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(01/23/14 4:57am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When IU’s offense struggles, games have the potential to get out of hand.Wednesday’s game got out of hand.IU shot just 16-58 (27.6 percent) from the field and could not keep up with No. 13 Penn State. The Hoosiers converted on just seven 2-point field goals as the Nittany Lions coasted to a 65-52 victory.“First, I’d like to give credit to Penn State,” IU Coach Curt Miller said. “(Penn State) just never let us really get into a follow offensively.”Both teams struggled to score early on. Freshman guard Larryn Brooks hit a 3-pointer with 10 minutes and eight seconds remaining in the first half to make it a 13-12 game.That would be the closest IU would get to leading for the rest of the night.Brooks struggled to get inside when creating offense. “They did a really good job of keeping us at about 30 feet in the first half offensively, and therefore we never could get in a rhythm,” he said.Following Brooks’ 3-pointer, Penn State (14-4, 5-1) proceeded on a 10-0 run to extend its lead to 23-12. FIU’s offense could not find a consistent scoring rhythm the rest of the game. The Hoosiers (15-4, 2-4) had stretches where they would chip into the Penn State lead, but then the offense would go dormant.Senior forward Tabitha Gerardot hit a jump shot with 18 minutes and 23 seconds remaining in the second half to pull IU within eight points, but then the offense stalled as the Nittany Lions pulled away. The Hoosiers went nine minutes and one second before making another field goal.“We just didn’t get the movement we wanted,” Miller said.IU tried to pull themselves back into the game with 3-pointers, but to no avail. IU shot just 9-30 (30 percent) from beyond the arc. Aside from Gerardot and freshman forward Lyndsay Leikem, IU players combined to shoot a woeful 4-21 (19 percent) from the field.Over half of IU’s field goal attempts were 3-pointers.Penn State’s length forced to try to score from long range.“We knew we had to make a bunch of threes, but we wanted to play a little more balanced inside out,” Miller said. “We didn’t have ultimately as good a night at the arc as we needed.”In a night where the offense struggled, Gerardot came in off the bench for a second consecutive game to turn in the strongest offensive performance for IU. She had 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds while shooting 3-7 from beyond the 3-point line.Miller was satisfied with the way his defense played throughout the night, and was pleased that his team managed to stay in the game — despite having one of the worst offensive nights of the season.“You have to credit Penn State,” Miller said. “They’re a huge team and they pose lots of problems.”Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
(01/22/14 5:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU women’s basketball team might have its toughest challenge yet when it travels to State College, Penn., today.The Hoosiers (15-3, 2-3 conference) are slated for a 7 p.m. matchup against No. 13 Penn State, the highest-ranked team IU has played this season.The Nittany Lions (13-4, 4-1 conference) claimed control of the Big Ten standings on Sunday, rallying from a seven-point halftime deficit to claim a 66-54 road win against Michigan State.Three of Penn State’s four losses have come against teams currently ranked, including losses to No. 1 Connecticut and No. 2 Notre Dame.Freshman forward Lindsay Leikem expects Penn State to pose the biggest challenge IU has faced yet.“They’re undoubtedly the best team in the league,” Leikem said. “They’re just extremely well coached, and they have a lot of great players. We have to prepare and play the best we can against them if we want to win.”Penn State’s defense is the root of its success this season.The Nittany Lions start 6-foot-5 junior forward Tori Waldner and 6-foot-6 sophomore forward Candice Agee. Their length has been a large factor in holding opponents to shooting 34.7 percent from the field — best in the Big Ten.IU Coach Curt Miller said he has been telling his players in practice to shoot whenever they can because Penn State’s defense does not allow for many chances to score easy buckets.“You can’t be afraid to take the first open shot because it might be the only good shot you get in the whole 30 seconds,” Miller said. “You have to be confident not to pass up shots.”Miller pointed out that one of the hardest parts of preparing for Penn State’s defense is they show opposing offenses a variety of defensive looks.The Nittany Lions have historically relied on a 2-3 zone defensively but in recent games have shown the ability to shut opponents down with a man-to-man defense. They relied heavily on a man-to-man defensive set when holding Michigan State to only 17 second-half points Sunday.“We’ve seen them shut down and hold teams to really poor field goal percentages in both (defense schemes),” Miller said. “So you’ve got to prepare in the two days of preparation for both their defenses.”On IU’s own defensive end, the Hoosiers will be faced with trying to box-out the Big Ten’s top offensive rebounding team.Penn State has the second-worst field goal percentage in the Big Ten at 41.1 percent, but their height creates extra possessions from grabbing offensive rebounds and then proceeding to score on close range layups.“You can do everything right for 20 seconds, they take a shot and they just get a simple put back because they’re so huge,” Miller said. “If you can’t rebound with Penn State, you can’t upset them.”The Hoosiers are also charged with guarding the Big Ten’s second-leading scorer Maggie Lucas.The senior guard is averaging 20.9 points per game. Miller conceded that IU will not be able to shut Lucas down. Instead, he is just looking for his defense to contain her from having a huge scoring night, similar to how the Hoosiers played against Minnesota’s Rachel Banham.Miller did not specify any particular Hoosier that will be charged with guarding Lucas. However, Leikem said defending her will be a team effort.“Coach Miller says this a lot, he says, ‘respect everyone, fear no one,’” Leikem said. “She’s good, but we can’t be afraid of her or else she’ll score on us. We can guard her. I know we can.”Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
(01/19/14 10:52pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU Coach Curt Miller said his players needed to make more “big shots” in order to win games against Big Ten opponents.They did against Minnesota Sunday.IU (15-3, 2-3) went 7-of-8 from the free-throw line and hit a pair of 3-point field goals en route to outscoring Minnesota 13-8 in overtime, securing an 83-78 victory.Freshman guards Larryn Brooks and Taylor Agler combined for 45 points, 12 of which came in overtime, to snap a three-game Big Ten losing streak.“They played fearless,” Miller said. “They hit shots when they needed to and didn’t pout when shots didn’t go in.”The Hoosiers had the final possession in regulation with the game tied at 70 but failed to convert. Senior forward Simone Deloach did not have enough time to get off a last second shot, forcing overtime.Brooks and Minnesota junior guard Rachel Banham exchanged free throws to open the overtime period. Minnesota freshman Amanda Zahui responded by getting to the foul line and hitting a pair of free throws of her own.Agler hit a 3-pointer on the following possession to give IU a one-point lead. Zahui again responded with a layup to put the Gophers ahead by one point.Zahui gave the Hoosier defense trouble through the entire game. The 6-foot-5 freshman scored 25 points off 10-of-11 shooting from the field. Her layup gave Minnesota the lead and quieted the Hoosier crowd.Brooks responded to Zahui’s layup with exactly what Miller had been asking for out from his team — a big shot.Brooks found open space after receiving a pass from Agler. Brooks, who was 3-of-7 from behind the arc before the shot, nailed a 3-pointer with 53 seconds remaining. Her 3-pointer proved to be the game winner as it brought IU ahead 79-76.“I was struggling a little bit from the 3-point line, but that’s just my teammates having faith in me,” Brooks said. “(Agler) looked for me and then having the confidence in me to take the shot.”Brooks’ 3-pointer proved to be the final made field goal of the game. As time winded down, IU’s defense forced Banham into missing a potential game-winning 3-pointer from just behind the arc.The Hoosiers were able to limit Banham from converting on field goals down the stretch when she needed to most. The John R. Wooden Award Finalist converted on 8-of-17 shots from the field and finished with a game high 29 points, but she failed to make a field goal in overtime.“We really stuck to the game plan, and she had 29 (points). She’s just that good of a player,” Miller said of Banham. “Fortunately, we kept them off the foul line right at the end enough.”The Hoosiers took possession and Brooks converted on a pair of free throws, giving her a team high 25 points and sealing the victory.The win comes just two days after being blown out by in-state rival Purdue, 86-53. Miller said he was unsure about the way his young team would respond to the loss and was proud of the way they grinded out a win at home.“For them to step back up after one day shows a lot of maturity for a young team,” Miller said.Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen
