DeMuth shines in bad defeat

WEST LAFAYETTE -- One IU player who will never give up regardless of the score is sophomore guard/forward Jenny DeMuth. Even though the IU women's basketball team (11-14, 4-11 Big Ten) dropped a 74-48 game against Purdue (22-5, 11-4) on Thursday in West Lafayette, DeMuth again displayed her determination and never say die attitude. \nDeMuth recorded 15 points but only made three field goals. She made her living from the free throw line where she drained 8-of-12. The 5-foot, 10-inch Hoosier did all of this in only 23 minutes of action. She was limited because of foul trouble. \n"I've been struggling the past few games, so I had my mind made up that I was going to be aggressive offensively," DeMuth said. "I know I can help this team very much, and that's what I tried to do tonight."\nDeMuth has tallied 14 games in double-figure scoring this year.\nBesides her scoring success, DeMuth had to guard Purdue's best player, junior forward Shereka Wright. IU coach Kathi Bennett said she was impressed with DeMuth's defense and her ability to limit Wright, who finished the game five points below her average.\n"I felt like we did a better job to fight through a lot of back screens and to keep her from getting the ball in the post and keep her from getting shots," Bennett said. "Because that's where she really got us the last time, and I think Jenny did a nice job of defending her."\nDeMuth was humble about her performance on defense and said you have to approach the challenge with confidence.\n"(Wright's) a great player," DeMuth said. "Nine out of 10 times she is going to score when she has the ball. You just have to have a defensive mentality when you guard her. You have to know that she will attack the basket at any time." \nOther IU players said they noticed DeMuth's hustle and the intangibles she brings to the court as well.\n"She has a very positive attitude," freshman forward April Williams said. "She motivates the underclassmen and has a very high energy level. When players are on the floor and see how hard she plays, that only makes the other players want to work that much harder." \nDeMuth was not the lone IU guard to have scoring success Thursday. Freshman guard Cyndi Valentin added 10 points in 29 minutes of play.\n"The guards had screens set up for them," Williams said. "We got them open on the perimeter and got some good looks from the outside. We really wanted to win this game, and Jenny showed it with her play tonight."\nJust a sophomore, DeMuth is asserting herself as a leader on this team, and there is no turning back. She said she wants to be the go-to player for this team next season and for the year after that. \n"Overall, I think we played hard tonight, and that's what we wanted to do," DeMuth said. "For me I want to continue my success in the next game and establish myself as a quality player on this team. Also I hope other players can feed off of my intensity and attitude"