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(04/18/01 7:06pm)
For the teams in Row 4, the road to the Little 500 race has been a bumpy one. But the only thing that has persevered is the confidence the teams have in themselves.\nTeter (2:38.60)\nFive years ago, there was no team that represented Teter. Now, a short while after being established, the team finds itself starting in the top 10.\n"Our first two years, we were bottom dwellers," junior David Eaton said. "Last year, we did really well. We went from the bottom to the middle of the field, and this year we are in the 10th place. It's been a slow progression of improvement, but I am really excited about it."\nIn addition to having the best position in the history of the team, Teter also has the most depth. Eaton, a third-year rider, is joined by three experienced teammates.\nThis is the fourth race senior Chris Welt has ridden in. He is joined by junior Mike Choinacky, who is a third-year rider and junior Mikael Greenawald, who is in his second year with the team.\nDespite a high finish in qualifications, Teter is not taking anything for granted.\n"There is 33 teams in the race, and the question is how many you are better than," Eaton said. "It's insignificant to make predictions, because you are probably going to be proven wrong."\nGalveston (2:39.16)\nEven before the race has begun, Galveston has had to overcome change and adversity.\nThe first change came when Galveston had to have a name change. Formerly Theta Chi, the name changed when the fraternity's charter was revoked.\n"We are all members of Theta Chi," junior Mike Wall said. "But when everything happened, we were no longer Theta Chi. We became an independent team."\nGalveston features a group of three rookie riders; a non-factor, Wall said.\n"With three rookies, you're always up for a challenge," Wall said. "But with the way the race is, anything can happen. We're just hoping to be in there at the end." \nWall is the only rider with any experience riding in the Little 500.\nHe is joined by first-year riders and juniors Ryan O'Rourke, Matt Bajore and Rob Wermuth.\n"I'm pretty excited for the race, but there's a lot of work to be done," Wall said. "Right now, I'm excited because our attitudes are good. If the race was tomorrow, I don't think we'd be ready, because we need a little bit more work. But we're on our way."\nBeta Theta Pi (2:39.76)\nBeta Theta Pi has two ways of preparing for the Little 500 race: the traditional and the not-so-traditional.\nIn addition to going to the track daily, the team of three veterans and one rookie also seek out other methods of preparation.\n"We go to clubs and dance," junior Mike Ruben said. "It's a really good source of cardiovascular fitness."\nRuben is a second-year rider, along with senior Kyle Klepsch and senior Peter Crowe. The lone rookie is junior John Grant.\nBeta Theta Pi stayed in Bloomington to train over spring break, but took one weekend to ride down to Grant's home in Louisville.\n "It's a little over a hundred miles or so," Grant said. "It took us about seven hours. We spent the weekend there and then came back."\nGrant said the team is happy with its qualifying time.\n"We're shooting for a top-10 finish," Rubin said. "We're thinking we'll be able to do a little better if things go our way. But we have to make sure we have strong exchanges and good breakouts"
(04/13/01 5:53am)
Row 7 is mixed with experience and newcomers, but each team has confidence in its capability. One team boasts three experienced riders, while the two other squads didn't field a team in last year's women's Little 500. Despite low qualification times, the teams are ready to show their stuff in the race. \nNo. 19 Alpha Xi Delta, 3:14.65\nAlpha Xi Delta was unable to have a team last year, because its sorority house was on probation. But this year, the team plans to come out with a vengeance. \n"This is our chance to prove ourselves to our house and to everybody," senior Megan Lambeth said. "Our expectations are high for the race."\nDespite not fielding a team for last year's race, two of the Alpha Xi Delta riders continued to train. This is Lambeth's third year riding and senior Elizabeth Temporiti's second.\nThe rookies on the team are junior Allison Ward and sophomore Sarah Kueper.\n"I was training all summer, because I race during the summer," Lambeth said. "But we started training together as a team when we got back to school. We worked on road rides and took cycle fit classes."\nThe team traveled to Gainesville, Fla., for spring break, and spent much of that time polishing its distance riding skills, riding about 40 to 60 miles per day.\n"We'll definitely be better during Little 5 because of how we've been practicing," Lambeth said. Alpha Xi Delta has never had a team finish in the top 10, but no one should be fooled by the No. 19 qualification, Lambeth said.\n"We slowed it down a lot (during qualifications), because it wasn't worth (trying to qualify for) a fourth time, since the women's teams all qualify," Lambeth said. "We will improve from 19, and my goal is to finish in the top 10."\nNo. 20 Forest, 3:15.76\nForest did not have a team in last year's race, leaving this year's team looking to qualify, but not much else.\n"We were only expecting to beat a couple of people," sophomore Carissa Litz said. "But we beat 10 teams, so we were really happy with our (qualifications)."\nLitz is one of five women who are preparing to race for Forest. Sophomore Rebekah Lockwood, junior Melissa Blake, sophomore Michelle Vaught and freshman Amber Garvey join Litz to make up this team of rookies.\nForest began training, but often retreated to the Student Recreational Sports Center to condition because of cold and rainy weather.\n"Before (the track opened) we would jog, and we would do stairs," Litz said. "Now, we've been spending up to 10 hours a week at the track, and then we ride around campus together."\nThe riders chose to go their separate ways for spring break, but Litz said the team doesn't feel that will hurt its chances.\nThe team is not disappointed by where it qualified and is now excited for the race.\n"We were excited because most of the greek houses have been practicing since September, and we didn't get a team until January," Litz said. "It's such a huge event, and none of us have ever done it before, so we just want to go out and see what we can do. I don't know what to expect. I just do not want to finish last."\nNo. 21 Cycledelics, 3:16.15\nThe Cycledelics have three experienced riders on their side for this year's race. Sophomore Natalee Hird is the only rookie, meaning Cycledelics is one of the more seasoned squads in the women's field.\n"It's good, because last year I came from an all-rookie team, and it was hard because you didn't have anybody coaching you or helping you out with things," senior Tammy Lueck said. This year, there are three of us who can help our rookie out as much as we can."\nSenior Mercedes Collins, a third-year rider, and senior Jeannette Nigon, a second-year rider, joins Lueck, also in her second year, and Hird to round out the team.\nCollins and Nigon rode last year for the Cycledelics, but Lueck was part of the now-disbanded GDI.\n"I rode for a team called GDI, but two girls from that team graduated and one girl didn't want to ride again, so I got recruited to Cycledelics," Lueck said. "Then, Natalee contacted us, and we had our team."\nSince coming together last fall, the Cycledelics have been concentrating mainly on intervals, sprints and pack riding, the team said.\nDuring spring break, the team joined Dodds, a men's team, in Alligator Point, Fla., to become familiar with its bikes and the details involved in race day.\nAfter all the training they have done, the Cycledelics said they are read to race.\n"I'm really excited, mostly because it's my last year, and two of my teammates are also graduating, so we want a good turn-out," Lueck said. "We've all worked hard, we all want to do really well"
(04/12/01 5:55am)