(01/18/14 5:23pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Veteran experience conquered youthful energy on Friday in West Lafayette—and it wasn’t close.Purdue’s senior backcourt of KK Houser and Courtney Moses combined to score 46 points—only seven fewer than IU scored as a team—as Purdue handed IU its third consecutive Big Ten loss 86-53.The senior pair was dominant against IU’s freshman-heavy team.“I think you saw tonight what seniors playing against freshman look like in the Big Ten when there’s a group of seniors that are as talented as Courtney and KK going against freshman guards the whole time,” IU Coach Curt Miller said.IU (14-3, 1-3 conference) got hot from behind the arc with a pair of 3-pointers from freshman guards Taylor Agler and Karlee McBride near the end of the first half. Agler’s 3-pointer put IU ahead 25-24, forcing Purdue Coach Sharon Versyp to call a timeout.During the timeout, Versyp said she gave Houser a look in the huddle, implying that she needed to start scoring before IU took control of the game.“I just looked at coach and I knew she wasn’t very pleased with us at that time,” Houser said. “So I just knew that we had to get going, pick the momentum back up and get the energy back up.”Houser did just that, combining with Moses to help Purdue (12-5, 2-3 conference) go on a 13-3 run out of the timeout to take a 37-27 lead. At that point, the senior duo had combined for 27 points, tying IU’s team total which energized the Purdue bench and crowd.At halftime, Purdue led 41-28. Miller stressed to his team in the locker room that they would need to improve their defense on Houser if they wanted to have a chance to come back.“When we looked at the kids at halftime we said KK has the ability to shoot some of the shots we’re giving her and she didn’t take them,” Miller said. “Please do not be fooled that we are guarding her.”As the second half started, the floodgates opened. Houser began to make the shots Miller warned of.She hit a 3-pointer on Purdue’s first possession. She followed that up with another jump shot to extend the lead to 20 points.IU freshman guard Larryn Brooks responded with a 3-pointer of her own to stop the bleeding. That worked only momentarily as Houser followed Brooks’ 3-pointer with back-to-back threes of her own, taking over the court.The combination of Houser and Moses did most of the scoring in a 50-12 Purdue run that stretched the 5:36 mark in the first half to 11:36 remaining in the second half.“KK started making threes,” Miller said. “Moses and KK put them on their back in that stretch where it got ugly.”The two sat for most of the closing minutes of the game when the lead started to get out of hand. But by then, the damage had already been done. The veteran Boilermakers coasted to the 33 point victory against the young, inexperienced Hoosiers.When IU’s offense began to struggled, Miller said that carried over to the defensive end. Houser and Moses took advantage, making the difference in Friday’s game.“It’s tough because when you have a young team and on the floor tonight in the first half I looked out there and we had five freshman at times on the floor together,” Miller said. “Unfortunately with young teams sometimes your lack of offense affects the way you play defense.”
(01/16/14 5:33am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When IU women’s basketball was created in 1971, there was not much glamour for women’s college athletics.There were no scholarships. Coaches piled players into vans and drove to games. Recruiting, in the modern sense, did not exist. Instead, fliers were placed around campus announcing there would be open tryouts for the team.But despite teams’ trials, IU women’s basketball became one of the nation’s elite programs during its first years as a program.Shortly after legislature enacted Title IX in 1973, which required schools receiving federal funds to provide men and women with equal opportunity to compete in sports, IU went 16-3.IU qualified for the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) Final Four before losing to Immaculata, the eventual champion, 49-46.The Hoosiers’ Final Four appearance came in a stretch that saw two other Elite Eight appearances in 1972 and 1974. But because those were not NCAA sanctioned events, those accomplishments were never properly recognized — until this weekend.Those teams will be honored both Saturday and Sunday as about 25 players and coaches from 1971-75 are expected to return to Bloomington.The team members will receive Final Four rings and watch as a 1973 AIAW Final Four banner is raised to the rafters of Assembly Hall.“I’m just thrilled for the team,” Bea Gorton, IU’s head coach from 1971-1976, said. “It’s a special recognition — very special. They deserve it.”Under Gorton, IU went 62-15 during the first four years of women’s basketball being a varsity sport at IU. The Hoosiers outscored opponents by more that 14 points per game during that stretch.Forty years later, what many throughout the program consider “the greatest era of women’s basketball” will finally earn public recognition during halftime of IU’s game against Minnesota.“They were pioneers,” IU Coach Curt Miller said. “They played for the love of the game, and truly that’s a cliché, but truly they played for the love of the game.”Miller explained on his weekly WHCC 105.1 FM radio interview from the Holiday Inn in Bloomington on Monday that Assistant Athletic Director for Broadcast Services Jeremy Gray brought up the idea of recognizing the team.Other programs like Tennessee women’s basketball have banners recognizing AIAW accomplishments, which led to the idea of recognizing IU’s 1973 Final Four appearance.Players and coaches were contacted and invited to come this weekend to be honored at halftime of the men’s basketball game against Northwestern. They will be present when the banner is unveiled during the women’s game Sunday.“That says a lot,” Gorton said of the team returning. “I think it says a lot about the kinds of friendships that were formed by the players. In sports, the kinds of friendships that are formed are long lasting.”Gorton said she was excited to be able to get back together with the team.She stressed the importance of remembering all that the team went through.When the program began, the team practiced and played in the women’s physical education building on courts that were used for teaching. The layout of the courts were not even regulation sized until the team began practicing on the second floor of the student recreation center.“We played on what we had,” Gorton said.Eventually, the team moved to play within the track and field facility on a court that had to be enclosed by curtains to protect it from dirt and dust kicked up by the track and field athletes. But after playing on those courts, the team would finally be allowed to play at Assembly Hall and use the visiting team’s locker room.Miller said it was important to remember the accomplishments of these early teams and remember what the players and coaches went through.“There’s a history that a lot of people don’t realize,” Miller said. “It’s something we should talk about. It’s really exciting to honor that group and well deserved.”As the current IU women’s basketball team (14-1, 1-1) is just beginning its Big Ten season in a year that saw the team begin a program best 14-0, Gorton said she thought it was only appropriate to reflect back on the teams that made it possible.“Our teams paved the way for our program,” Gorton said. “That was the beginning of an avenue for a college career and education for women, and I think that’s important to know. There’s a history there.” “Athletes today, I think ought to say thank you to those former athletes that paved the road for them,” she said. “I’m just so thrilled for this team and excited. It’s very, very special.”Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @SamBeishuizen.
