By Natalie A. Trout
Indiana Daily Student
INDIANAPOLIS -- Maybe it would have been easier if the women's basketball team had lost by 20 points. But the IU women's basketball season is over, and it ended with a three-point loss.
Watching the game, it would be hard to guess that the Hoosiers had a 13-15 record and that No. 14 Penn State had a 24-7 mark. The two teams played with equal intensity and skill. But IU couldn't pull it out and lost 67-64 in a battle that ended in heartbreak.
"I felt we played incredibly well," IU coach Kathi Bennett said after the loss. "I'm very proud of my team and we played well enough to win."
It was a team effort Friday when the Hoosiers met the Lady Lions. Senior forward Lisa Eckart had a team-high 15 points and freshman guard Cyndi Valentin had 10. Both freshman center Angela Hawkins and senior guard Kristen Bodine chipped in with nine points apiece.
Baskets came from seniors and freshmen. Eckart said there was no doubt that all members of the team wanted this game more than anything.
"We are an incredibly good offensive team," Eckart said. "I think that to compete in this game we had to have five people playing together at the same time with good defense."
With the Hoosier effort coming from everyone on the team, the game was an emotional one as seniors saw their last playing time as a Hoosier and underclassman began to think about the year to come.
Unlike Penn State, who doesn't have any seniors, IU said goodbye to six. Eckart said her time spent as an IU basketball player has given her the time of her life. Junior Jamie Gathing agreed.
"Everyone loves you at IU," Gathing said. "Whether you're a cheerleader or a basketball player, it's a great feeling. I love playing basketball here."
With the underclassmen, Bennett said she hopes the Penn State game leaves them with a hunger to be a better team.
"Maybe a little bit of a bad taste so that they want to be Big Ten Champs and really hungry to win a title," Bennett said. "We are hungry to have a better record and do better in the regular season and get to the NCAA tournament."
One of Bennett's biggest obstacles right now is saying goodbye to the seniors on her team. It's Eckart in particular that brought a tear to her eye.
"She's a very special kid," Bennett said. "She's going to be very successful with whatever she does and more than anything I respect her loyalty. She gave everything she had."
Eckart said she was thankful for having the opportunity to play for Bennett at both Evansville and IU. She also said she believes in the younger players on the team and added they are a great group who will succeed.
"You're soon going to see more girls around the state wanting to be a Hoosier," Eckart said. "You're going to see more fans coming and more records being broken in attendance."
It's the end of a season for the underclassmen, but it's the end of a chapter in the lives of the seniors. Although it was a game they could have won, Bennett said the Hoosiers definitely didn't lose because they lacked the heart.
"This season we had a lot of ups and downs," Bennett said. "But we ended very much together and very strong and playing good basketball."
