and Sam Arnold as the trio had torched IU in the previous two meetings. It left the door open for Elmblad, whom Miller said he “recruited hard” while coach at Bowling Green.“Not only did she score some points, but by playing off of it, she got a lot of free running lanes open to rebounding,” Miller said. “We insulted her tonight and tried to make her the star of the game.”Senior forward Aulani Sinclair struggled mightily after hitting her first shot. She scored just four points on 1-of-11 shooting, and was noticeably fatigued during the game. Her shot looked flat, as she never could find her stroke. IU shot just 27 percent for the game. With his team losing control early, Miller called two timeouts in a 1:11 span about midway through the first half. Between Sinclair’s fatigue — she led the conference in minutes with an average of 38 per game — and the illness hampering senior forward Linda Rubene, Miller was desperate to get his top scorers some rest. “We're just kind of willing them at the time with three timeouts just trying to stay in it in case we could catch a run and catch a flurry of good play,” Miller said. “But (a) disappointing start for us, certainly. It didn't help us throughout the evening.”McGhee was the only Hoosier to score in double figures, finishing with 12 points on 5-of-16 shooting. The Hoosiers seemed flat from the get go, and it was McGhee who was continually trying to pump up her teammates and turn things around. “I wanted to win,” she said. “And me being a senior, I didn't want this tobe my last (game). I just know that I just tried to get my teammates going and maybe we can make a run. “And unfortunately it didn't happen, but I'm just grateful for the opportunity that I've been playing here.”
(03/08/13 4:18am)
When IU Coach Miller looks at game film from this past season to use
as motivation — that is, showing what not to do — he will have plenty of
it featuring Michigan.
(03/07/13 3:53am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The last time the IU and Michigan women’s basketball teams squared off, IU Coach Curt Miller said he felt helpless after losing to the Wolverines for the second time this season Jan. 24 at Assembly Hall. Miller, who said he takes pride in outcoaching the opposition in rematches, was confident in his game plan only to suffer an 18-point loss. It’s up to his players to execute and make the third time the charm. No. 12-seeded IU and No. 5-seeded Michigan play in game four of the 2013 Women’s Big Ten Tournament tonight at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill. Tipoff is scheduled for 25 minutes after the completion of game three, which tips at 6 p.m. CT. “A third time gives both teams an opportunity to make adjustments,” Miller said. “We played Michigan twice very quickly in the season. We have gotten a lot better since then, but they have also. We feel like we’ve played stretches against Michigan very successfully, but we’ve had long droughts against them. We’ve got to avoid the long drought.”In the second matchup, IU (11-18, 2-14 Big Ten) shot just 26 percent as senior Aulani Sinclair, who scored a team-high 14 points, did not receive enough help from her teammates. In the last four games, however — a stretch in which Miller said the team has played well — her supporting cast has picked up the slack. Senior guard Jasmine McGhee averaged 19.8 points per game on 52 percent shooting in that span. Senior center Sasha Chaplin scored a season-high 17 points Sunday against Minnesota, while senior forward Linda Rubene is averaging 9.4 points and 6.3 rebounds in her last five games. In its last four games, IU has averaged 61.3 points per game, nearly six points above its season average, and is shooting 42.8 percent from the floor, nearly five percentage points above its season average. “Just the flow, the overall flow of the team (has improved),” Chaplin said, “(as has) knowing what we need to do, but understanding the system a lot better — buying into the coaching staff and just going out there and playing basketball, not trying to overthink the entire thing.”On defense, the Hoosiers will have to do a better job shutting down Michigan’s role players than in the first two matchups. The Hoosiers limited Kate Thompson, the Wolverine’s leading scorer at 14.9 points per game, to 10.5 points per game on 35 percent shooting (6-of-17) in the two meetings. McGhee guarded Thompson tightly both times. “Defensive-wise, that will help us go into our offensive flow,” McGhee said. “If we can get stops on the defensive end, maybe run in transition a little bit, that’ll help a lot with our mindset and our goal to win.”But Michigan (20-9, 9-7) boasts five players who average five points or more per contest. Senior forward Rachel Sheffer averaged 14 points in the two meetings. Reserve forward Sam Arnold has scored 24 points in 36 minutes against IU, while senior forward Jordan Nya, the team’s fourth leading scorer with 8.3 points per game, has averaged a double-double against IU with 12 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. “At times, we got so focused on (Thompson) that the post players hurt us,” Miller said. “We can’t get so preoccupied with Kate Thompson that we don’t respect and don’t guard well against the versatility they have in the post game.”If IU can limit the Wolverine’s post players, it will have a chance to pull off one more shocker — having already knocked off then-No. 22 Purdue — and extend the season for the seniors, who Miller credits with building the foundation for the program’s future success. “I want to play well for the seniors,” Miller said. “They meant a lot to us this year, and they’re really buying in and believing in the direction this program is heading. That would be the best season sendoff you could give them is to have some success in this tournament.”