(01/16/14 3:20am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The losing streak continues.Wisconsin came back after being down by eight points with 17 minutes and 23 seconds remaining in the second half Wednesday to hand IU its 19th consecutive Big Ten road loss 65-60.The Hoosiers and Badgers took turns exchanging blows throughout the 40 minutes of action. The lead switched hands often throughout the night as neither team was able to take decisive command of the game.The Hoosier offense struggled throughout the night, only shooting 23-of-68 — 33.8 percent — from the field. IU, a team that has relied on 3-point shooting often this season, only made 3-of-19 during the game.The lack of 3-point scoring hurt the team as it struggled to find other ways to score.“The three ball energizes us,” IU Coach Curt Miller said. “With not making threes, that makes it difficult. There were stretches tonight where we executed and tonight where we just didn’t make enough shots.”Despite the poor shooting, IU led 24-22 at halftime.The Hoosiers came out of the half on a 7-2 scoring run to extend the lead to 31-24 with 18 minutes and three seconds remaining.But they would not be able to continue hitting shots as consistently as they did coming out of the break.“The shooting percentage is going to haunt us that we didn’t make a few more shots tonight to come away with the victory,” Miller said.The teams were tied at 53 points each with three minutes and 20 seconds left in the second half, but Wisconsin closed the game out on a 12-7 scoring run. The Hoosiers missed four field goal attempts in the final 26 seconds as they were handed their second loss of the season.“We’ve got to make tough shots,” Miller said. “It’s not always easy to make shots in this league.”With only 10 seconds remaining, freshman guard Karlee McBride had a potential game-tying 3-point attempt from the corner blocked by Wisconsin junior forward Jackie Gulczynski. The ball deflected off of IU, giving the Badgers possession.On the ensuing inbound, Gulczynski fired a nearly full-court baseball pass to junior forward Michala Johnson on the run. She sent in a layup with eight seconds remaining to extend the Badger lead to the eventual final score 65-60.Gulcyznski was dominant throughout the game. The 6-foot-1 forward, who managed to stretch the floor, had season highs with 23 points and 13 rebounds. She also recorded six blocks and dished out a pair of assists.“She did a nice job not only rebounding but blocking shots and being a defensive presence,” Miller said. “We did a really good job on their two talented wings. Gulcyznski was the difference in the game.”Now, IU has a quick turnaround before playing No. 22 Purdue on Friday where the team will have another chance to end its nearly three-year-old losing streak against Big Ten teams on the road.The team will travel to West Lafayette and plans to arrive sometime late tonight before preparing to play for the Barn Burner Trophy on Friday.“We’ll do some film tomorrow morning and then we’ll do a practice,” Miller said. “We’ll put the gameplan together and fight against the Boilermakers.”Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
(01/16/14 1:49am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Another IU losing is on the verge of being broken.IU women’s basketball leads Wisconsin 24-22 at halftime.Both teams opened the game playing very sloppy early. Freshman guard Larryn Brooks had the first field goal of the game with 17:45 remaining in the first half with a 3-point play with a layup and a foul.From there, the game went back and forth for most of the first half without much scoring.Wisconsin went on a 5-0 scoring run to go up 14-9 in the middle of the first half, forcing IU Coach Curt Miller to call timeout with 9:56 remaining.IU responded out of the timeout with a 6-0 run of its own and would manage to maintain a two point lead at the break.Six Hoosiers have scored points in the opening 20 minutes. Brooks leads IU in scoring with 10 points. For Wisconsin, both Jacki Gulczynski and Dakota Whyte have 8 points.
