Defense leads IU to Classic championship

While most students were away for the Thanksgiving holiday, IU played host to the Hampton Inn Classic. The Hoosiers advanced to the championship game of the event by defeating Belmont University 56-26, Saturday night. \nScoring wasn't a popular item Sunday afternoon when IU battled Central Michigan University for the championship game, as both teams were plagued with shooting difficulties. After struggling to reach double digits in the first half, the Hoosiers eventually pulled away from the Chippewas to win the title, 42-32.\nIt took the Hoosiers (2-1) 19 minutes and 15 seconds before hitting double digits as junior guard Cyndi Valentin hit a layup to cut a Chippewa lead to 14-11 going into halftime. \nAfter trailing throughout much of the game, IU went on a 15-2 run to pull ahead 30-20. Sparking the run for the Hoosiers was Valentin, scoring 13 unanswered points to spearhead the run.\nDuring the game, the Bloomington native came through when the team needed her the most, something Valentin tried to do during the second half, she said.\n"Shots just weren't falling in the first half," said the All-Tournament team member. "I was just trying to lift my team any way I could. We came back hard and fought for the win."\nGetting to the championship game proved easier for IU than it was to pick up the championship hardware. Behind a balanced offensive scoring attack and smothering defense, the Hoosiers picked up their first win of the season. Sophomores Annika Boyd and Sarah McKay paced IU on the scoreboard, picking up 11 and 10 points, respectively. \nThe Hoosiers limited the Belmont Bruins to only 16 percent shooting on the night, allowing IU to enjoy a double digit lead throughout the game. The Belmont game also marked the first time since Jan. 2004 IU held a team under 40 points, the last such occurrence was a 60-39 win against Wisconsin.\nThroughout the championship game against Central Michigan, the Hoosiers struggled to find their shot, shooting only 19 percent in the first half. A lack of focus and preparedness were two factors that contributed to the poor first half performance, IU coach Kathi Bennett said.\nIn the second half, the Hoosiers' shooting improved, hitting 45 percent of their shots, but the key for IU was defense.\nIU limited CMU (2-2) to 30 percent shooting during the game, forcing 17 turnovers. Because of the offensive woes, it made playing good defense more important, Bennett said.\n"(Playing tough defense) was the only way we were going to win the game," she said. "Without it, we wouldn't have won the game,"\nThe Hoosiers defense played better as the game went on, forcing two turnovers in the final minutes to seal the win. Senior forward Jamie Gathing scored the last six points for the Hoosiers en route to being named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.\nThe other four members of the All-Tournament Team were: Hollie Davis from Belmont University, Central Michigan's Casey Manning and Ann Skufca and IU's Valentin.\nDefense wasn't the only area where the Hoosiers held an advantage against CMU. Rebounding, which Bennett cited as being important for the team's success this season, was not a problem as IU out rebounded the Chippewas 37-26.\nHaving a good combination of rebounding and defense proved to be the difference in the game, junior forward Angela Hawkins said.\n"I think our defense was really important tonight, especially in the second half," Hawkins said. "(The rebounding) is something we work on everyday, and it proved to be big."\n-- Contact staff writer Dan Click at daaclick@indiana.edu.