Defending the championship

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Hoosiers were ready for Wisconsin. They wanted to win for the seniors. They wanted to win to defend last year's Big Ten Tournament Championship status. It looked like IU's ballgame from early on, but the 18-1 run from Wisconsin in the second half had the Hoosiers looking hopeless. \nAlmost an exact replica of the last time these two teams met, IU was able to pull it off and win 52-51 in yet another one point ballgame against the Badgers.\n"I am just happy we won," was all IU coach Kathi Bennett had to say for her opening statement after the game.\nIU improved to 13-14 on the season while Wisconsin finished its 7-21. The Hoosiers are 5-1 in the Big Ten Tournament under Bennett.\nWisconsin never saw the lead in the first half and the closest they came to IU was five points. The Hoosier defense held the Wisconsin Badgers to only 18 points in the first half, 10 of which were from junior center Lello Gebisa. Gebisa ended the game with a career high 23 points.\nSophomore guard Jenny DeMuth was IU's top scorer with 14 points, 11 of which were in the first half. \nAlso having a huge impact on the Hoosiers' game was freshman center Angela Hawkins. Hawkins was 4-4 in the first half from the charity stripe, had three blocks and 17 rebounds. Not only did Hawkins had 18 rebounds against North Texas in December, which was the highest for any Big Ten player this season, but her 17 rebounds in this game sets a new Big Ten Tournament record.\nAt halftime IU was leading 28-18. The second half was disastrous for the Hoosiers; they didn't score their first field goal until almost 10 minutes had passed. During those 10 minutes, Wisconsin went on their 18-1 run.\nBennett said IU's inability to score in the beginning of the second half had a lot to do with their ball handling. \n"It was the way we were passing and our laziness with the ball," Bennett said. "There was no crispness to anything we did."\nThe IU players weren't anywhere near giving up even after Wisconsin's run put the Badgers ahead of the Hoosiers.\n"With five minutes to go I was feeling really frustrated," senior guard Kristen Bodine said. "It did cross my mind that it could be my last game, and I wasn't ready to give up."\nPlaying the game with strep throat, Bodine's shot with 11 seconds to go in the game is what put the Hoosiers up by one point and was the last basket scored. \nAlso helping the Hoosiers at the end of the game was the fact that with just 15 seconds to go they had four team fouls and Wisconsin carried nine. \nUsing the fouls to their advantage, the Hoosiers were able to stop Wisconsin from scoring a winning basket. \n"I remember last year when everyone wanted to win for the seniors," Bodine said. "And I know the underclassman wanted this win for us."\n Seeing playing time for the first time since December due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament was freshman guard Kali Kullberg. She first came in to play the remaining 30 seconds of the first half and played a total of four minutes in the ballgame, scoring two points.\nWith the sweet taste of victory still in their mouths, the Hoosiers will next take on Big Ten Player of the Year Kelly Mazzante and the Penn State Lady Lions (23-7, 13-3) Friday at noon. Penn State is the top seed in this year's tournament and is ranked No. 15 in the nation. \n"I mean, it will be a challenge," Bennett said. "But I'm excited about it"