(01/14/14 9:04pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After suffering its first loss of the season to Ohio State on Saturday, IU women’s basketball is looking to bounce back against Wisconsin at 8 p.m. in Madison, Wis.Like IU (14-1, 1-1), Wisconsin (8-7, 1-2) struggled in its last game. The Badgers lost to Iowa 81-65 in their Big Ten home opener on Sunday after being outscored by 13 points in the second half.Creating offense has been a challenge at times for Wisconsin this season. The Badgers are last in the Big Ten in assists per game (12.2), and they are ranked 11th in the conference in field goal-percentage (42 percent).Wisconsin poses a challenge for IU. The Badgers run a triangle offense that IU Coach Curt Miller said caused the Hoosiers to “play horrible” last season in a 65-53 loss. Miller has been stressing quickness on the defensive side in practice this week.“What really bothered us last year was their movement,” Miller said. “We have got to be ready to really move against their motion offense and against their quick hits. We didn’t last year. That’s one of the things we’ll hope to get corrected.”Physically, the Badgers stand tall throughout their lineup. They have 10 players on their roster listed at 6-feet tall or taller.In contrast, IU has seven such players.In IU’s 70-51 loss to Ohio State, the Hoosiers struggled to limit the Buckeyes’ points in the paint. Defensive presence in the post was another area that Miller said IU needed to improve tonight.Limiting Wisconsin in the paint will require IU to defend 6-foot-3 junior forward Michala Johnson. She leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.5 points per game, and shooting 52.9 percent from the field. Johnson has given teams problems in the paint all season, and she is coming off of a 16-point performance against Iowa.“We’ve got to do a better job defending early in the shot clock, not defending after they — as post players — get to where they want to be,” Miller said. “We let Ohio State’s post players get to where we wanted, and then we tried to defend. We’ve got to be a little more proactive instead of reactive in their movement.”In the backcourt, the Badgers are anchored by a pair of senior wings in Morgan Paige and Taylor Wurtz. Paige is second in scoring at 13.9 points per game, while the 6-foot Wurtz leads the team in rebounds per game (8.3). She is also averaging 13.7 points.“It’s a tough matchup for our wings,” Miller said. “They can both shoot threes, but they’re both really good athletes.”Tonight’s game against Wisconsin is the first of three Big Ten games for IU this week. The Hoosiers will travel to West Lafayette on Friday to play for the Barn Burner Trophy in a rescheduled game against Purdue before returning home to play Minnesota on Sunday.With three conference games after suffering their first loss of the year, Miller said he was pleased with the Hoosiers’ practice on Monday with a big week ahead.“You definitely have the players’ attention after a loss,” he said. “We had a lot of attention here in practice, I think. The good thing is our intensity was better. We competed more, and they’re hungry.”Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
(01/10/14 4:27am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU Coach Curt Miller said that an undefeated start and a win against former No. 22 Iowa in the Hoosier’s Big Ten opener does not change the mindset of his team as they look toward Ohio State.He pointed out that IU was predicted to finish 12th in the Big Ten in the preseason Coaches’ Poll—dead last. With that much doubt surrounding a young team, it could have been easy for IU to struggle, especially in Big Ten play.Instead, Miller and his Hoosier team have embraced the roll as underdogs. With the Big Ten season just getting underway, IU is trying to use the roll of underdog to their advantage as they look to build upon what has been a historic start to the season.“We try to take the underdog role,” Miller said. “We try to exceed expectations. There’s not anyone that follows women’s basketball that has picked us anywhere but 12th out of 12 in this conference this year, so we wanted to play that way.”The results have been unprecedented and unexpected. Despite stretches where IU has struggled, the Hoosiers are 14-0 with a second Big Ten game against Ohio State (10-4) on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in Assembly Hall.On paper, IU has become the favorite in the matchup against the Buckeyes. The undefeated, No. 22 ranked Hoosiers are no longer the mathematical underdog at home.Despite being favored in the rankings, Miller said he will not let ranking dictate the way his team plays.“Rankings aren’t going to define is. We are going to define ourselves on getting better ourselves and hard work,” Miller said.The Big Ten has been full of parody early on in the season. No. 16 Nebraska had to rally late to defeat an unranked Northwestern at home. Ohio State defeated nationally ranked Purdue in its Big Ten opener and followed that up with a 15 point loss to unranked Michigan on Monday.With all of the parody in the conference, being favored on paper does not necessarily mean much. Instead, IU players and coaches are trying to continue playing like the perennial underdog.“Inside the locker room, we just challenge ourselves to exceed expectations,” senior forward Simone Deloach said. “I don’t think it changes anything, it just makes us work harder. Honestly, whatever the opponent may feel about us coming into the game, we have a mindset of executing our plays, talking on defense and just playing Indiana basketball and that’s most important.”Moving forward with Saturday’s game against Ohio State and the other Big Ten matchups ahead, IU has caught the attention of the national spotlight after a historic start to the season. In the upcoming games, IU will not always be the mathematical underdog that they try to embrace being.But in the locker room, that is the mindset players and coaches are trying to maintain. They still remember being picked to finish last in the Big Ten at the beginning of the year and are still trying to use that to their advantage.“I think we’ve been underdogs all season,” senior forward Tabitha Gerardot said. “I think it’s played to our advantage for us. It’s just another thing to motivate us and push us forward.”Follow women's basketball reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen
(12/21/13 10:44pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU women’s basketball is off to the best start in program history after defeating Cleveland State 107-73 Saturday in Cleveland.With the win, IU (12-0) ties with the 1971-72 team for the most wins to start the season. The 1971-72 season was the program's first as an IU varsity sport.The team’s 12th consecutive non-conference win also sets a new record for most non-conference wins in a season, with one non-conference game remaining against Xavier on Dec. 29.“We are really proud of it,” IU Coach Curt Miller said of the record. “We celebrated it that they can never take us out of the record books right now as the most wins in non-conference and with the Big Ten going back to 18 conference games, we don’t even play 12 non-conference so maybe it’s a record that will stand for a while.”After being tied 7-7 after the first 4:58 of play, IU went on an 11-0 run during which four different Hoosiers scored.IU found success in getting high percentage shots off of extra passes. The team recorded 27 assists on 37 made field goals and shot 58.73% from the field during the game.IU’s 107 points scored is the highest total scored since they put up 107 points against UAB in 1991. The offensive outburst came just one game after a season low 51 points against IUPUI.“I thought we did a good job getting off to a good start tonight which had focus,” Miller said. “We had energy in the beginning. I thought a fast start was much needed for an offensive confidence coming off of the IUPUI game.”IU added a 12-0 run between 9:55-6:24 remaining in the first half to stretch the lead to 19. IU would take a 46-26 lead into the half and managed to remain in control the rest of the game. During the second half, IU’s bench players were able to help extend the lead to as high as 37 points.Sophomore guard Nicole Bell and freshman center Jenn Anderson combined for 23 points off of a combined 72.73 percent shooting from the field to fend off any sort of Cleveland State comeback.“Coming out of the locker room against an explosive team, (we) showed the maturity and the focus not to be on Christmas break quite yet and got up on them big,” Miller said. “Which allowed us to play everybody on our roster significant minutes, sending everyone home for Christmas with a big smile on their face.”Senior forward Tabitha Gerardot had her best game as a Hoosier. The Valparaiso transfer had 19 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and two assists in the game.Freshman guard Larryn Brooks led IU in scoring with 23 points in 27 minutes of play. Brooks shot 50 percent from the field and was 3-5 from behind the arc.On the defensive end, IU was able to prevent Cleveland State from creating any significant scoring runs to challenge the Hoosiers’ lead. The Hoosiers out-rebounded the Vikings 51-20 which limited Cleveland State’s second chance scoring opportunities.The Hoosiers have a small break before playing Xavier on the road in the final tune-up before the Big Ten season starts. Miller was happy that his older players could reflect on what has been their most successful year at IU over break.“Not a lot of success with those seniors in the locker room throughout their careers so to watch them smile and be proud of something, it means probably more than people realize,” Miller said.
