Hawkeyes erase Hoosier lead

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Junior forward Erin McGinnis had a career-high 27 points Friday in a Big Ten tournament quarterfinal match-up with Iowa. McGinnis led the Hoosiers with six second-half field goals. \nBut the Hoosiers only had six second-half field goals.\nAfter its most productive first half of the season, IU collapsed in the second 20 minutes, falling to No. 23 and second-seeded Iowa 81-76.\nThe Hawkeyes went on to win the tournament, knocking off top-seeded and No. 8 Purdue in the finals 75-70. \nAfter playing the night before, the seventh-seeded Hoosiers tired down the stretch, coach Kathi Bennett said.\n"The fatigue caught up with us in the second half," Bennett said. "The closer the game got, the tighter we got, and the quicker we took shots."\nThe loss eliminates IU from the Big Ten tournament.\n"This was a test for us," Iowa guard Cara Consuegra said. "I told the team 'Let's see how we respond.' Well, we responded, and now we're rolling."\nThe Hoosiers (19-10, 9-7 Big Ten) controlled the tempo and the game in the first half, quieting the Iowa faithful and building an 18-point halftime lead.\nBut Iowa stormed back, collapsing on junior center Jill Chapman and slicing apart the Hoosier defense. Consuegra, a senior, led the Hawkeye attack with 19 points, including 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. Guard junior Lindsey Meder added 20, despite foul trouble throughout the second half.\nThe Hawkeyes took over the game when the teams came out after halftime. \n"The momentum swung," Consuegra said. "Everyone in the arena could feel it."\nThe 18-point lead was down to seven just eight minutes into the second half. With 4:33 left, the game was tied.\n"They got us back on our heels," junior guard Heather Cassady said. "After they cut it down to 13, or 14, they kept coming at us harder and harder, and we kept falling back and falling back."\nA lay-up by Iowa senior center Randi Peterson with 2:27 left gave Iowa its first lead since the opening moments of the game. The Hawkeyes (18-9, 12-4) never trailed again. Peterson, despite foul trouble of her own, finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds.\nWith Peterson benched much of the second half, the Hawkeyes looked to Beatrice Bullock for some inside presence. In seven minutes, Bullock scored five points but was more than another scoring threat.\n"Beatrice played some crucial minutes," Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. "We would not have won this game five games ago with Peterson in foul trouble like she was in tonight. Beatrice did a great job filling that role."\nAfter a seesaw game for the first 10 minutes of the first half, IU took control. Trailing by three with 11:10 left the Hoosiers went on a 18-0 run over three and half minutes to grab a 15-point lead. Chapman dominated the inside during the stretch, scoring nine of the Hoosiers' 18 points. Freshman guard Anna Waugh nailed two quick three-pointers and the Hoosiers were quickly on top 33-18. Chapman finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Waugh added 12.\nBut the momentum never continued after the teams came back out of the locker room.\n"We were up by 18 at halftime," Cassady said. "In the second half, we played like we didn't deserve to be out there. But we definitely deserve to be out there. Hopefully, we'll get the opportunity to show that"