The teams in Row 8 have seen their share of ups and downs during the Little 500 race. Each team lacks experience, but each team has high hopes.\nNo. 22 Pi Beta Phi, 3:16.20\nSenior Anne Wasilchuk trained last year, but broke her collarbone before the race. She is still the most experienced member of the Pi Beta Phi team.\n"I didn't ride in the race, but I kind of knew everything that was going on," Wasilchuk said. "It was kind of a challenge (training three rookies), but it wasn't as hard as it could have been. We had one of our former riders helping us out, so that helped a lot."\nSophomores Kaylan Randolph and Jill Klein and freshman Andrea Hoehne are the three rookies.\nRandolph, Klein and Wasilchuk started training in the fall. Once a week they ran the stairs at Ballantine Hall, and the team went to the Student Recreational Sports Center for the Cycle Fit class or rode outside. Hoehne joined at the beginning of the spring semester.\nDespite the training, the team did not do as well as it would have liked during qualifications.\n"I think we were a little disappointed," Wasilchuk said. "We qualified on our third attempt. We went slower than we had been in practice. I think nerves had a little to do with it."\nLast year, Pi Phi finished 13th after qualifying 27th. Wasilchuk said the team is aware it has room to improve and is using that as a challenge.\n"We are all excited," Wasilchuk said. "Maybe not nervous yet, but we are all still trying to get comfortable riding."\nNo. 23 Zeta Tau Alpha, 3:17.15\nThe Zeta Tau Alpha team is split down the middle when it comes to experience. \nJunior Vidhya Balasubramaniam and senior Jen Burnett are riding in their second race. Seniors Kim Green and Amanda Banks are rookies. \n"It helps that two of us rode last year, because we're able to be there as a guide for the two new girls," Balasubramaniam said. "Having been out there last year, we know how to ride more cautiously and be alert. "\nLast year, Zeta qualified 20th and placed 20th, but Balasubramaniam said that means little. \n"Especially this year, the track was slow during quals, and I don't think quals can tell you about the teams," Balasubramaniam said.\nSince Zeta started training, it has worked on interval training and pack training. Much of its practice time has been spent working outside and at the track.\nThe team parted ways for spring break, which might not have hurt them training wise.\n"I went on spring break last year, and it really builds team unity," Balasubramaniam said. "We are all pretty close already, though, but the unity is one thing we lost on spring break. It really brings team together. Spring break builds individual confidence, and having that brings the team confidence up."\nDespite a disappointing qualification time, Zeta is excited about the race.\n"We're going to give it our all," Balasubramaniam said. "Our No. 1 goal is having fun. It's an awesome tradition at IU and it's awesome to say that we were a part of this race."\nNo. 24 Delta Delta Delta, 3:17.42\nTwo years ago, Delta Delta Delta qualified near the bottom of the list, but finished in the top 10.\nThis year's team said it hopes for similar results.\n"We are a rebuilding team, because we have so many rookies," senior Tiffany Kerr said. "We are a fresh team, but we are pretty fast. "\nThe team has yet to determine which of the five members will ride in the race. Sophomores Katie Siminski and Kristine Ward join Kerr as rookies. They join senior Shauna Correll, a third-year rider, and sophomore Ashley Milton, a second-year rider.\nLast year, the team qualified fifth, but finished eighth, and despite a low qualifying spot this year, the team hopes it can finish in the top 10 again.\n"My greatest fear is (not) being able to communicate with the pack during the race," Kerr said. "I have watched a lot of races, but I had no clue it would be like this"
(04/09/01 6:03am)
Football coach Cam Cameron said the Hoosier offensive line is as strong as it ever has been.\nThe Hoosiers return all five starters and Cameron has made some adjustments he believes will boost the Hoosiers' offense.\nBut the offensive line couldn't hold back the defense, which made a strong showing at the team's third scrimmage Saturday.\n"(The offensive line) is one of the strengths of our team," Cameron said. "Our defensive line is really improved, but the offensive line is really going to be the strength of this team."\nNot once did the offense find itself inside the end zone. Both the No. 1 and the No. 2 defensive units held the offense to field goals.\nThe offense came close one time, but the Hoosier defense forced a fumble just short of the goal line.\n"That's one of the things we been working on, not giving up at the goal line," senior linebacker Devin Schaffer said. "People take for granted that if the team gets us down to the five yard line,\nthen they are going to score. They still have to execute to get the ball in just like we have to execute to stop them, so it was a big play for the defense and something we can build on."\nNot only was the defense effective in causing turnovers, but the offense was limited to three plays and a punt several times. \nThe defense has been trying to incorporate more of a man-to-man coverage in addition to the zone. It did Saturday, causing the quarterbacks to scramble a little more. \nQuarterbacks Tommy Jones, a junior, and Patrick Thompson, a freshman, spent much of the time trying to out-run the blitz. Jones, a 6-4, 243-pound sophomore from Eaton, Ohio, had the chance to display his athletic ability.\n"We're no different than anybody else," Cameron said. "No matter who your quarterback is, you're looking for an athlete and athletes come in all shapes and sizes. (Tommy) is a good athlete, and he has a nice feel for trying to move away from pressure, but he has to work on the little things. We still missed to many easy completions that were right in front of us."\nWith junior quarterback Gibran Hamdan in Michigan with the baseball team, senior wide receiver Antwaan Randle El took a couple snaps. Saturday's scrimmage was mostly focused on the passing game, but Randle El ran the option.\nCameron said to expect to see Randle El at his old position more than once next season, because his versatility makes him a threat throwing, running and catching.\nRandle El is not the only player Cameron said to expect to be a versatile player. The running backs also took a couple snaps as receivers.\n"We're going to get our backs more involved, especially (sophomore) Brian (Lewis) and (senior) Levron (Williams)," Cameron said. "Levron's got such good hands and was a receiver. We just\nhave to give him the ball."\nCameron said the team wasn't as strong offensively Saturday, but attributes that to an improving defense and new plans in the offensive scheme. \n"This is the first time we had great weather, so that probably effected us a little bit," Williams said. "I think the defense did a good job today and stepped up their game. Everything is off and on every time we practice, but (the offense) has to come out with more focus and concentrate on what we have to do"
(03/27/01 4:37am)
Scoring 30 or more points per game was not a problem for the IU football team last season. It was the 40 or more points given up by the defense that drew concern. \nBut people on defense say they are concentrating on where they are now, not where they were four months ago.\n"We have a good attitude, but we need to work on our attitude when things aren't going too well," senior linebacker Devin Schaffer said. "If you look at the successful teams last year, they all had bumpy roads, but they were able to play at a consistent level longer than we were. That is all it was."\nThe defense has been able to create some positives during the first few spring practices. The run defense has come up with some big stops on the rush. Sophomore Jason Fryar, who is adjusting to a new spot on the defensive line, was able to block a few passes from the quarterback.\n"If you look at our defensive line, there are some strong, athletic guys," coach Cam Cameron said. "Big Jason Fryar is going to give us some push up the middle. He's a tough guy to throw over."\nBut when the defense was fully exposed -- as it was Saturday at the team's first scrimmage -- the lingering effects of last season's troubles were evident.\nSenior wide receiver Antwaan Randle El was able to expose a weak secondary. He got past them a few times at the wide receiver position.\n"The No. 1 thing we have to do is improve defensively," Cameron said. "I think a lot of that comes down to pass coverage. We got ahead in some early games last year, which put opponents into a passing mode, which really worked to our disadvantage because it exploited our weakness."\nThe running game showed improvements from the first few practices. Junior Jeremi Johnson and senior Levron Williams were able to find the holes they were missing.\nCameron said he is upbeat about the changes he has made in the defense.\n"(Junior) Bobby Brandt has moved down inside, and he joins (sophomore Anthony) Oakley, who has been one of our strongest guys since he's been here," Cameron said. "(Senior center Craig) Osika's big and strong. All those guys are in the best shape they have been in and the quickest they've been. When you can get pressure on the quarterback, what a difference that makes."\nImproving technique is not the only thing the defense is concentrating on this year. They are working on their focus and attitude.\n"We have a real good chance of being good, but we have to listen to what the coaches are telling us," junior defensive end Derek Barnett said. "We just want to get better every day and work on our techniques. We have to make more plays, and not give up the big plays."\nSchaffer said he agreed.\n"We need to get everybody to understand the system and know the role they play in the system," Schaffer said. "We have the players, but football is the ultimate team sport, and we are just trying to get everyone on the same page"