(12/13/13 4:25am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU Coach Curt Miller called Sunday’s game against IU-Purdue University Indianapolis a potential statement game for his young IU women’s basketball squad. The Hoosiers (10-0) will travel to Indianapolis for a 2 p.m. matchup against IUPUI (7-3) with the opportunity to win their 11th consecutive game to start the season. Doing so would equal IU’s win total from all of last season.IUPUI is coming off a 68-64 win against Indiana State. During that win, a late defensive stop with fewer than 30 seconds remaining sealed the victory.Defense has been a calling card for IUPUI all season. The Jaguars are limiting opponents to 63.3 points per game. Not once have they allowed an opponent to score more than 80 points, a feat IU has accomplished seven times this season.“They’re one of the quality teams on our non-conference schedule,” Miller said. “Not only could it be a statement game, it could be a verification that we are playing well, that we are maybe playing ahead of schedule this season.”The defense is anchored by junior guard Dee-Dee Bellamy, the reigning Summit League Defensive Player of the Year, who has 23 steals this season.“This will be without question — in our 10 games — the best defensive team we have played all year,” Miller said.On the defensive end for IU, the Hoosiers will look to contain an IUPUI offense that has remained balanced throughout the season.Seven IUPUI players are averaging more than six points per game, four are averaging more than eight points per game.“They make you pick your poison,” Miller said. “They have great one-on-one players that can hurt you on dribble penetration, but they always have enough three-point shooters out there to keep you honest.”IUPUI’s offense is led by a First-Team Preseason All-Summit team member, senior guard DeAirra Goss. She is averaging 11.2 points per game while also logging the most minutes per game on the team (26.7). Miller recalled game planning for Goss and the Western Michigan Broncos when he was the head coach at Bowling Green. “DeAirra’s a tough matchup for us,” Miller said. “She’s really tough to contain off the dribble. You guard her with small guards, she can overpower you and post you up. You guard her with bigger kids, and she normally can beat all those kids off the dribble.”To combat Goss’ versatility, Miller said the Hoosiers will give her a variety of different looks defensively.“One thing you talk about with a player like Goss is that you’ve got to keep her off balance,” he said. “We might switch our matchups, we might give her different types of kids and guard her with size sometimes and guard her with speed sometimes.”Two wins in the next three games would make this year’s non-conference record the best in IU history.Miller said earning that recognition would point the program in the right direction. “We certainly know we’re in a building stage,” Miller said. “They’re steps, but we’re certainly making the right steps.”Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
(12/12/13 4:07am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Fending off a late comeback attempt from Milwaukee, the IU women’s basketball team won their 10th consecutive game Wednesday, defeating their opponents 87-68.With the win, the Hoosiers moved to a 10-0 record on the season, the program’s first such start since the 1994-95 season.In the midst of a 17-5 Milwaukee run in the middle of the second half, which saw IU without a field goal for almost seven minutes, Larryn Brooks revived the offense.The freshman guard stole the ball underneath the basket and tossed an outlet pass to senior forward Sasha Chaplin.After the pass, Brooks made her way to the corner. She called for the ball and proceeded to drain a 3-pointer to put an end to the Panthers’ run.That shot seemingly put the game away.“It was really big for us,” Brooks said. “I mean, it was a team win tonight so it wasn’t really all about that play, but that was definitely where it changed.”IU controlled the fast-paced tempo for most of the first half, heading into the break leading 48-35 and finding high-percentage shots, shooting 18-35 from the field.But after pulling out to a lead as high as 24 points with 15:05 remaining in the second half, the game started to turn the other way. The Hoosier offense had slowed, allowing Milwaukee’s offense to go on a 17-5 run.“We took our foot off the pedal for just a second and because of that we went through a stretch of being held scoreless,” IU Coach Curt Miller said. “We were leaking some oil at that point.”He said Brooks’ three helped turn the game around and seal the victory.“That big play by Larryn got the crowd back in it and we were able to take a deep breath,” Miller said. “They were making threes in that stretch, and it energized us to get more stops.”The Milwaukee offense was pushing tempo throughout the game, which caused IU to struggle at times, as they did during the seven-minute run where they failed to convert a field goal.Freshman guard Taylor Agler said the Milwaukee’s tempo forced IU to struggle.“I think that’s the fastest team we’ve played so far,” freshman guard Taylor Agler said. “I think we could have done a lot better getting back after we scored or whether it was after a rebound.”Miller said it was Brooks’ ability to limit Milwaukee guard Angela Rodriguez to 6-15 shooting that made a big difference in containing the Milwaukee offense.“We never switched her off Rodriguez,” Miller said. “For her to spend a lot of energy on the defensive end and do what she did offensively was pretty impressive for a young freshman.”Miller said IU found their most success off of switches that led to mismatches for the taller Hoosier players like Chaplin, who scored 16 points in only 15 minutes of play.Chaplin credited the Hoosiers’ willingness to share the ball to their success. IU had 16 assists which led to the Hoosiers shooting 50 percent from the field.“We’re winning as a team, not just individuals this year,” Chaplin said.The win maintains the Hoosiers’ undefeated record as they prepare for three road games in a row before starting Big Ten play.After struggling last season, Chaplin said she has seen progress and is excited to move forward.“I think it’s a great experience just being part of the new era and having something actually start to build here at Indiana for women’s basketball,” Chaplin said. “It’s been a long time coming and I think we’re finally on the move up.”Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
(11/23/13 6:40am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>North Carolina defeated IU 4-0 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in dominating fashion Friday night, eliminating the Hoosiers from NCAA championship contention.Defending champion North Carolina’s offense kept the Hoosier defenders on their heels throughout most of the game. The Tar Heels managed to get off 23 shots, 10 of which were on goal. “We played one of the best team’s we’ve seen all year today in a UNC team,” IU Coach Amy Berbary said. “Very dynamic players and that’s the way an NCAA second round game goes.”After a number of stops by the Hoosier defense, North Carolina senior forward Crystal Dunn broke through to put the Tar Heels on the scoreboard. Just four minutes after she checked in for the first time in three games, Dunn got the ball inside the box and sent it to the back of the net to go up 1-0.“She’s one of the best players in the country,” Berbary said of Dunn. “When she came in, the special player that she is, she made it count.”Dunn’s goal would be the lone score of the first half . The Hoosier offense managed a few threats early on but were not able to capitalize in the final third of the field.“I thought we put together a good first half there with a couple of chances of our own,” Berbary said. “It was no secret North Carolina was probably going to have most of the possession in the game and we were going to get opportunities.”Coming out of the half, North Carolina would tally a second goal in the 50th minute when Dunn sent a cross to freshman forward Amber Munerlyn who finished from eight yards out to increase their the deficit to 2-0.IU (15-7-1) would not find a goal in response the rest of the game.The IU offense was stymied by the Tar Heels throughout the night. The Hoosiers managed to fire off only two shots, neither of which was dangerous enough to have been needed to be saved by the North Carolina goalie.The Tar Heels would add a third goal in the 80th minute from senior forward Kealia Ohai and a fourth goal in the 86th minute from sophomore midfielder Paige Nielsen to extend the North Carolina lead to 4-0.After starting the year to be picked by the Big Ten Coaches’ Poll to finishes 12th in the conference, Berbary said she is still happy with the progress the team showed this season and how it might help moving forward.“We saw one of the best teams in the country and we know how hard we’re going to have to work to get to an elite level,“ she said. “I’m just so proud and thankful for our seniors with the remarkable job they’ve done in helping change the culture of this program in the last nine months.”The Hoosiers wrap up their 2013 campaign and first season under Berbary as coach having broken the single-season school records for wins (15), goals (43) and assists (46). “This program has taken a huge step towards what you play college soccer for and this team will be remembered for years to come as the first step into a run deep into the NCAA Tournament,” Berbary said.