(03/04/13 4:56am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It was Senior Day in Bloomington as forwards Linda Rubene, Sasha Chaplin and Aulani Sinclair and guard Jasmine McGhee all hoped to end their careers in Bloomington on a high note. Sinclair was coming off a 31-point performance at Iowa Thursday while McGhee had averaged 22 points during the last three games. Someone forgot to tell Minnesota’s Micaella Riche, who dominated in the post. She scored 17 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as the Gophers defeated IU 59-53 Sunday afternoon in Assembly Hall. “I hurt for them tonight that we couldn’t go out with a win on Senior Night — there’s a special night in all programs around the country — but I can’t be more pleased than how hard and how much they stuck to the game plan,” IU Coach Curt Miller said. The Hoosiers (11-18, 2-14 Big Ten) countered Riche’s effort with Chaplin, who scored a team-high 17 points and pulled down nine rebounds. “She was great and is capable of that,” Miller said. “The other thing that I’m really proud of is she made it through an entire season.”Chaplin is a fifth-year senior who missed nearly two full seasons due to injury. Miller said she plans to apply for a sixth year of eligibility. Rubene, who teams with Chaplin in the frontcourt, had nine points and four rebounds but was limited by foul trouble, playing just 17 minutes. McGhee scored 12 points on 5-of-16 shooting while Sinclair finished with seven on 3-of-12 shooting. “It’s just an amazing experience my whole four years here,” Sinclair said. “I’d love to share it with all our teammates and just knowing that we gave it our all out there. I can’t ask for anything else than to have my teammates by my side during that.”Sinclair — currently 18th on IU’s all-time scoring list and the program’s record-holder for 3-point makes in a single season with 72 — scored just one point on 0-of-5 shooting in the first half. The Hoosiers shot 31 percent in the first half, but were down only five at halftime. They limited the Golden Gophers (18-12, 7-9) to 37 percent shooting in the half. Instead, it was McGhee who carried the load offensively early on, scoring the team’s first eight points and finishing with nine at the half. She and Chaplin were the only to Hoosiers to score through the first 17:35 of the game. IU used a 6-2 run over the last 2:25 of the first half to cut Minnesota’s lead to 26-21 at the break. Sinclair and McGhee each hit a free throw, while Chaplin kicked at on offensive rebound to freshman Nicole Bell, who hit a three. Chaplin capped the run when McGhee found her underneath the basket for the easy two. “I think we’re just finding our chemistry,” McGhee said. “I wish we had just another year to play together because it’s all coming together right now. We’ve made progress since the beginning of the year until now.”Minnesota pushed its lead to 11 with 12:15 to go when Cotton Leah found Shayne Mullaney in transition. The teams went back and forth as The Gophers twice pushed the lead back to double digits over the next seven minutes. The game looked finished when Riche skied over two Hoosiers to grab Rachel Banham’s miss — one of seven offensive rebounds — and muscled up the put back that gave the Gophers a 53-43 lead with 4:51 to go.“They’re very physical,” Miller said of Minnesota. “It’s hard to score against them, and so we struggled. Physicality can get you out of rhythm.” IU then responded with one final push. Sinclair found Chaplin near the basket, and Chaplin finished with a four-foot leaner off the glass. McGhee came down two possessions later and hit a three to bring IU within five. With 28 seconds left, Andrea Newbauer rifled a half-court pass to Rubene for the lay-in, making it 54-51. But Minnesota beat the ensuing full-court press and got it ahead to Riche, who got the bucket and the foul. She made her free throw to essentially seal the game with 23 seconds remaining. In the end, Minnesota’s physical presence was too much for the Hoosiers. The Gophers finished with a 36-22 advantage on points in the paint. Despite the loss, Miller said he likes what he has seen out of his team in the last four games and is confident looking forward to the Big Ten Tournament.“We don’t feel we’re an easy out on Thursday,” he said. “We can’t wait for the day to end to figure out who we’re playing and get back to work.”