(03/22/01 4:56am)
Claps and cheers could be heard from the football practice fields north of Memorial Stadium Wednesday afternoon as spring football got under way.\nFor a team that has had a losing record for four consecutive seasons, it was an optimistic bunch that ran drills for three hours.\nThat's what coach Cam Cameron said to expect from the team this year. \n"Our attitude is as good as it has ever been," Cameron said. "We know how close we were to our record being flip-flopped. We're keeping it in perspective and have hung together."\nBut that doesn't mean the team won't be making some changes. Many players are finding themselves in new positions.\nThe biggest and arguably most talked about change is senior Antwaan Randle El's move from quarterback to wide receiver.\n"We're going to give our three young quarterbacks, (junior) Tommy Jones, (junior) Gibran Hamdan and (sophomore) Patrick Johnson, a chance to be starting quarterback," Cameron said. "If one of the three guys can do that, then we're going to keep Antwaan at some kind of skill position, probably wide receiver. He's also going to concentrate on being our punt returner."\nRandle El is only one of the newly-relocated bunch.\nJunior Bobby Brandt is moving from tight end to tackle, Cameron said, because Brandt's size allows him to move to the offensive line.\nJunior Stephen Anthony is moving from defensive end to tight end, and sophomore Jason Fryar will be used as a tackle, but is now working from the defensive end position.\n"We might as well put him on the defensive line so we can get him on the field as fast as possible," Cameron said. "It gives him his biggest opportunity to play early. Ultimately, he is going to be our offensive tackle."\nOther position changes are mostly within the defense, a unit Cameron admitted must improve.\nInjuries are expected not to be an issue, at least in the beginning. Sophomore Colin Christopher, who was injured most of last season, has returned. Junior Sean Nelson, who was plagued with a shoulder injury, is expected to find playing time.\nThe position switching and players returning from injury have led the Hoosiers to high expectations for the 2001 season.\n"Our main focus is getting better day to day," senior defensive back Sharrod Wallace said. "We just need to get better as each day approaches."\nRandle El agrees.\n"The negatives are over and done with," Randle El said. "You can't look at last season or the season before that; they're over. Spring ball is basically your season. It's where you start to get better and where you start to improve. The negativity is in the past"
(03/05/01 5:10am)
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Even the Hoosier crowd was an underdog when the women's basketball team took on Iowa in the second round of the Big Ten tournament Friday night at the Van Andel Arena. \n While the black-and-gold clad Hawkeyes fans dominated the stands, the IU crowd, much like the team, was watching silently as Iowa took control of the court and arena.\n The only thing the Hoosiers could do to combat the Hawkeyes and their fans was unleash junior forward Erin McGinnis.\n "I just went through the same preparation before the game," McGinnis said. "Same as any other game, I just got myself mentally prepared."\nBut something worked: McGinnis scored 27 points.\nEven that could not stop the Hawkeyes in their 81-76 victory.\nMcGinnis played 14 minutes and did not score in the first meeting between the two teams Feb. 4 when Iowa routed IU 83-56.\nSituations change, and so did McGinnis' play against the Hawkeyes.\nWhen the game was over, McGinnis finished with a team-high 27 points and 13 rebounds. She also set a new career high for points in a game and tied her best in rebounding.\n"Indiana is so much better with her in the basketball game," Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. "She did not play like that when we played them at our place. We knew in the last four or five games she's really elevated her play and numbers have really increased, but I never thought that much. She was outstanding."\nMcGinnis won the tip to start the game, and the big plays alternated between her and junior center Jill Chapman. McGinnis' first shot attempt from the field was no good, but on the next IU possession, she scored from inside, where she spent much of the night. McGinnis attempted four shots from beyond the arc and was successful twice. She went 10-for-18 from the field, most of them under the basket. \n"I haven't been hitting (from the outside) lately," McGinnis said. "I just needed to score, so I knew I had to get inside."\nAt the beginning of the season, McGinnis had little playing time. But with the suspension of senior forward Rachael Honegger, McGinnis was given a playing opportunity and took it.\nIU coach Kathi Bennett said that while McGinnis' play has been strong, her shot selection and consistency needed work.\n"I've seen her (play hard) in practice, and I knew she could do it," Bennett said. "I like it when she's going to the rim, and we really wanted her to get to the rim."\nScoring was not the only area in which McGinnis found success. She moved from the inside to the outside, causing Iowa senior center Randi Peterson to pick up four fouls with 14 minutes left in the second half.\n"She's a good basketball player," Peterson said. "She's tough, and she makes it even harder to guard her. She's going to be really good (next year)"
(03/02/01 5:28am)
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- The women's basketball team has shown many similarities to its male counterpart this season. Both squads are operating under a first-year coach, have unnerving tendencies to blow big leads and had the ability to beat a Minnesota basketball team within 24 hours of each other.\nBut when the Hoosiers faced the Golden Gophers Thursday night at the Van Andel Arena, the stakes were different. Both teams were fighting it out to advance to the second round of the women's Big Ten Tournament. IU won the battle, 78-56.\n"We have so much to play for," coach Kathi Bennett said. "We're playing fearlessly, because we have nothing to lose."\nHistory could have doomed the Hoosiers, who are 0-2 on neutral courts. But after building a nine-point lead on Minnesota (8-20, 1-15) going into the half, IU (19-9, 9-7) was off to the races.\nWithin five minutes in the second half, the Hoosiers built a 20-point lead and were shooting more than 85 percent from the field. \n"(At halftime), I told them I don't care if you miss every shot you take, if it's a good shot, you need to take it," Bennett said. "I told them they need to go to the glass with a vengeance, and they listened and did that."\nBoth teams went on runs early in the second half. \nIU went on a 10-3 scoring run as Minnesota continued the trend it started in the first half and managed four turnovers in seven minutes.\n"We made some youthful mistakes," Minnesota coach Cheryl Littlejohn said. "We came out a little sluggish, and they jumped on us."\nThe Gophers got a spark in their offense between the turnovers late in the second half. Freshman guard Lindsay Whalen went to the free throw line two times in 10 seconds, starting a scoring run for the Gophers.\nWhalen was a headache for the Hoosiers in the two previous games, getting junior guard Heather Cassady in foul trouble while racking up offensive points. \nBut Cassady had a different plan this time.\n"(Heather's) a good defender," Whalen said. "She moves her feet well, and she forces you to go places you don't want to go."\nDespite Cassady's tough defense, Whalen was Minnesota's top scorer, finishing with a team-high 22 points.\nMinnesota closed the gap to 14 with eight minutes left, but by then junior forward Jill Chapman was lighting up the floor.\n"(Jill's) a dominant center," Littlejohn said. "I would for like her to be a senior. She's a very good defender, and a threat offensively and defensively." \nChapman had a season-high 29 points, 23 of which came in the second half. She tallied 10 in the final eight minutes of the game.\nThe lead the Golden Gophers had two minutes into the game was its last, except in the turnover department. The Golden Gophers had 13 turnovers in the first half, nine coming in the first nine minutes.\nThe Hoosiers had minimal success capitalizing on Minnesota's miscues. As they headed into intermission, the Hoosiers were shooting slightly above 31 percent, and were 11-of-35 from the field.\n"We weren't being aggressive offensively," Bennett said. "We were open for 15-footers, and we're not willing to take them."\nThe Gophers went on a scoring run in the final three minutes of the first half to cut a 14-point Hoosier lead to nine, at 29-20.\nThe Hoosiers face Iowa at 6 p.m. today. The Hawkeyes crushed IU 83-56 earlier this season and are seeded third in the tournament, but IU is optimistic about its chances.\n"This is a great situation to be in," Bennett said. "That's the mentality we have to be in. Winning against them gives us 20 wins, and a great look to be in the (NCAA) tournament, and we understand that"