(11/22/13 5:08am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Hoosiers will play top-seeded and defending national champion North Carolina in Chapel Hill.IU women’s soccer was just beginning preparation for Friday’s 6 p.m., second round NCAA Tournament game when IU Coach Amy Berbary asked the question.“Why not?” Berbary asked her players. “Why not beat the reigning national champions?”No. 5 North Carolina (18-4) is the biggest test IU (15-6-1) has faced all season. The Tar Heels have outscored opponents 44-12 and have only given up five goals at home all year.Entering the game, IU once again finds itself the underdog. It’s a position the team, predicted to finish last in the Big Ten, has been in before.“I think that’s going to be something that drives us,” Berbary said. “Now we have no pressure, which I think is good for our team. We’re not supposed to win the game.”North Carolina enters the game after having little trouble advancing to the second round, which features 32 teams. They beat Big South Conference champion Liberty 4-0 in the opening round.The win came without leading scorer and member of the 2012 FIFA World Cup winning U.S. Women’s U-20 team, Crystal Dunn. The senior forward was sidelined with a leg injury the previous two games and could be out again Friday.“I think we’re going to approach it the same way, whether they have her in or not,” junior forward Monica Melink said. “We can’t let one player hold us back from playing our best.”IU has not played North Carolina in the regular season since losing to them 5-0 in the Collegiate Cup in 1995.To combat that, the coaching staff has segmented aspects of the Tar Heels game and compared them with teams IU has played.“Our coaches are doing a really good job of scouting,” junior midfielder Rebecca Dreher said. “We’re combining other teams’ strengths and trying to picture how North Carolina is going to play.”Dreher explained that North Carolina pressures like Penn State, is as organized as Michigan and is very fast. She added that there has been extra emphasis on scouting.“That’s going to be as crucial as our practice this week,” she said.IU is coming off one of its best performances of the season in the opening round where it beat DePaul 1-0.“That was a great game for us to have before this game against UNC,” Melink said. “We started out really strongly, and we really think if we have that same mentality and bring it to UNC that there’s nothing that can stop us.”If IU defeats North Carolina on Friday, they will advance to the Sweet 16 on Sunday in Chapel Hill. The Hoosiers would play the winner of Texas Tech and Texas A&M.Despite being an unranked team going against the defending national champion, Berbary said the game could go either way.“Soccer is a funny game. Anybody can beat anybody on any given day,” Berbary said. “In my heart of hearts, I believe this team thinks they can win.”Melink said the Hoosiers are confident and excited to play against the top-seeded Tar Heels.“We definitely have the mentality to face any team in the nation,” Melink said. “This is the perfect opportunity for us to shock the nation once again.”Follow women's soccer reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
(11/20/13 2:07am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Lisa Nouanesengsy’s statistics speak for themselves.The senior midfielder’s 56 career points and 24 career goals are both sixth most all-time at IU. Her three hat tricks are the most of any Hoosier.She has played in 79 games, starting 77, making her the sixth most experienced all-time.Her 11 goals and three assists this season earned her second team All-Big Ten selection. Her play has etched her name in the IU record books as one of the most colorful offensive players in school history.But her coaches and teammates said an immeasurable trait separates Nouanesengsy from other players.“She’s the engine that makes us go,” IU Coach Amy Berbary said. “People want to play for her. I want to succeed for her.”Along with running the IU women’s soccer offense through the midfield, Nouanesengsy has been the leader off the field.She has been behind a number of the motivational strategies the team has rallied around this year, from being a part of “#12ISEABOVE” to the “play every game like it’s your last” attitude.“She’s our leader,” junior forward Monica Melink said. “She just sets an example for us all on how to compete at the highest level.”Her teammates and coaches said Nouanesengsy has made a habit of pushing her teammates to try to match her work ethic.“She’s really not afraid of calling people out and making sure our team has the same goals with trying to win,” Melink said.Nouanesengsy said she inherited her work ethic from her parents, Sam and Bouvanh. Her parents immigrated to the United States from Laos in 1981 following a civil war there that ended in 1975. Thousands of Laotian people migrated to other parts of the world to escape the communistic government coming to power.“I’ve seen them work hard to raise four kids and to help me go to college,” Nouanesengsy said. “They’ve really inspired me to work hard at everything I do and take advantage of every opportunity I get.”Berbary said her willingness to improve has been evident in the gains she has made both statistically and mentally.“She’s just so good technically, and she just wants to learn,” Berbary said. “Her maturity as a person and a player just helps her lead this team.”Nouanesengsy has been the anchor of a Hoosier offense that broke single-season school records in goals (43), assists (45) and — most unexpectedly — wins (15).She has led IU to the postseason for the first time since 2007. It’s a place where Nouanesengsy, despite her individual success, had never been.Her journey to the big dance came unexpectedly in a year marred with change and doubt. Former IU Coach Mick Lyon — the man responsible for bringing Nouanesengsy to IU — retired. In his place is Berbary, a first-year head coach.IU was expected to rebuild and was selected to finish 12th in the preseason Big Ten Coaches’ Poll.But rebuilding was not an option for Nouanesengsy. She wanted to make one last shot at a postseason run, which Berbary assured her could happen.“It was just reassuring that when she came in she told us it wasn’t going to be a rebuilding year,” Nouanesengsy said. “It’s my last year, I didn’t have time to rebuild this program.”Not settling for a rebuilding season paid off. IU will travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., for a second round NCAA Tournament match against top-seeded North Carolina at 6 p.m. Friday.The postseason run has been Nouansengsy’s first and only chance to play on the biggest stage in collegiate soccer.“Being in the postseason in my last year is great,” Nouanesengsy said. “Some people don’t get to experience it at all in their four years. I’m really excited to be playing, especially playing a great team like North Carolina.”Junior midfielder Rebecca Dreher said there is a little extra motivation to win knowing that it is Nouanesengsy’s first and final chance at an NCAA Tournament run.“Lisa’s an unbelievable player, someone I’ll never forget playing with and somebody who we need to win this game for,” Dreher said.For Nouanesengsy, Friday will be the 80th time she takes the field wearing an IU uniform and just her second time surrounded by the NCAA Tournament logo. She said all she can do is take it one game at a time.“I’m going into this game on Friday how I’ve been every game this year,” Nouanesengsy said. “You just have to go into it like it’s your last.”Regardless of the outcome of Friday’s game, Berbary said Nouanesengsy’s impression on the program is undeniable.“She will be a player that has left her mark on Indiana soccer forever,” Berbary said. “A lot of people go through college soccer and play, but Lisa will be remembered.”Follow women's soccer reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
