IU upsets No. 23 Buckeyes 54-50

When they entered the press room after the game, sophomore guard Jenny DeMuth and senior forward Lisa Eckart had smiles on their faces, smiles they could not seem to wipe away. And with good reason as the IU women's basketball team upset No. 23 Ohio State 54-50 Sunday at Assembly Hall in front of a raucous crowd.\n"I just want to thank the IU fans, they were great today," IU coach Kathi Bennett said. "We're very blessed to win this game today. Our staff prepared really well for this game. Everyone did great today with their defensive assignments."\nA crowd of 2,845 turned out, making it the largest crowd to see the Hoosiers play at Assembly Hall since 1998. Sunday's attendance figure was the fourth-highest total in school history.\nThis is the first time that IU has beaten a ranked opponent since March 4, 2002, when the Hoosiers defeated Penn State, 75-72 in the Big Ten Tournament. Furthermore, this is their fourth win in their last six games against ranked teams.\n"We know we can do it," said DeMuth, who paced IU with a game-high 21 points. "This is our gym, no one is going to come in here and win."\nIn the second half Ohio State's offense was on track, and it looked as if IU could do nothing about it. After the Hoosiers missed a lay up, the Buckeyes netted a three-pointer to give Ohio State a 41-31 lead with just over nine minutes remaining in the contest. But IU would not falter. Consecutive three-pointers by Eckart and a lay up by DeMuth brought the Hoosiers back to within two at 41-39 with just under six minutes left. The teams traded baskets until Eckart nailed a three-pointer with just under two minutes remaining.\n"My shots weren't that far off in the first half," Eckart said. "I knew I had to keep shooting, and it paid off."\nEckart recorded three three-pointers in the second despite not making a field goal in the first half.\nIn crunch time, DeMuth came back to steal the ball, then converted a three-point play with 37.2 seconds left to give IU a 49-45 advantage. \n"I was very surprised when I was open and made the three-point play," DeMuth said. "I knew I was going to get fouled, so I pumped fake, drew the foul and still made the lay up."\nAfter the foul, DeMuth was tackled by her teammate Eckart in the wild celebration.\nOhio State answered with a three-point play of its own. After making the free throw, the score stood at 49-48 with 28.3 seconds remaining.\nSenior guard Kristen Bodine then was fouled in the backcourt and went on to hit a pair of free throws. \nAfter DeMuth corralled a defensive rebound, she was fouled and went to the line. DeMuth went on to sink one of two from the line, giving IU a 52-48 advantage with just eight seconds left on the clock. Eckart concluded the scoring for the Hoosiers with two free throws, making the score 54-48. A basket for Ohio State at the buzzer concluded the scoring. \n"He (OSU coach Jim Foster) is one of the best coaches in the country," Bennett said. "And he had his team well-prepared today."\nThe Hoosiers limited Ohio State to shoot only 39 percent from the field for the game.\n"In the first half we didn't allow the ball inside a great deal," Bennett said. "When we did we had real strong double teams. We also got our hands in the passing lanes, which allowed some steals or at least disrupted their offense."\nIU had a season-high 24 turnovers for the game, but they forced Ohio State to turn the ball over 17 times. The Hoosiers also out-rebounded the Buckeyes by five.\nMeanwhile, Eckart finished with 12 points and six rebounds.\nBesides DeMuth and Eckart, the lone Hoosier in double-figures was freshman guard Cyndi Valentin, who tallied 12 points. \nIU travels on the road for its next two contests. The Hoosiers battle with Michigan State on Thursday at 7 p.m. in East Lansing. Then, they take on Michigan on Sunday at 2 p.m.\n"We beat a ranked opponent, which does nothing but build our confidence," DeMuth said. "We knew we could beat them. We played awfully tough today, and we're really happy with the win"