(03/01/01 5:49am)
The last time IU faced Minnesota, the Hoosiers defeated the Golden Gophers by 29 points.\n"We beat Minnesota twice, but it is hard to beat a team three times in a season," senior forward Rachael Honegger said. "I feel we do have an advantage over them because we know what it takes to beat them."\nBut when the two teams meet for the third time at 6 p.m. today, the atmosphere is going to be completely different. It is the first round of the Big Ten tournament, and the teams are on neutral ground, the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich.\nCoach Kathi Bennett said being on neutral ground is better, because it doesn't give one team an advantage over the other.\n"It all depends on where you play, because the crowd can be a big factor," Bennett said.\nBut crowd or not, the Golden Gophers (8-19, 1-15 Big Ten) have created headaches for the Hoosiers (18-9, 9-7).\nThe first time the two teams met, Minnesota gave IU a scare, and the Hoosiers barely got away Jan. 4 with a 79-76 win. The Golden Gophers managed to keep junior center, and IU's leading scorer, Jill Chapman scoreless in the first half, and had a last minute run that almost cost the Hoosiers the game.\n"I felt that, defensively, we struggled and had no one stopping the ball," Bennett said after the first game. "Thank goodness we could keep scoring with them." \nThe second time the two teams met, strong shooting from IU helped give them a boost. Junior guard Heather Cassady scored a career-high 27 points, and overall the team shot more than 57 percent.\nMinnesota has been plagued with injuries all season, but has managed to pull a few tricks out of the bag.\nBennett said Minnesota freshman Lindsay Whalen has been a problem because of her ability to get around the defense.\n"Heather (Cassady) has been in foul trouble both times we've played them because of Lindsay," Bennett said.\nWhalen leads the Golden Gophers in scoring, averaging 16.8 points per game. Whalen was a Big Ten Freshman of the Year candidate -- an award that went to Penn State's Kelly Mazzante.\nBut Whalen isn't Minnesota's only weapon. The Golden Gophers have began finding a spot for junior Kim Bell, a 6-foot-7 center, and according to Bennett, they have new high-low plays which create more difficulty for defenses.\nDespite these threats, IU remains confident.\n"Going into the Big Ten (tournament) this year, I feel like we have had more of a drive to win because we have more confidence in ourselves and in each other," Cassady said.\nThe Hoosiers had a successful ending to their regular season with a 69-52 win over Northwestern at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Three players shot in the double-figure range, and it was the first time in a long time that IU didn't experience foul trouble.\nThe team had a light practice Wednesday before heading to Grand Rapids. As for the team's morale, Bennett said the team is very excited, and it hasn't taken much to get the team's confidence high for this weekend. She said it also helps that the Hoosiers are coming off a win.\n"The key to winning the Big Ten crown would have to be playing well on a consistent basis whether it be home or away," Cassady said.\nBut for now, IU is just happy where it is.\n"We finished tied for sixth in the conference which is a great turnaround and accomplishment," Bennett said after the Northwestern win. "We feel good about ourselves"
(02/26/01 5:43am)
The women's basketball team took the floor at Northwestern's Welsh-Ryan Arena with a mission.\nThe Hoosiers' objective? To beat Northwestern, a team that has found no success in the Big Ten this season.\nThe Hoosiers' reasoning? They needed a win to help their chances for a better seed in the Big Ten tournament and to boost their shot at an appearance in the NCAA tournament.\n"We wanted to be sound (coming into the game)," coach Kathi Bennett said. "Defensively, we thought we could force some turnovers and take advantage of that. If we could do that, we wanted some easy baskets."\nIt seemed like an easy task. Northwestern had only four wins, none of which came in the Big Ten. But Northwestern also gave Penn State a scare earlier this month in which the Lady Lions escaped with a 65-62 win.\nBut after a few initial scares, the Hoosiers were able to capture the win, 69-52.\n"We're a hard-playing team," Northwestern coach June Olkowski said. "We play well in spurts."\nThe Wildcats (4-22, 0-16 Big Ten) had other plans than to just hand the game to IU (18-9, 9-7). At least in the first half. \nBut after only holding onto a seven-point lead in the first half, the Hoosiers came out firing in the second half.\nLess than three minutes into the second half, IU extended its lead to 11 points by hitting four of six field goals.\nThe Wildcats matched the Hoosiers in the first half, but would get no closer than eight points after IU's burst after halftime. IU had several scoring runs in the second half, but each time the Hoosiers pulled away, the Wildcats came back at them.\n"We just wanted to really come out in the first five minutes (of the second half)," junior guard Heather Cassady said. "But then they kept getting back to (within) 10, and getting back to 10, we just had to keep pushing." \nWith less than two minutes left in the game, the Wildcats were within 10, but a three-pointer from Cassady started a 6-1 run that would end the game.\nIn the first half, Northwestern hung with the Hoosiers, matching IU shot-for-shot, free throw-for-free throw, even turnover-for-turnover.\n"They've given everyone a battle in the first half," Bennett said. "We were a little bit fatigued, but both teams played well."\nAt one point, the Wildcats took the lead, 18-17. But sophomore guard Jill Hartman hit a jumper under the basket that set IU on a scoring run to re-take the lead and hold a 28-21 lead going into the break. The Hoosiers and Wildcats were even from the field, shooting just more than 33 percent. \nNorthwestern out-rebounded the Hoosiers 20-15. But junior center Jill Chapman, a usual foul magnet, had no personal fouls at the end of the half and ended the game with three.\n"I think rebounding is one of our weak areas," Chapman said. "We've got to keep boxing out, and that's one area that we are going to have to keep getting better and better at."\nChapman led the Hoosiers with 21 points.\nThe Wildcats were led by senior center Tami Sears who had 14 points and eight rebounds.\nThe next Hoosier appearance will be later this week at the Big Ten tournament, but for now they are enjoying this win.\n"A win's a win, and we need to get all the wins we can," Bennett said. "We're really close to getting 19 and 20 wins, and that's huge. We're tied for sixth in the conference, and I think that's a great turn-around"
(02/23/01 6:08am)