(11/18/13 4:15am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In the 69th minute of IU’s first-round NCAA Tournament game Saturday against DePaul, freshman midfielder Veronica Ellis subbed in.Seven minutes later, she found herself at the bottom of a dog pile of overjoyed teammates. She had scored what would prove to be the lone goal of the game — the game-winning goal.With Ellis’ goal, IU (15-6-1) defeated DePaul (13-6-2) 1-0 at Jerry Yeagley Field to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament where it will face top-seeded North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C.It was the biggest goal of her career, her third game-winner of the season. And it came less than 24 hours after the death of her grandfather.“It made me think he was just watching over me tonight,” Ellis said.In the 74th minute, senior midfielder Lisa Nouanesengsy sent a corner kick into the box that was cleared out by the DePaul defense. Junior midfielder Tori Keller gathered the cleared ball and chipped it back into the box.Senior forward Rebecca Candler gathered the ball and settled it. She drew the DePaul goalie Alejandria Godinez toward her. Candler flicked the ball toward Ellis.With the DePaul goalie out of place, Ellis got to the ball.“I saw the keeper coming out,” Ellis said. “I knew that I just had to beat her to it and put it past, just get anything on it.”Her touch was just enough to send it rolling into the goal.“She’s a very mature kid,” IU Coach Amy Berbary said of Ellis. “She’s been through a lot in the past 24 hours with her grandfather dying suddenly, and for her to be able to kind of get herself ready for this game and mentally prepare and come in for us — she was big for us.”The goal came at an opportune time for IU. The Hoosiers dominated possession the entire second half, out shooting DePaul 13-2, but IU could not find a way to get on the scoreboard until Ellis’ goal.It was the Hoosier defense that was the story for most of the game.After struggling throughout the Big Ten Tournament, the IU defense was almost perfect Saturday. Senior goalie Shannon Flower recorded a school-record setting ninth shutout of the year while only needing to make two saves.“I think the defense made my job really easy tonight,” Flower said. “They just held the pressure so high that the forwards couldn’t even turn on them, so really it was all them. I didn’t really have to do too much tonight, which is great.”Flower made a crucial save in the 86th minute when a DePaul forward found space and had a chance to tie the game. Flower made a step to the left, got in position and made a diving save of a ball seemingly destined for the back post.“I don’t think your typical goalkeeper saves that,” Berbary said. “We ask our goalkeepers to make one big save a half, and that sure was a big one for us.”After the game, Berbary was already looking forward to IU’s game against North Carolina.“Absolutely thrilled. It’s amazing,” Berbary said. “We’re going to their place to play the reigning national champions. If you would have told me that last February when I was hired, I would have told you you were nuts.”Follow women's soccer reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
(11/15/13 3:40am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>On Monday, the IU women’s soccer team found out they would be playing DePaul at 7 p.m. Saturday at Jerry Yeagley Field in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.It will be IU’s (14-6-1) first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2007. It will be the first time any of the players have gone to the big dance.Shortly after learning the team was in, IU Coach Amy Berbary gathered her players in a huddle to talk about the week ahead, and the team got back to work.Berbary is now the fourth first-year head coach in Big Ten women’s soccer history to lead a team to the NCAA Tournament. The previous three coaches had all inherited a team that had gone to the Elite Eight the previous year.DePaul (13-5-2) enters the game coming off of a 2-0 loss to Marquette in the Big East Tournament Finals.A trademark of DePaul this season has been its defense. The Blue Demons, anchored by Big East Goalkeeper of the Year Alejandria Godinez, have only allowed 14 goals this season.DePaul has only had three games where it has given up multiple goals this year, but junior midfielder Abby Smith is confident that the Hoosier offense will be able to create scoring opportunities.In IU’s most recent game against Nebraska, the Hoosiers struggled to create offense in the second half. “We just couldn’t connect on passes from the defense to the midfield to the forwards,” senior forward Rebecca Candler said. “I think there are just a couple of things there that we are working on, fine tuning to get that final piece and get back in there.”The bigger concern for IU right now is the defensive side of the pitch. IU’s defense has struggled in its most recent games, allowing nine goals in the last three games.“We have to be better defensively,” Berbary said. “We’re having trouble at the midfield. We’ve given them the ball. We just need to take care of the ball a little better and stay more compact.”The defense face Blue Demon offense that has struggled at times this season. The offense is led by Else Wyatt, who has accounted for seven of the team’s 25 goals this year.IU ended 27th in RPI rankings. Smith said the recent success other IU teams have had has proven it is possible for a team such as hers to make a postseason run despite not being favorites.“I think that’s something to think about with our men’s (soccer) team and even our baseball team,” Smith said. “I don’t think anyone thought (IU baseball) would make it to the World Series and they just shocked everyone. I definitely think that’s going to be in the backs of our minds. We know anyone can beat anyone on any given day. We just need to come out strong every game.”Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
(11/15/13 3:38am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Entering the 2013 IU women’s soccer season, there were some questions surrounding the Hoosier offense.They would be without 2013 graduate Orianica Velasquez, last season’s leading scorer and Brazilian national team member. She finished fourth in team history in goals (26), fourth in points (64) and has the record for shot attempts (261).When the coaching staff came in, it was not quite sure who would replace her scoring.“In the spring, it was just kind of scoring by committee,” assistant coach Benji Walton said. “As a coach, there were some times where you can be a little nervous when you don’t know for sure where the scoring would be.”The Hoosier offense responded to any doubt in record-setting fashion.IU set single season school records in goals (42) and assists (44) during its 2013 campaign. The Hoosiers have an opportunity to increase those records against DePaul at 7 p.m. Saturday at Jerry Yeagley Field in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.