All they want to do is 'Dance'

INDIANAPOLIS -- Two weeks ago, the women's basketball team lurked in eighth place in the Big Ten, not even a glimmer in the NCAA tournament's eye.\nBut Monday night, the Hoosiers (17-13) emerged on Conseco Fieldhouse's victory stand, clad in oversized Big Ten championship T-shirts and flipped-around, black hats. Fifth-seeded IU outlasted second-seeded Penn State (21-11) in the Big Ten tournament final, 75-72.\nThe unlikely victory -- the Hoosiers' third in four days -- marks IU's first Big Ten championship of any kind since 1983. Even more startling is their automatic bid to the NCAA tournament -- their first invitation since 1995.\nHow could it be? \nSure, the players have said they're playing inspired and relaxed after coach Kathi Bennett broke her neck in a Feb. 8 car accident. \nSure, the five seniors haven't wanted their careers to end. \nBut last night was about basketball, and IU was the hero in that storyline. The Hoosiers shot 46 percent, never trailed after 5:09 left in the first half and limited the Nittany Lions to 40 percent shooting. As a result, IU knocked off the two-time tournament champion Penn State for the first time since Feb. 8, 1998.\n"We're clicking," said Heather Cassady, tournament Most Outstanding Player and IU point guard. "When we need a bucket, we always seem to come up with one. Our offense is spread, and our defense was incredible this whole weekend."\nThat sticky defense especially limited the nation's leading scorer, Penn State guard Kelly Mazzante. IU guard Tara Jones clung to the sophomore, who averaged 25.1 points, like an old Band-Aid. Mazzante finished the night with 22 points on 8-of-19 shooting, and 3-of-8 for threes.\n"She's going to hit shots, but she's not going to hit all of them," said Jones, who let Mazzante touch the ball twice in the first 10 minutes. "And she's not going to get all the rebounds. I just wanted to play as hard as I could for my team."\nPenn State coach Rene Portland said her team's own defense faltered, allowing IU to score seven points above its season average (67.4). But Portland also credited IU's seniors for refusing to lose, even when the Nittany Lions pulled to within four points with 0:10 left after Mazzante's third three-pointer.\nThe Nittany Lions went from trailing by nine with 1:06 left to within two with 0:04 left. But the Hoosiers sealed the win with 7-of-10 foul shooting. Penn State had a chance to tie the game with a three-pointer after senior center Jill Chapman made one of two foul shots, but Penn State point guard Jess Strom threw the ball over guard Tanisha Wright's head.\n"We should have never been in that situation," Portland said. \nThe Hoosiers led by as much as 14 with 5:37 left.\nCassady (21 points) hit all three treys on 4-of-5 shooting for 14 first-half points. Chapman also was selected to the tournament team, along with Mazzante, Wright and Wisconsin's Jessie Stomski.\nThe Hoosiers led 36-30 at halftime. Chapman (14 points, 13 rebounds, 15th double-double) rebounded from a zero-point first half (0-of-5) by scoring her first points on an open layup with 17:36 left in the second half.\n"It's a great feeling," Chapman said. "It's where we want to be - the NCAA. I think this gives us a little taste of what it will be like in the tournament"