Bright lights shined through a darkened Assembly Hall Thursday as seniors Rainey Alting and Rachael Honegger, and the rest of the Hoosiers, were introduced in the final home game of the season.\n"It was exciting," junior guard Heather Cassady said. "(It was) a little change, better atmosphere before the game, maybe to get the crowd more into it. The crowd was great tonight."\nBut when the fluorescent lights shined again, the Hoosiers saw what coach Kathi Bennett had been warning them about all week. She said Illinois was fast, and if it exploded, watch out.\nThe Fighting Illini proved too much for the Hoosiers in a 54-50 Illini win.\nWith 38.3 seconds on the clock, and IU trailing 52-50, Bennett decided to defense and not foul the Illini. As the shot clock expired, Illinois junior center Dawn Vana sealed the game with a fall-away 14-footer with seven seconds left. \n"We almost had it," Bennett said. "She hit a fade-away jumper with someone on her and one second on the shot clock. We almost did what we wanted to do."\nIllinois (14-13, 9-6 Big Ten) jumped out early, holding the Hoosiers (8-7, 17-9) to only 1-of-8 shooting from the field in the first six minutes of the game. During that time, the Illini built a five-point lead. Thanks to the quick shooting from Illinois guard Allison Curtin, the Hoosiers were down 21-9 with just more than eight minutes left in the half.\n"Allison\'s a very good player," Cassady said. "She can do it all. She can drive, she can shoot, she's always on the floor. She's tough to guard, too."\nBut Cassady scraped the Hoosiers off the floor with a three-point basket and started an IU scoring spurt with seven minutes to go before halftime. IU finished the half on a 19-6 run, and took a 28-27 lead going into the break when Alting drove to the basket and scored with 46 seconds remaining. \n"To start the game off, I don't know how focused we were," Bennett said. "I felt we were ready to play hard, and we did. But I want credit Illinois' defense. We could not get any open looks."\nThe Hoosiers were undefeated when leading at halftime in Assembly Hall. With postseason hopes on the line, IU needed the trend to hold true one final time. It didn't.\nIt looked as if the Hoosiers were going to pull out a victory, but Illinois had other plans.\nIU scored quickly, but the Fighting Illini attacked with the dangerous transition game Bennett feared.\n"I felt defensively, we had effort," Bennett said. "In the second half, we had been doing such a good job with the double teams, but they backed us down with the dribble."\nIf the Hoosiers scored from the field, Illinois took the ball down the court and quickly answered. IU sophomore guard Jill Hartman nailed a three-pointer to give IU a three-point lead late in the second half, but two minutes later, Curtin answered with the same shot.\nIllinois built a five-point lead with two minutes to go. Chapman scored under the basket to pull within three. The next Illinois possession resulted in a turnover, and Cassady fired a three-point shot that would have tied the game. It fell short.\n"I thought we did a good job in the final minute," Bennett said. "We just missed our shots."\nThat's where Vana made the difference, beating the buzzer that had been previously kind to IU. The Hoosiers had already won three games at the buzzer this season.\nCurtin led Illinois in scoring with 21 points. Chapman led the Hoosiers with 15 points.\n"We've got to beat Northwestern, and hope (Illinois) gets some losses," Bennett said. "We would have liked to control our own destiny, so in that aspect, it's tough."\nAlthough a postseason for the Hoosiers is questionable, they remain upbeat. \n"We still have a long way to go," Alting said to the crowd in a ceremony after the game.
(02/19/01 6:51pm)
WEST LAFAYETTE -- A week ago Thursday, the women's basketball team was experiencing success against a ranked team. Sunday, the Hoosiers were controlling the floor against Michigan State.\nA week ago Thursday, No. 7 Purdue was experiencing its first Big Ten loss of the season. Sunday, the Boilermakers escaped a loss at the hands of another red and white team, Ohio State.\nBut either IU was sick of winning, or Purdue was sick of close games. Both remedied those problems Thursday before a crowd of 10,207 in Mackey Arena. Purdue pummeled IU 87-46.\nThat was the largest margin by which the Boilermakers had beaten a team this season.\n"Purdue made us feel so uncomfortable," coach Kathi Bennett said. "It had everything to do with them and a lot to do with us." \nIn the first half, the Hoosiers managed to grab more rebounds and rack up more fouls. But the real separation between the two stood at the free throw line.\nThe Hoosiers had nine fouls in the first half, giving the Boilermakers 13 looks from the free throw line. Purdue (23-4, 13-1 Big Ten) shot 92 percent.\nIU (16-8, 7-6 Big Ten) made it to the free-throw line only once in the first half. Junior center Jill Chapman was fouled early in the first half. She missed her first shot.\nBut perhaps the most surprising part of the evening was the silence of junior guard Heather Cassady. She had three attempts from beyond the arc, but missed them all, including an air ball. From then on out, the crowd gave her a new adopted nickname.\nThe chants of "air ball" didn't even give Cassady a boost to quiet the crowd. She went into the locker room at halftime 1-of-6 from the field. \n"We were just trying to get a shot at the basket," Bennett said. "We were rushed and hurried and out of sync."\nThe Hoosiers started the game by grabbing an early six-point lead, but Purdue would tie the game only a minute after. This was the last time the two teams would be tied, and the last time IU saw anything that even resembled a lead.\nPurdue built a lead on several different runs, including a 10-0 run to give the Boilermakers a 16-point lead.\n"We just had way too many turnovers," Cassady said. "We weren't tough with the ball, and that affected us."\nFouls again hurt IU's big players. Chapman picked up her first foul with 13 mintues left in the first half. She was pulled out, but within a minute of her return with nine minutes left, she fouled again. \nNear the end of the half, the Hoosiers went on a drive of their own, going 4-2 and closing the gap to eight.\nBut the second half was all Boilers.\n"To give up 53 points in the second half, says that you're not playing hard enough," Bennett said. "We're not scrambling or playing hard, and that's something this team needs to do."\nWith the game securely put away, Komara added insult to injury by making two final free throws with eight seconds left in the game.\nKomara ended the game with nine, but the real star of the night was senior center Camille Cooper, who ended with 25 points and three blocked shots. \nOnly one player for the Hoosiers scored in double digits, and that was freshman guard Anna Waugh. Combined, Cassady and Chapman had 12 points. IU ended with 26 turnovers.\n"We have three games left, and we certainly have to bounce back," Bennett said. "We have to have a win against Illinois and Michigan for a chance to get into postseason"
(02/19/01 6:06am)
After Thursday night's 41-point loss at Purdue, coach Kathi Bennett said the team needs to play harder to get a win against Michigan.\nSunday, the team did play harder, and squashed Michigan 73-51.\n"We were all focused," junior forward Erin McGinnis said. \nNot only did the Hoosiers (17-8, 8-6 Big Ten) halt a team that had won seven of its last eight Big Ten games, they also ended the optimism Michigan (16-10, 9-6 Big Ten) carried since upsetting No. 25 Iowa Thursday.\n"I felt we were really ready for this game," Michigan coach Sue Guevara said. "We were coming in with a lot of confidence. But I told my players Indiana was like a wounded animal after the loss at Purdue, and were going to have to come out really aggressive."\nThe Hoosiers foreshadowed a developing trend early in the game when McGinnis scored from under the basket 15 seconds into the game. IU started on a 7-1 scoring run, and built a 13-point lead seven minutes into the game.\nJunior center Jill Chapman has struggled with staying out of foul trouble, but with 13 minutes left to play in the first half, she had one foul. \nThe Wolverines fought back with a run of their own, but could only get within six points. Even then, IU countered.\nEarly in the game, two big shots beyond the arc from McGinnis and junior guard Heather Cassady helped extend the lead in the waning moments of the first half.\n"We really had players step up with crucial threes at crucial times," Bennett said. "Every time they started to make a run, we'd counter it with a big three."\nThe Hoosiers led 33-21 with a minute left, but a late shot and two free throws from Michigan sent both teams into the locker room with the score at 33-25.\nIn their last game, the Wolverines were down 12 points against Iowa, but managed a comeback late in the game -- whatever confidence the Hoosiers had going into intermission was shaky.\n"I never think any lead is big enough," Bennett said. "They scored 53 points against Iowa, and Iowa is a very good team. So we needed to keep our energy level and our effort level the same."\nBut once again, IU came out firing. Cassady hit a three-point jumper to get the Hoosiers going on IU's first possession. Cassady ended with eight points, two of which were three-pointers.\nIU pulled away on big scoring runs, including a 7-1 run that gave the Hoosiers a 21-point lead. \nMcGinnis was the big story of the night. She was the second- highest scorer with 13, behind Chapman's 23. But McGinnis grabbed nine boards, four steals and four assists. \n"Defensively is where I was pleased with her," said Bennett of McGinnis. "Offensively, she hit some crucial threes, and just passed the ball really well. We have to cut down her turnovers and get her tighter with the ball, but she definitely sparked us again.\n"I'm thrilled and so proud of my team the way they bounced back. They showed incredible toughness"