“I always knew any team I coached was probably going to score way more goals just because of my personality,” IU Coach Amy Berbary said. “I used to always tell my old boss, ‘Well who cares how many goals we get scored on as long as we have one more at the end.’ This season we’ve seen that.”Berbary and Walton both said IU’s ability to score goals from anywhere on the field has been key to the program’s success. Scanning through box scores, the diversity of the scoring becomes apparent.In a Sept. 8 win against Eastern Kentucky, senior forward and leading scorer Lisa Nouanesengsy recorded a hat trick, carrying the Hoosiers to a 5-0 win.A week later against Eastern Michigan, Nouanesengsy’s name was nowhere to be found. Junior midfielder Abby Smith scored once and sophomore forward Kayleigh Steigerwalt netted a game winning goal with only five minutes remaining.“Lisa’s always going to be on everybody’s scouting report,” Berbary said. “If we can just have one or two more players step up in the game, we’re going to be better off.”IU has had 12 different girls score this season to accumulate the record setting 42 goals. The Hoosiers have only been shut out twice all season.“You don’t have to depend on one person,” senior forward Rebecca Candler said. “There are so many people who can pick it up.”Walton, who works primarily with the offense, holds pre-practice shooting sessions to prepare all the players for scoring opportunities which Berbary said has developed better goal scorers.“He has an offensive mind that continuously runs,” Berbary said. “Having kids come out early to do some extra finishing, having them hit an extra 50 shots every day has helped us so much. It helped the kids gain confidence in themselves.”That confidence across the lineup to score has been evident in the results. Along with the goals and assists records, IU has matched a single-season high in wins with 14.“That’s definitely a strength of our team,” Candler said. “It’s something that we’ve lacked the past three years. We have had so many people step up and make a difference, and it has shown.”IU’s offense will be tested Saturday against a DePaul team that has only allowed 14 goals all season.Walton said he does not know who is going to step up as a scorer, but somebody is going to have to if IU wants to move on to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.“There’s no way of knowing who’s going to come up. My experience with postseason soccer is that somebody has to step up each game,” Walton said. “We know we’re capable. It’s just a matter of who’s turn it is and hopefully we can execute.”Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
(11/12/13 6:19am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU women’s soccer team packed into the I-Lounge inside Assembly Hall to watch the NCAA Tournament Selection Show, waiting to hear if its name would be called.The Hoosiers failed to earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament after losing to Nebraska 3-1 in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals on Friday. The Hoosiers were relying on an at-large invitation to keep their season alive.“I think everyone was pretty nervous,” senior forward Rebecca Candler said.Before the selections began, players and coaches looked over numbers and rankings trying to predict who they might be playing.“I need to stop,” assistant coach Benji Walton said, joking. “I’ve guessed, like, 30 different teams.”Just past 4:30 p.m., the guessing ended.IU appeared on the screen, and anything the announcer said after that went unheard. The room had already erupted with cheers.The Hoosiers will play DePaul in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. It will be IU’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2007.“It is so exciting, especially for the seniors going three years previous never making it to the postseason,” Candler said. “It’s new. It’s exciting.”IU is the higher seed, which means it will be the home team and play at Jerry Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium at 7 p.m. Saturday.“It’s amazing to be able to play in front of our old fans and our new fans,” IU Coach Amy Berbary said. “We’ve had tremendous supporters throughout this season and we really appreciate it.”Berbary said now is the time for IU to attempt to make a run.“Now it’s a new season,” she said. “It’s a one-game season and we’re ready to go.”Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.
(11/11/13 4:48am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Three unanswered goals in the second half put an end to the IU women’s soccer team’s Big Ten Tournament Championship hopes Friday.The Hoosiers fell to Nebraska 3-1 in Champaign, Ill.IU got on the board first in the eighth minute when junior midfielder Bekah White scored to the upper right hand corner of the goal from 20 yards out.Nebraska answered the Hoosier goal with a fast-break response that led to Nebraska having numbers and only the goalie to beat.Senior goalie Shannon Flower was able to make a diving save to preserve IU’s one goal lead, which it took into the half.“We did control the first half, but soccer is a game for 90 minutes, and anything could happen,” IU Coach Amy Berbary said. “At halftime we said one will not be enough to win this game, and sure enough that was true again.”Coming out of the halftime break, Nebraska forward Jaycie Johnson scored in the 46th minute to the upper left side of the net to even the score at 1-1.In the 54th minute, IU was charged with a foul in the box, giving Nebraska a penalty kick and the opportunity to take the lead.Flower was able to deflect the ball over the net to preserve the tie and momentarily put a halt to the Cornhuskers’ attack.“That was a huge save by Shannon,” junior defender Rebecca Dreher said. “That was huge for us.”But after allowing the tying goal, Flower said the Hoosiers had already lost their momentum.“They got a quick one in the first five minutes, and I don’t think we had that fire anymore,” Flower said. “I saw a few people put their heads down, and I brought everyone into a huddle and I said, ‘You’re going to have to fight now that it’s all tied up.’”After a handful of Hoosier offensive attacks were stopped, the Cornhuskers scored what would prove to be the game-winning goal in the 67th minute.Nebraska defender Kylie Greischar sliced through the Hoosier back line and was able to beat Flower one-on-one for the goal to go up 2-1.The Hoosier offense would not find a response.“They were marking our forwards really well,” Dreher said. “We needed to work harder to get into passing lanes. It was hard for us to find passes because they knew what we were trying to do. They had a good scouting report.”Nebraska would then add another goal in the 87th minute to finalize the victory.“That’s a tough one to swallow just because we played so well in the first half,” Flower said. “I just don’t think we rose to the occasion. It’s a good thing to learn from, but it’s tough right now.”The Hoosiers current record (14-6-1, 6-4) ties the school record for regular season wins with the 1998 season.IU’s 42 goals scored ties a single season team-high with the 1993 and 1998 seasons.The team will continue to practice this week in preparation for a potential NCAA Tournament run.IU will find out if it qualified for the NCAA Tournament at 4:30 p.m. today.“I think we exceeded even our own expectations,” Berbary said. “We know we have a lot more soccer in us. We’ll head home today, we’ll refocus and get back to work this week. Hopefully on Monday our name shows up on that bracket.”Follow women’s soccer reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.