(03/01/13 3:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It was senior day in Carver-Hawkeye arena, and it was a pair of seniors who put on a show in Iowa City Thursday Night. The second half belonged to Hawkeyes senior Morgan Johnson, who willed her team to a victory as Iowa erased a 10-point halftime deficit to beat the Hoosiers 75-50. Senior Forward Aulani Sinclair scored a game-high 31 points and broke the IU record for 3-point makes in a single season by hitting seven in the game. The makes gave her 72 on the season, pushing her past Kameelah Morgan's mark of 70 from the 1998-99 season. “I knew I had to come out tonight and if I had the shot, take it,” Sinclair said. “I couldn’t pass up open shots. They were going in that beginning so I just got that good feeling and just kept shooting them.” Sinclair went 7-of-11 from long range to lead the IU perimeter attack. The Hoosiers made a school-record 13 threes on 50 percent shooting from beyond the arc. It was Johnson and fellow senior Jamie Printy who made the clutch baskets down the stretch that spoiled Sinclair’s heroics. With Iowa down two and 7:29 left in the game, Johnson was fouled on a drive and made both free throws to tie the game for the first time since it was 2-2 less than two minutes into the game.After the teams traded baskets, Printy buried a three to give Iowa its first lead, 65-62, with 3:26 left. Sinclair responded by nailing a three from the right wing off the inbounds pass from Jasmine McGhee. Following a Theairra Taylor three, Johnson hit back-to-back midrange jumpers to give Iowa its largest lead, 72-65, with 1:20 to go. Sinclair added a three and a long two in the last 1:03, but it was too little, too late as Printy hit two free throws and Johnson one to seal the game.“You gotta credit their seniors for making plays down the stretch,” IU Coach Curt Miller said. “(Jamie) Printy and Johnson- you expect your seniors to make big plays at this time of the year and they did.” The Hoosiers allowed the Hawkeyes to shoot 61 percent in the second half after limiting Iowa to a 40-percent clip in the first half. Iowa started the second half on a 9-3 run through the first 5-plus minutes before freshman Nicole Bell made a three from the left wing, courtesy of a Milika Taufa offensive rebound and kickout. The make put IU up 52-43 IU with 14:47 remaining. The Hawkeyes then rattled off a 15-8 run before Johnson’s free throws tied it at 60. Taylor came off the bench to score six points in the run, including a pair of long jumpers and a coast-to-coast layup after she stripped Sinclair. The Hoosiers committed 12 of their 21 turnovers in the second half and cooled off from the floor. They shot 40 percent in the second half after hitting 53 percent of their shots in the first. “Unfortunately a little too many turnovers led to too many points off turnovers,” Miller said. “We didn’t dig in and get enough stops in the second half.” IU started the game on an 11-2 run as Sinclair hit back-to-back threes in transition followed by a three from Jasmine McGhee. Sinclair scored 12 points over the next 10:40 on a pair of long jumpers, two threes and a drive to the hoop as IU took its largest lead of the game, 36-18, with 6:16 to go in the first half.“We got hot early scoring over them and then making jumpers,” Miller said. “I think we fell a little in love with the 3-point line tonight but we were really shooting the ball well early on. “We just wanted to be the aggressor. We wanted to go at them and not let them dictate the game with their defensive pressure.” Iowa Sophomore guard Melissa Dixon answered with three consecutive 3-pointers to cut the IU lead back to single digits, 36-27, with 4:26 left in the half. Dixon, who comes off the bench for the Hawkeyes, scored a team-high 22 points in 34 minutes on 8-of-16 shooting including 5-of-13 from deep. “She continues to stake claim to be the sixth man of the year and is just such an offensive weapon,” Miller said. “She has the quickest release in the league and you’ve got to guard her every possession.”Taylor, also a reserve, finished with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting in 27 minutes as Iowa’s bench outscored IU’s 22-0. The Hawkeyes also enjoyed a 27-7 advantage in points off turnovers and 17-2 in fast break points. “We’re gonna build on this as a young program and we’ll hopefully use the disappointment for energy going into our senior day, (our) final game of the year,” Miller said.