(02/13/01 5:42pm)
Saturday night at the NBA All-Star Game was disappointing. And that's putting it mildly. Usually a fun night, with lots of excitement, Saturday was a dud.\nThe crowd was about as a excited as if it was going to the dentist's office. The players and participants of the events were better, but not much.\nThe evening started with the American Online 2-Ball competition that pairs an NBA player with a WNBA player -- each from the same city -- who team up against other city's duo. The duos shoot from various spots on the court -- each with different point-values -- and whichever team racks up the most points, wins. The Sacramento team of Ruthie Bolton-Holifield and Peja Stojakovic won. \nThen the evening moves onto the AT&T three-point Shoot-Out. Ray Allen took home that award.\nThen came the Real.com Slam Dunk contest. I should have gone home then. I had to sit through six players performing recycled dunks, including the Pacers' Jonathan Bender, who looked so scared to be there, I thought someone should have put a diaper on him. Desmond Mason of Seattle won, but there were really no better choices.\nAfter suffering through two hours of mediocre entertainment, I came up with a few ideas I am sure will turn the events around:\n1. All the events should include blindfolds. During the Slam Dunk, Charlotte's Baron Davis put his headband over his eyes and attempted a dunk. He missed the rim by three feet. It was the funniest part of the evening.\n2. The participants in the three-point contest should be able to make 50 percent of the three-point shots. If not, you can't participate. Nothing's more painful that watching an NBA player go around the three-point arc and miss shot after shot. Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki made only 10 of his 25 attempts, and that was in the final round. It's excruciating and defeats the purpose of a fun evening.\n 3. Give away more gifts. The crowd was excited for the 2-Ball competition, but only because the promotion was giving away a new Spalding basketball to the seating section that corresponded with the winning team. That was the only time the crowd even made a smidgen of noise.\n4. Screen the crowd before it comes into the arena, give them some caffeine, check their vocal cords, and then set them loose. Otherwise you get Saturday's crowd -- a whole bunch of stoned fans who left their excitement at the door.\n5. All dunks that have been used in previous years are not allowed. I felt like I was watching the Vince Carter Dunk Re-run Show. I saw the between-the-leg dunk last year. I don't need to see it again.\n6. Forget even showing the dunks. Just broadcast the players watching on the sidelines. Their reactions are classic and so much more fun to watch. It's sad when crowds want to see highlights of their reactions over replays he dunks. The best was when Davis missed his dunk. The players were falling over laughing. It was hilarious. And much more entertaining than the dunks.\n7. Don't even think of having a dunk contest without a player who gets the crowd going. Bring back Kobe Bryant, Carter. Get Michael Jordan out of retirement, or get someone as exciting. But never, ever, ever have a contest without them again. Ever. Because if I have to watch Bender's scare-like-a-rabbit act one more time, someone's going to get hurt.\nMaybe Saturday's festivities were following the NBA attendance trend and having a down year, but it was tough to watch. The NBA should implement my new rules, because I guarantee, you'll have a Saturday competition worth watching. Well, maybe.
(02/12/01 6:21am)
The "Three-S Express" came to Bloomington Thursday night, but Wisconsin's deadly threesome couldn't break the women's basketball team, even in overtime.\nThe last time the two teams met, Wisconsin's low-post trio of junior guard Jessie Stomski, senior forward LaTonya Sims and sophomore center Nina Smith combined for 50 of the Badgers' 69 points.\nBut even their combined points couldn't help the Badgers, as they fell 83-79 to the Hoosiers. IU (15-7, 6-5 Big Ten) heads to Michigan State at 2 p.m. Sunday. \nThe win against visiting Wisconsin marked the first time the Hoosiers have beaten a ranked team in their five attempts this season, and was their first win against a ranked team since 1998.\n"We did a better job of double teaming," coach Kathi Bennett said. "We did a better job inside. We made (Stomski, Smith and Sims) work a little bit more."\nJunior forward Jill Chapman and sophomore center Erika Christenson, who fouled out the last time the two teams met, had a combined four fouls going into the half, helping the Hoosiers' inside defense.\nThe Hoosiers jumped to their largest lead of the night, 20 points, largely from their deadly three-point shooting. IU finished 8-of-17 from the three-point line, for 47 percent.\nBut just minutes later, the Hoosiers were heading into the locker room, ahead by a mere 10 points. Stomski, who had been quiet until the first half's final seconds, hit three jump shots in less than 30 seconds, including one at the buzzer, to close the gap.\nThe Hoosiers watched their 10-point halftime lead dwindle to six just four minutes into the second half. Wisconsin tied the game with just less than seven minutes remaining, and the contest remained tight down the stretch.\nWith less than two minutes to go, the Hoosiers were up by two points, and Stomski was denied under the basket. But she followed that miss with two more jumpers, and Wisconsin took its first lead of the game, 72-71, with 44 seconds remaining in regulation.\nJunior forward Erin McGinnis tied the game with a free throw with 20 seconds left. She missed her next free toss, but Chapman came up with the rebound. The ball went to senior guard Rainey Alting, who misfired on her jumper, sending the game into overtime.\n"We wanted to make sure we took the last shot," Bennett said. "We didn't want to give them another opportunity to come down and score. We were trying to open it up. We'd had a great deal of success when we flattened it out."\nIU had history on its side going into overtime. Wisconsin hadn't won either of its two overtime games this season, and the Hoosiers won their only overtime contest this year, a 77-74 win against Washington in November.\nAlting hit two free throws in the first 15 seconds of overtime, but Stomski answered with a lay-up. The Badgers would score only two more times, and wouldn't tie or take the lead again.\nChapman hit a jumper off an inbounds pass with two seconds left to seal the game for IU.\n"We were setting up for a lob, but we didn't get it," said Chapman of her 15-foot fall-away jumper. "Heather got the ball inbounds, and I was open, so I took it." \nMcGinnis topped off the win with the final two free throws with 12 seconds left.\nFour Hoosiers scored double-digits, led by junior point guard Heather Cassady, who finished with a game-high 21. McGinnis recorded her first career double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds.\nWisconsin was led by Stomski, who scored 19 points and grabbed 18 rebounds.\nThe Hoosiers rallied around teammate Rachael Honegger, who was suspended Wednesday. Honneger, a usual starter, was replaced by McGinnis.\n"I want to congratulate Indiana on their win tonight," Wisconsin coach Jane Albright said. "Obviously they were playing for a lot of reasons tonight. I've been in sports a long time, and I've seen teams rally around a lot of events"
(02/08/01 5:10am)
