Shooting woes continue

Despite a good fight and over 20 points from an IU senior, the IU women's basketball team dropped a 75-64 decision to Michigan on Sunday at Assembly Hall. The contest set the single-season attendance record for women's basketball at 23,449 fans, which was set in 11 games. The previous record was set in 16 games in 1997-1998.\nThe Wolverines have now won six of the past eight meetings between the two schools. \nThe Hoosiers (11-13, 4-10 Big Ten) came out of the gates strong and scored the first eight points of the contest and led 11-4 before Michigan answered with a run of their own. The Wolverines (12-13, 3-11) answered with a mini 6-0 run to cut the lead to one with 10:30 to play in the first half. IU's eight-point advantage early on would be their biggest lead of the game as they trailed by seven at half, 33-26, and never led in the second. \nIU coach Kathi Bennett highlighted what it is going to take to earn a victory in the Big Ten.\n"We need to accept that we need to out-work, out-hustle and out-intangible other teams," Bennett said. "We have to accept it. But their physical strength was evident in today's game." \nIU struggled from the field again, a reoccurring problem for the team this season. The Hoosiers shot 33.9 percent (20-59) from the field for the contest. At the same time, Michigan shot 50 percent (24-48) for the game. IU shot a mere 29 percent from the field in a loss against Northwestern on Thursday. \nThe Hoosiers were paced by senior forward Lisa Eckart, who scored 22 points, including 5-for-8 from three-point range. Eckart nailed four three-pointers in the first stanza and recorded 14 points in the first 20 minutes. Eckart was disappointed after the team's second straight loss. She detailed the year so far.\n"We have to learn from the losses," Eckart said. "It's been a tough season, but it builds character off the court. People on this team need to learn what it means to be on a team."\nOn the other side, Michigan junior center Jennifer Smith was a presence in the low post in the first half. She tallied 13 points in the first on 6-for-8 shooting. Bennett described how IU prepared for the 6-foot-4 Smith.\n"We worked for two days on keeping the ball out of her hands," Bennett said. "(Freshman forward) Brigett (Branson) went down in the first six minutes of the game, and she is 6-foot-2. It was a very physical game and if they are allowed to play that way, we are at a disadvantage. Brigett is probably also our best defensive rebounder."\nAlthough it was an IU loss, a bright spot was freshman and Bloomington native Cyndi Valentin. The 5-foot-8 guard eclipsed the freshman scoring mark on Sunday with 11 points. She became the first IU freshmen to record 250 points in a single season. She also has compiled over 25 three-pointers this season and at least 30 steals. \n"It's a great honor," Valentin said. "I try to do whatever I can to help the team out. Whatever I can do, I try and do. It's truly an honor though."\nAnother factor in the outcome of the game was rebounds. The Wolverines grabbed 14 more rebounds than the Hoosiers for the game, 42-28, and they consistently nabbed offensive rebounds to give themselves opportunities at second chance points. As a result, Michigan recorded more points in the paint in the second than IU. \nDespite the loss, Bennett has not lost faith in her team.\n"It was a four-point game with like four or five minutes to go, and I thought we could pull it off," Bennett said. "But then we give them a put-back right at the shot-clock buzzer. That hurt us."\nIU was able to scrap to within five points twice within the last 30 seconds as they fouled to prolong the game, but Michigan sealed the win at the free throw line.\nIU has two regular season games remaining. The Hoosiers next travel to Purdue to battle with the Boilermakers at 7 p.m. Thursday.\n"I thought we played pretty well defensively," Bennett said. "We are not shooting well at all though, and we need to get some help from the offense. We just need to shoot better"