(02/28/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Perhaps sensing their collegiate careers are nearing an end, IU’s seniors have picked up their play during the last few games. The Hoosier women’s basketball team will need similar efforts out of its other veteran players to knock off the Iowa Hawkeyes in Iowa City, Iowa, today. The Hoosiers will play the Hawkeyes at 8 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, their final road game of the season before coming home for the regular season finale against Minnesota on Sunday. “As much as I love the Big Ten and want as many teams in the NCAA Tournament as possible, we want to be the spoiler,” IU Coach Curt Miller said. “With a win against Iowa, and an Iowa loss, we could knock them out of the NCAA tournament talk, so nothing could make us more proud than being the spoiler.”Senior guard Jasmine McGhee has played well as of late. After scoring 26 points and hitting the game winner against then-No. 22 Purdue last week, she scored 25 points on 10-of-16 shootingagainst Illinois Saturday. She shot 63.6 percent (21-of-33) in those games. “Seniors at this time of the year play with a sense of urgency, and it’s great to see Jasmine and our other seniors playing well down the stretch,” Miller said. With 10 points against Illinois, senior forward Aulani Sinclair now sits alone in 19th place on IU’s all-time scoring list with 1,100 points. Meanwhile, senior forward Linda Rubene has given IU a boost in the frontcourt. In her last four games, Rubene has averaged 10.3 points and six rebounds per game on 50 percent shooting. IU (11-16, 2-12 Big Ten) will likely need a strong effort from all three players against a talented Iowa team. The Hawkeyes (17-11, 6-8) have struggled recently, though. They lost six of their last seven games, including their last three home games. Iowa boasts the conference’s fourth-best scoring offense, averaging 68.3 points per game. The team hits 34.5 percent of its 3-point shots, fifth-best in the conference, and shares the ball at a high rate as well. The Hawkeyes average a Big Ten-high 15.8 assists per game. Miller said Iowa runs a “four in, one out” system in which the offense is run through a post player in the paint who kicks it out to good 3-point shooters. IU’s offensive system will look similar down the road, he said. “They’re a fun team to watch, and I try to explain to our crowd what we will look like somewhere down the line,” Miller said. “We’ll look like an Iowa team, a Nebraska team I believe, with kids that compete, kids that can make shots, kids that are fundamental and don’t beat themselves, and I would like to believe that we can do that and are headed in that direction.”Iowa’s offensive style is largely successful because of the play of its dominant post player, Morgan Johnson. The 6-foot-5-inch senior center leads the Hawkeyes in scoring with 14.8 points per game and rebounding with 7.4 a contest, good for eighth in the Big Ten. If she gets double-teamed in the post, Johnson can kick it out to four players shooting 35 percent or better from beyond the arc. Sophomore guard Melissa Dixon leads the group with 40.1 percent shooting from long range. IU has shown time and time again this season they can hang with good offensive teams, though, and will look to build off its second-half performance against Illinois. The Hoosiers shot 52 percent (14-of-27) from the floor, outscoring the Illini 32-31 after falling behind 42-28 at the break. Every player who took the floor in the second half scored. “At the end of the game, it was the first time when we got beat that I looked at them and said, ‘Let’s go play them again right now,’” Miller said. “We felt like we did a lot of good things, and we didn’t back down from them.”