Junior forward Erin McGinnis said the women's basketball team isn't looking to win -- just not to lose. \nHead coach Kathi Bennett said her Hoosiers need to get back to playing tough -- the same approach that jump-started them to a 13-3 start this season. \nSince then, IU has dropped five of its last seven games. \nThe Hoosiers get another opportunity at 7:30 p.m. today against Wisconsin to execute the changes McGinnis and Bennett discussed.\n"We were so successful early on, because we were playing so hard," Bennett said. "Recently, we have not been playing as hard as we can. Our emotional level and our intensity has dropped. Somehow, we have got to get back the emotional side, and hopefully we can do that (tonight)."\nThe Hoosiers are coming off a 27-point loss to Iowa, the biggest deficit the season. This week hasn't featured good practices, as Bennett had hoped.\n"(We've been practicing) trying to get back to playing hard," Bennett said. "I know that sounds simple, but right now, we're turning the ball over a great deal. We're hanging our heads when we make a mistake, or when we let a team score on us. We've got to get that toughness back." \nIU was plagued by bad shooting and turnovers, and attitudes are low, Bennett said.\n"Playing Wisconsin is going to be tough, because they are a physical team, and very big," Bennett said. "A win against them could do wonders for us."\nThe Hoosiers thought the season was going to be revived after a big home win against Ohio State that snapped a four-game losing streak. But the Hoosiers are seventh in the Big Ten and hovering around a .500 record.\n If the Hoosiers (14-7, 5-5 Big Ten) win tonight, they could move into a tie for fifth place, depending on what happens in other Big Ten games.\n "This win is crucial to the rest of our season," McGinnis said. "We have three games left at home, and we definitely have to get those, and at least one of the other ones. This has got to be a starting point for us. We have to change our game back to what it used to be."\n The Badgers sit in a different position. Coach Jane Albright just coached her 500th game, and a win against IU would make her the winningest coach in Wisconsin history.\n The Badgers are tied for the No. 2 spot in the Big Ten. They took undefeated Purdue to overtime Jan. 28 and moved up five places in the latest national rankings.\n"Players decide games, and emotion can carry you so far, and then it breaks down, and it's what you do on the court," Bennett said. "But it can give you a little advantage."\nThe Hoosiers lost their last game against Wisconsin. When the two teams met Jan. 21, the Badgers won 69-62.\n"We only lost by seven points, and we weren't even playing our best game," freshman guard Nicole Motto said. "If we bring our best game out for 40 minutes, there will be a different outcome."\nIn the first contest, IU held the lead only twice and got into foul trouble early. Foul trouble has been a recent problem for the Hoosiers.\nJunior forward Jessie Stomski led Wisconsin with 25 points and 10 rebounds in the first meeting. She was 5-for-11 from the field, and hit 15-for-21 from the foul line. Wisconsin out-rebounded IU 40-27. \n"We have to stop their inside game," Bennett said. "Stomski really ate us up. We've got to be better at rotating, and we've got to be so much better off the ball. We got no rotations, we double-teamed late, and they got the ball out of them. For us to be successful we have to do a great job inside."\nIU's problems on the court don't reflect the team's cohesiveness, Bennett said.\n"We have a team that is very much together, and we feel terrible about how we've been playing," Bennett said. "It's not for lack of unity, or leadership, or togetherness. We just have to find a way to break out"
(02/01/01 6:05am)
Junior guard Heather Cassady arrives an hour before practice begins and hits the basketball court. She works with one of the assistant coaches, who passes her the ball as she runs across the floor. She hits jump shots, lay-ups and free throws.\nHer shots swish through the hoop far more times than they bounce out.\nShe's perspiring and breathing heavily as she varies the drill. Cassady has 45 minutes before practice starts, but she won't stop until 3 p.m., when practice is over.\n"Heather, every day, is the first one in the gym," junior forward Erin McGinnis said. "She never takes a minute off in practice. You have to pretty much drag her off the floor to get her to sit out for a minute. She's really one of the hardest workers I have ever met."\nThe co-captain was given a new role this season. Coach Kathi Bennett made it clear at the beginning of the year she wanted Cassady to pass more and shoot less. In 13 of the Hoosiers' 21 games, the 5-foot-7 guard from Peoria, Ill.,, had less than 10 shot attempts. \n"What I want out of a point guard is being able to make good decisions and know what good shots are," Bennett said. "(To) know when you, yourself has to step up, but still be able to distribute the ball around when it comes to that. Heather\'s done a great job of that."\nThe majority her single-digit shot attempts came during the nonconference part of the schedule, but as the Hoosiers entered the Big Ten season, Cassady has been called on to shoot more.\nIn IU's last nonconference game against Ole Miss, Cassady looked at the basket six times. But eight days later, in the Big Ten opener against Ohio State, Cassady fired 10 attempts.\nIt's not just the teams that the Hoosiers are playing that determines her shot attempts; it's the situations that occur during the game.\nIn the last five games, Cassady has steadily increased her scoring, and in the games against Wisconsin, Penn State and Ohio State, Cassady averaged 18.7 points. Her career and season-high points came against Wisconsin, when she went 9-for-13 and ended with 27 points.\nCassady's increased shooting is not a fluke. The Hoosiers have seen a decrease in minutes from junior center Jill Chapman because of early foul trouble. \nAfter playing a season-high 35 minutes against Wisconsin, Chapman played for 14 minutes against Ohio State and scored six points. In those 14 minutes, Chapman had three fouls, and continued her streak of more than three fouls in the last nine games.\nBennett said it's not that Chapman's play has been on the decline, it's just the fouls that are killing her. Bennett added that the teams focus hasn't changed, just that Cassady has been given more opportunities to score.\n"Players have been keying in on Jill lately, so the shots have been there," Cassady said. "There's more pressure on me, but everyone has to step up. When (Jill's) in foul or trouble or on the bench, we all have to take on bigger roles."\nThe rest of the team has stepped up to the task. At least eight of the Hoosiers have scored in double digits in at least one of the games. Seven different women have been a game high scorer.\nThe situation of having more than just Cassady as a shooter is a new concept to the team. Last year, it was Cassady who was held responsible for most of the shooting. \n"We depended on her to shoot a lot more last year," McGinnis said. "This year we can pass the ball around, and other people have stepped up and taken more of a role of a scorer. She can (now) use more of her abilities passing-wise and shooting-wise.\nCassady agreed.\n"More pressure was on my shoulders to score last year," Cassady said. "This year, it's just been game by game, what teams are defensively playing against us"
(01/29/01 5:39am)
The hockey team was swept this weekend at Michigan State University. A last-minute empty-net goal resulted in a 7-5 loss Friday, while two goals in the final five minutes of the third period equaled a 4-2 Hoosier loss Saturday.\n"I think we got outplayed from top to bottom," junior forward and assistant captain Bryan Grant said. "We didn't come out to play Friday night. Once we got the lead, we went back to not playing very well. And Saturday we were terrible."\nAfter two quick Spartan goals Friday, the Hoosiers fought back to tie the game at the end of the first period. The game remained tied 3-3 at the end of the second. But as the minutes of the third period wound down, the Hoosiers found themselves trailing the Spartans 6-5. An open-net Spartan goal became the game's final score. \n"We were missing quite a few guys Friday night," coach Rich Holdeman said. "I thought the team battled pretty well. But we got the go-ahead goal and let them score three goals in about a four-minute span."\nJunior forward and assistant captain Brandon Phillips and senior defenseman Brad Lutsch were thrown out of the match Friday for two separate incidents of verbal abuse, a penalty which does not carry an additional suspended game. Both returned for Saturday's matchup.\nJunior Gordy Haggard shined for the Hoosiers Friday, scoring four of the team's five goals. Haggard, normally a second-line forward, was playing first line for Grant, who was suspended from Friday's contest. Haggard was the first Hoosier to net four goals in a game this season.\n"He skated well and created a lot of offense for himself," Holdeman said. "I was thrilled to see him have a good game like that."\nIn the net, senior goalie Chad Whitlock played 52 minutes, allowing six goals. Senior goalie Justin Wojtowicz finished the game for the Hoosiers but was pulled for the empty net strategy, thereby not allowing any goals in six minutes of ice time. The Spartans outshot the Hoosiers Friday by a 40-23 margin.