Season ends in quarterfinals

INDIANAPOLIS -- After fighting back from a 14-4 deficit early in the first half, the Hoosiers showed the No. 5 Penn State Nittany Lions what state they were playing in. \nUnfortunately for the Hoosiers, it was not to be, as the Lady Lions opened the second half with a 18-7 run and never looked back.\nAfter starting the second half down by only one point, IU was outscored 43-31 in the period. \n"I think the attitude going into the second half was that we're going to come out and get it," junior Jenny DeMuth said. "We were fired up and ready, but we didn't start the second half like we wanted to, and I think that caused the loss."\nTurnovers plagued IU throughout the game, as the Hoosiers finished with 17 turnovers, compared to Penn State's 11.\n"I really thought we were going to win this game. I felt like we were prepared," IU coach Kathi Bennett said. "But they scored 12 points off of turnovers, and we lost by 13. That was the difference in this game."\nTurnovers weren't the only stat troubling IU, as five Hoosiers finished with three fouls or more and freshman Leah Enterline fouling out of the contest. In total, Penn State made 12 more free throws than IU -- one less point than the Hoosiers' margin of loss. \nIU sophomore Cyndi Valentin attributed the turnovers and foul trouble to Penn State's tough style of play. However, Valentin expected her team to handle the pressure better.\n"We knew what they would do," Valentin said. "They are a pressure team, and they like to change their defense around just to throw teams off. I think we could have handled it better."\nFacing a 14-4 deficit early in the first half, the Hoosiers managed to fight their way back into the game on a 15-4 run of their own, capped off by a three-point play by Valentin to take the 19-18 advantage, their first lead of the afternoon. \nGood shooting from both teams kept the score tight throughout the game, while the Hoosiers managed to keep their lead until Penn State junior Jess Strom hit a three-pointer with eight seconds left in the half to give PSU its first lead in over nine minutes. The three gave Penn State the 36-35 advantage to end the first half. \nWhile the Hoosiers held PSU standout senior Kelly Mazzante to a mere seven points in the first half, the 6-foot guard showed why she is the Big Ten's Player of the Year by finishing with a game-high 25 points. Mazzante wasn't the only Lady Lion packing a bite, as Tanisha Wright plagued the Hoosiers with a 22-point, five-assist and four-steal outing. \nValentin paced IU with 18 points, while DeMuth finished the contest with 17 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. \nWhile the majority of Penn State's attention was relegated to Valentin and DeMuth, IU found a much-needed third weapon in freshman center Sarah McKay. The 6-foot-7 Canadian put up the numbers for the Cream and Crimson, finishing with 12 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.\n"I feel like Sarah was having success, and they were just playing her one-on-one," Bennett said. "We needed to find a way to score. We went away from it for a while, and we needed to go back to her."\nWhile the 2003-04 season is officially over, Bennett is optimistic about IU's future, as every member of the Hoosier team will be returning for next year's crusade. \n"This is a hard-working group," Bennett said. "I know they're going to spend time to get better. We're going to get every single person back, and that's exciting."\n-- Contact senior writer Dan Patrick at djpatric@indiana.edu.