Almost an upset

Junior forward Rachael Honegger\'s three pointer with 1.3 seconds remaining fell short as No. 8 Louisiana Tech escaped a major upset, holding on to beat IU at the Houston Hilton Classic Saturday, 54-53.\nDespite shooting poorly and being dominated on the boards, the women's basketball team was right where it wanted to be.\nPlaying Louisiana Tech, IU had the ball in the game's waning seconds with a chance to win, remain undefeated and beat a nationally ranked power. But for the first time Saturday night, the Hoosiers didn't make that final shot.\nOff a free-throw miss by Amber Obaze corralled by IU freshman forward Charliss Ridley, IU had the ball and was down by one with 23.6 seconds remaining. Junior point guard Heather Cassady worked the clock down as the Hoosiers opted not to use their final time out.\nCassady passed to Honegger, who had an open look, but missed short.\nThe Hoosiers (7-1) trailed most of the game, down by as many as 12 at one point, but clawed their way back in the second half on the shoulders of junior center Jill Chapman and junior forward Tara Jones. The two combined for 41 of IU's 53 points, with Chapman leading the way with 21. Jones' 20 was a career high.\nWhile Chapman and Jones were shooting 61 percent from the field, the rest of the team was ice cold, shooting just 11 percent (3-for-27) for the game.\nThe Hoosiers were outmuscled on the boards as the Louisiana Tech built a 45-28 rebounding edge.\nDespite the shortcomings, coach Kathi Bennett was happy the Hoosiers were able to stay close to Louisiana Tech.\n"I felt we battled defensively and did a good job and played well on that end of the court," Bennett said. "I just wished we had more energy to begin the first half. I think we played tentatively at the beginning of the game, but I was very pleased with the second half and the way we played. \nInside force Ayana Walker led for Louisiana Tech (6-1) with 20 points and 14 rebounds.\nHoosiers hold off Houston\nCassady scored the Hoosier's final five points as IU held on to beat Houston 81-77 in the opener of the Houston Hilton Classic Friday night in Houston.\nWith the game tied 76-76, Cassady nailed a three pointer to give IU the lead. After Houston made one free throw, Cassady iced the game with two free throws of her own.\n"I just felt confident," Cassady said. "I've been in that position before. I just wanted to do it for Coach Bennett, the coaching staff and my teammates."\nCassady, who played the entire game, finished with 17 points and five assists.\nThe Hoosiers had to dig out of an early hole against the Cougars, down 26-10 in the game's first eight minutes. IU rebounded with a 10-0 run and claimed a halftime lead.\nIU widened the lead into double-digits twice in the second half, but the Cougars (3-3) kept coming.\nHonegger led the Hoosiers shooting 8-for-13 from the field, finishing with 18 points. She tallied 10 rebounds and nine assists.\nChapman added 17 points and seven rebounds in 23 foul-plagued minutes. But even with Chapman sidelined in foul trouble, the Hoosiers found another way to win.\n"This team is just so tough, hard-nosed and driven," Bennett said. "They are giving everything they have right now. I don\'t know how they are doing it because they played so many games in the past week"