\n Saturday, in a defensive battle, the Hoosiers and Spartans were tied 2-2 after two periods of play. But with just five minutes remaining in the third period, MSU took control of the contest and scored two goals for a 4-2 victory.\n "The biggest disappointment Saturday was our power play," Holdeman said. "We scored on our first opportunity but didn't score again on any of our power plays. Plus, the winning goal was a short-handed goal. It seemed the guys on the power play were really out of it."\n Wojtowicz manned the net Saturday, allowing the four goals and making 25 saves. The Spartans outshot the Hoosiers 54-29 Saturday for a weekend shot total advantage of 94-52.\nThe Hoosiers face their final conference series of the season Friday and Saturday against Michigan at the Frank Southern Center, 1965 S. Henderson St. Michigan is the top-ranked team in the Midwest Collegiate Hockey League, while the Hoosiers sit in second place.\n"We know now that we need to win both games next weekend to win the league," Grant said. "We know we need to win both games, both for placement in the league tournament and national tournament."\nMiami (Ohio) University, now the third-place team in the conference, will battle the University of Kentucky in a home-and-home series this weekend. Barring a major Kentucky upset, the Hoosiers control their own destiny. A Michigan sweep will most likely result in a third-place Hoosier finish. A split series would most likely rank the Hoosiers in second place, and a Hoosier sweep at home against Michigan would almost certainly equal the top conference spot.\n"I would like to put out a challenge to our players," assistant coach and general manager Alex Kyrias said. "They had better wake up and realize it's now February, and from here on out the season is on the line. If they can't suck it up and do it, I'm questioning why they're even on the team. Guys need to take a long look in the mirror and decide what it'll take to make us successful. \n"I don't think it's a question anymore of lineup or talent. Right now it's a question of heart, and we need to find some. This weekend will be a great challenge for us"
(01/29/01 5:36am)
Erin McGinnis had to sit and watch from the sidelines last year. The rules were what made the transfer from Auburn a spectator as the Hoosiers struggled in a 10-18 season. \nMcGinnis had to sit most of this year, too. But the rules weren't what kept her near the end of the bench. Her attitude was.\nBut the junior forward's attitude has changed, coach Kathi Bennett said, and so has her position. Instead of sitting and watching IU, McGinnis is helping her team, as was apparent in Sunday's 83-76 win against Ohio State.\nThe Buckeyes were in the middle of making a comeback Sunday. Less than three minutes remained on the clock, and the Buckeyes had cut a 15-point deficit to six, and momentum had shifted their way.\nBut with time running out, and only seconds on the shot clock, McGinnis stepped four feet behind the arc and sunk the three-point shot. The Buckeyes momentum faltered.\n"That was a huge shot," Ohio State coach Beth Burns said. "We knew she was a long-distance, long-range shooter coming in. You've got to make the shots, and she sure did."\nThat shot was one of many shining moments for McGinnis in the the Hoosiers' (14-6, 5-4) Big Ten win against Ohio State (13-6, 3-6).\nMcGinnis' season has been less than productive until this point. She had a starting position in the first exhibition game, but her minutes have been cut short since. She has played for more than 10 minutes in seven of IU's 20 games.\nSunday, McGinnis played for 25 minutes, setting a new season and career high at IU.This is the second game in which McGinnis has seen more than 20 minutes. In the Hoosiers' loss to Penn State on Thursday, McGinnis was in for 22 minutes.\n"I really like what I see from (Erin) at the four spot," Bennett said. "She's realizing that she's going to have to battle, get some bruises and bloody noses, which she's already gotten. It helps us because she handles the ball, and she handles pressure so well."\nMcGinnis' minutes were cut in part because of a poor attitude toward practice, Bennett said. But lately, she said McGinnis has been stepping in and stepping up.\n"Erin's a very good player, and we needed to find her minutes somewhere," Bennett said. "The opportunity (came) to move her to the four, if she was willing to battle and be physical, and play post defense. She's really taken that opportunity and running with it."\nAgainst Penn State, sophomore guard Jill Hartman was out for academic reasons, and freshman forward Charliss Ridley took a leave of absence, so the Hoosiers turned to the bench for help.\nMcGinnis scored four points in that game, but her defense helped the Hoosiers make a comeback. She had two steals, one blocked shot and three defensive rebounds.\nBesides setting a record for minutes played, McGinnis scored 15 points and had six rebounds, both of which are a new season and career high for McGinnis at IU.\nHer previous record for high points was eight in the game against Minnesota in early January, and her career best in rebounds came against Kent State in November, where she scored six.\nBut with a new position, and an opportunity for minutes, McGinnis was the Hoosiers' new go-to player Sunday. Junior center Jill Chapman's minutes have been on the decline because of early foul trouble, which has kept her off the court. Against Ohio State, she played for a season-low 14 minutes.\n"It felt really good to be out there," McGinnis said. "I was just happy to be out there, and be a part of the team and help them out"
(01/26/01 8:48am)
Every time the Hoosiers made a run at No. 19 Penn State, the Lady Lions roared back. That was how the game went for the women's basketball team in its 79-70 loss Thursday night. \n"(The) road woes that people have in this conference, we've had," Penn State coach Rene Portland said. "We're thrilled to death to beat a team twice. It's something you've got to get done. I thought it was a good basketball game tonight, and we're very fortunate to come out of it the way we did."\nSomewhere in the middle of the turnovers, the fouls and the missed shots, the Hoosiers (13-6, 4-4) managed to give Penn State (13-6, 5-3) a little competition.\nThe first half wasn't the blowout that the Lady Lions delivered when the teams met 11 days ago. Instead of leading by 21 going into the half, Penn State managed a few quick baskets at the end of the first half to gain a six-point cushion.\n"We knew coming in we had to stop their penetration," Penn State senior guard Lisa Shepherd said. "We also knew they are great three-point shooters, so we tried to get over the three-point line, but also stop them from driving up the middle."\nThe Hoosiers jumped to a quick lead in the first half on a quick drive to the basket from junior guard Heather Cassady. Penn State would lead only twice in the first half, and on two free throws from senior forward Maren Walseth, the Lions had their first lead less than two minutes into the game.\nSenior guard Rainey Alting answered with her first of three driving baskets. Alting scored her second a minute later, which took the Hoosiers on a 7-3 run and gave IU its biggest lead of the game, 14-8. \nDespite picking up four fouls in five minutes and giving Penn State the most looks its had from the free throw line this season, the Hoosiers led for most of the first half.\nPenn State tied the game at 23 with four minutes left in the half, but IU managed to hold them at 28 each, until freshman forward Courtney Upshaw made two layups and a pair of free throws, to give the Lions a 34-28 halftime lead.\n"In the first half, we shot the ball poorly," coach Kathi Bennett said. "We had some opportunities in transition, but we didn't get those. When you play against a very good team those are the things that can't happen."\nThe second half didn't start out as well as the first for the Hoosiers. Penn State jumped out to a 12-point lead less than two minutes into the half. \nIt looked like IU was going to get blown out of the water again. But after being down by as much as 13 with less than 12 minutes to go, the Hoosiers were suddenly sinking shots that had bounced in and out before.\nMaking a rumble at the end, IU drew within three, thanks to an Alting defensive rebound and drive to the basket. Alting ended with three steals and a team-high 20 points. She also posted seven rebounds. \nBut Penn State answered on the following possession with freshman guard Kelly Mazzante's three-pointer from the key. The Lady Lions weren't really threatened again.