COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Happy birthday, Kathi Bennett.\nAnd let Tara Jones blow out the candles.\nNot since Nov. 9 against the Premier All-Stars has Jones appeared such an offensive weapon.\nThe guard unleashed 27 points against that traveling, exhibition team. But last night, she provided sizzling shooting when it truly mattered -- against a Big Ten foe on the road the night of her coach's 39th birthday.\nThe 5-foot-11 senior led IU with a season-high 21 points with blazing three-pointers and swift bursts to the basket, even while enduring some foul trouble in the Hoosiers' 85-72 triumph against Ohio State. Unlike past performances, Jones didn't allow hot offensive efforts to survive only as short-lived bursts. \nInstead, she carried her offense through both halves, leading the Hoosiers (10-11, 4-6) to 58 percent shooting, a best in Big Ten play. With her fourth foul, she tallied seven points to edge the Buckeyes.\nJones' offensive thwart of Ohio State (10-11, 5-5) looked familiar to Buckeye coach Beth Burns. Jones unleashed 14 points in a game last year and 10 points in the teams' last matchup.\n"She's the Buckeye killer," Burns said with a somber face. "She played very, very well against us in Bloomington last year. But she was alone too much. She made great shots. You've got to make shots. We certainly had some breakdowns there."\nJones, a 30 percent field goal shooter and 17 percent behind the arc before last night, was often left unguarded. She punished Ohio State for that, nailing 7 of 9 from the floor and 3-of-4 three-pointers.\nBut Jones picked up her third foul 23 seconds into the second half after supplying 12 points on 4-of-4 shooting before halftime. She was benched with foul trouble for all but 21 minutes -- translating into a point a minute. \n"We knew how well she could shoot," Burns said. "I think the only thing that stopped her was getting into foul trouble."\nThat foul trouble -- including a fourth foul with 15:11 left -- worried Jones.\n"I told Coach B, 'I'm kind of nervous about getting another foul,'" Jones said. "She said, 'Just play.' I think that really calmed me down and made me put myself on the line and step up a little extra."\nIndeed, Jones remained calm and collected with four fouls. She broke away on transition, scoring off a layup from a Heather Cassady pass with 3:57 left, nudging IU's lead to 71-65. Less than a minute later, she drew a foul on another layup and completed a three-point play.\nJones sealed the win with two foul shots to push IU's lead to 80-71 at 1:36. She fouled out with 1:24 left.\n"She was huge offensively and defensively," Bennett said. "On both sides of the floor, she did a great job. In the second half, she penetrated really well, got into the lane and did a great job of finishing."
LOOKING FOR A SWEEP\nMichigan State coach Joanne P. McCallie is paying for rearranging her team's schedule to accommodate a CBS-televised, Jan. 5 challenge against No. 19 Georgia. \nSure, the Spartans earned a 70-49 rout. But now the Spartans have to balance three games in five days, including playing host to first place Purdue Friday.\nThe thought of testing a tired Michigan State (14-7, 4-6 Big Ten) at Assembly Hall at 1 p.m. Sunday excites Bennett.\n"Those are little blessings that we'll take," she said. \nThe rare upheaval hasn't caused too much damage so far. \nThe visiting Spartans dragged No. 15 Wisconsin to its fourth consecutive loss with a 58-57 upset Wednesday. \nThe Hoosiers accomplished what Georgia couldn't Dec. 30, edging the Spartans 50-47 in East Lansing, Mich., with clutch-shooting.\nCenter Jill Chapman (18 points, nine rebounds) scored or assisted on each of IU's eight points in the final three minutes. Both teams shot 36 percent, but the Hoosiers journeyed to the foul line more, shooting 18-of-23 on free throws.\nForward Julie Pagel (13 points against Wisconsin) led Michigan State with 14 points and six rebounds against IU.\nNine Spartans have been playing in double digits to improve the team's depth.\n"Sometimes that gives you more turnovers," said McCallie, who starts no seniors. "It seems like all our freshmen have to get their two turnovers per game. You have worry about their energy level, worry about their maturity, worry about focus"
