Hoosiers reeling, looking for answers

The IU women's basketball team dropped two home games over the weekend, a pair of 11-point losses to Wisconsin and Michigan State. \nIU lost a hard-fought contest, 69-58 to Wisconsin on Friday night at Assembly Hall. The Badgers (4-13, 2-5 Big Ten) held the Hoosiers to 31 percent from the field for the game.\n"The team has to take the positives from this game," IU coach Kathi Bennett said. "Even though it was a loss we did some things well. We have to take those positives to the next game. I'll be disappointed if we don't take the positives out of this game to the game on Sunday."\nOn Sunday, IU was defeated by the Spartans (11-7, 4-3) 64-53 at Assembly Hall.\nThe Hoosiers (9-8, 2-5) have lost four consecutive games with their last victory coming against Ohio State at home two weeks ago.\nOn Friday night, the largest single crowd in IU women's basketball history saw the Hoosiers drop the contest to Wisconsin. The record attendance was 7,986 and the crowd was raucous. It marked the first time IU has lost to the Badgers in Bloomington since the 1987-1988 season. \nDespite trailing by as many as 13 points in the first half, IU rallied to within three points at half, 31-28.\n"We felt good at half only being down three," sophomore guard/forward Jenny DeMuth said. "But we didn't take advantage of the opportunities to pull ahead in the second half. We had a chance and let it slip by."\nIU struggled mightily from the free throw line, making only 11-for-25, while Wisconsin shot 82 percent from the charity stripe for the game.\nThe Hoosiers out-rebounded the much taller Badgers by one in the first half, but Wisconsin won the rebounding war for the game, 42-36. IU freshman center Angela Hawkins grabbed 12 boards, the eighth time she has recorded a double-figure rebounding game this year. The 6-3 center added 10 points. \nIU was paced in scoring against the Badgers by DeMuth, who tallied 15 points on 6-of-15 shooting. Freshman guard Cyndi Valentin chipped in 12 points.\nWisconsin coach Jane Albright was proud of the way her team played and particularly the aggressiveness they showed on the court. \n"We were very focused from the get-go," Albright said. "I expect this the rest of the year. We turned the corner and can't look back."\nSophomore guard Stephanie Rich led the Badgers with 24 points, including a perfect 6-for-6 from the three-point arc. \n"We are a reenergized team," Albright said. "I mean we took three charges tonight, and I can't remember the last time we did that in a game. We've been working on that in practice and it paid off tonight."\nBennett remained optimistic after the loss to Wisconsin. \n"The key is to keep getting better," Bennett said. "Even though it was a loss we have to keep getting better and have to stick together. I have confidence in this team and know they can do it."\nIn the loss to Michigan State, IU struggled shooting the ball again, converting only 35 percent (19-54) of their field goals for the game, while the Spartans shot 60 percent (24-40).\nThe 11-point loss was a stark contrast to IU's embarrassing loss in East Lansing, Mich. 10 days earlier, when the Hoosiers lost 70-44.\nThe Hoosiers trailed by two at half on Sunday, but held the lead for much of the first half. \n"For us to win a ball game we have to be consistent with our energy and effort," Bennett said. "We seem to have lapses in games. We go away from what's working. We just lose our way. We have to learn to be a more disciplined team." \nIU was led in the scoring column by senior forward Lisa Eckart, who recorded 16 points on 6-for-17 shooting. Four other IU players scored six or more points, including Valentin's nine points, all of which came on threes in the first half. Eckart added five rebounds as well.\nIU forced over 20 Michigan State turnovers, but committed 19 themselves in a sloppy foul-plagued game.\nSenior forward Syreeta Bromfield led Michigan State with 25 points.\nIU next travels on the road for two games. The Hoosiers square off with Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa on Thursday at 7 p.m. Then, they play at Penn State on Sunday at 1 p.m.\nBennett described what it is going to take to turn the tide and earn a win in the next game.\n"Two things have to happen if we are going to be successful," Bennett said. "And I'm going to be blunt. First, we have to come together as a team. Second, we need leadership. We need somebody to step up and be a leader. That stuff has to happen. It has to"