Team prepares for Reebok Lady Stars

The women's basketball team will look to grab its first win of the preseason at 7 p.m. tonight in Assembly Hall against the Reebok Lady Stars in its final tune-up before regular season action begins next Saturday against Cornell. \nAfter last Sunday's lackluster 82-69 loss to the Athletes in Action, the Hoosiers have concentrated more on defense in practice this week, said IU coach Kathi Bennett.\n"Our transition defense and our speed and quickness getting back to get matched up are our main areas of concern right now," Bennett said. "We really have to work on the communication." \nPoor communication Sunday gave AIA too many easy buckets and allowed them to shoot nearly 50 percent from the field.\n"We gave up a lot of easy looks in transition against (AIA)," IU assistant coach Trish Betthauser said. "We've been trying to not only run back harder and faster but to be a little bit smarter to find our players earlier and be in the right gaps."\nTo make matters worse on defense, IU's leading rebounder from a year ago, sophomore center Angela Hawkins, will not play against the Lady Stars due to injury. Hawkins, who averaged nearly eight boards per contest last season, pulled down 14 against AIA Sunday. \n"That's why we've really been working on our transition defense and rebounding," Bennett said of Hawkins' absence. "We're just going to have to do a phenomenal job of blocking out."\nOn a brighter note, the Hoosiers' offense was solid in the second half Sunday. After shooting just nine of 25 from the field and 1-8 from three-point range, IU shot 45 percent from the floor and knocked down six treys in a 43-point second half.\nSophomore guard Cyndi Valentin led the charge, scoring all 17 of her points after halftime. \n"My teammates were finding me more, and I started hitting open shots," Valentin said. "I was more aggressive to the basket in the second half than I was in the first. I just relaxed more."\nIn other news, Bennett inked an impressive recruit of her own Wednesday in 5-9 guard Nikki Smith out of Northview High School in Sylvania, Ohio. Smith averaged 20 points per game last season as a junior, on her way to her second consecutive league player-of-the-year award. \nBennett said she was excited about the signing.\n"She's a really sound player, and I feel like we need that," Bennett said. "Her feel as far as passing is good, and that is also an area we need to address. She really makes defenders respect her because she's got great range on her shot."\nSmith will join a 2004-2005 IU team that will remain completely intact if injured senior forward Jamie Gathing is granted a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA.\n-- Contact staff writer Ryan J. Cost at rjcost@indiana.edu.