Hot-shooting Hoosiers gun down Hawkeyes

Behind red-hot shooting and four double-figure scorers, the IU women's basketball team defeated Iowa 89-68 Thursday night at Assembly Hall. It snapped a seven-game losing skid, which began on Jan. 16. The Hoosiers last win came against then No. 23 Ohio State on Jan. 12. \n"It felt good and I thought we played really well," IU coach Kathi Bennett said. "Our transition game was working extremely well. We got transition going and ran the floor hard, and that led to some easy baskets."\nThe 89 points was the most points by IU in a Big Ten game since Jan. 11, 2001, when they put up 92 against Minnesota.\nThe Hoosiers (10-11, 3-8 Big Ten) finished the contest with four players scoring in double-figures, including two players who each tallied at least 20 points. Sophomore guard/forward Jenny DeMuth led the way with 25 points on 7-for-11 shooting, while senior guard Kristen Bodine poured in 23 points. Freshman guard Cyndi Valentin chipped in 16 points. \nBennett said she felt this is the best game IU has played offensively since the Purdue game exactly two months ago. She added that the Hoosiers played very aggressively versus Minnesota on Sunday, but she said they failed to execute the offense as well as they did Thursday night.\nThis marked the first game this season where IU has had two players score 20 or more points in a regulation game. \nBennett was proud of both DeMuth's and Bodine's performances.\n"I've been really hard on them in practice, and they responded in a positive way," Bennett said. "That was nice to see."\nThe Hoosiers started out the game on a roll, opening the game with a 16-9 lead over Iowa (12-10, 4-7). A big reason was the fact that IU was getting out in transition and running.\n"I want to get easy shots," Bennett said. "If you have a break and an opening, go for it. But in our half-court offense, we can't take quick shots. That's something we have to work on."\nBodine described her success, especially in transition.\n"That's how I'm best, in the open court," Bodine said. "I think this team is best in the open court. We're not a good half-court team. We have to run the floor to make up for that."\nIU lead 44-34 at half, thanks to a buzzer-beater by Bodine.\n"Coach got on both of us this week," DeMuth said. "She basically told us to shape up or ship out. I think we rebounded tonight, and we need to continue playing this way for the next game."\nAfter a three by Bodine, IU had their biggest lead of the game at 20 points at 69-49 with 10 minutes to play, but the Hawkeyes would not go away. Iowa responded with a 10-0 run to cut the IU lead to 10. \nBut Bodine connected on another three to give IU a 10-point advantage with four minutes left, and timely free throw shooting by DeMuth would preserve the victory.\nThe Hoosiers next play at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Wisconsin. \n"We've got to stay hungry and can't let up," Bennett said. "It's very important for us to do that"