Hoosiers hope to recover after 3 Big Ten road losses

After taking to the road for the first three games of the Big Ten season, home hasn't looked better to the Hoosiers. Tonight, they'll exercise their home court advantage as the IU women's basketball team plays Northwestern in its conference home opener at 7 p.m. in Assembly Hall.\nIU (7-6, Big Ten 0-3) struggled on the road against the conference's best. The team dropped three games, including a record setting 54-31 loss to Purdue, which set a school record for fewest points scored by IU.\nThe Wildcats (4-13, Big Ten 1-3) haven't faired much better this year. Under first-year coach Beth Combs, Northwestern lost to DePaul University by a whopping 69 points, and claimed their only conference win against last place Michigan 66-59.\nWith not having a home game in 22 days, the team is looking forward to playing in Assembly Hall said IU associate head coach Trish Betthauser.\n"We're happy to be home, the beginning wasn't all that good to us," Betthauser said. "We are anxious to take on Northwestern and we are going to have our hands full and have to play one of our best defensive games."\nDefense, which has been a trademark with coach Kathi Bennett, will play a role in claiming the team's first Big Ten victory, but the offense has been a more pressing issue as of late.\nIn conference play IU has managed to shoot only 28.6 percent, including 19 percent in its most recent loss. \nNo one has been left unscathed from the team's offensive woes, as scoring leader, junior guard Cyndi Valentin was limited to a point against Purdue. This was a far cry from Valentin's team-leading average of 16.5 points per game.\nValentin said getting back on track for the rest of the season will be important.\n"We've been working on our motion offense, just screening, getting open and working on shooting the ball ... ultimately the ball has to go through the hoop," Valentin said.\nAfter splitting last season's games with the Wildcats, a 58-55 win at home and 48-36 loss on the road, the Hoosiers expect nothing less than a challenge. Northwestern boasts three players averaging double figures in points, led by senior center Sarah Kwasinski at 12.4 ppg. \nIn conference play, the Wildcats have not only been able to dish the ball out, but also take it away from their opponents. Northwestern ranks second in both assists and steals, averaging more than 16 assists and nine steals per game. \nTo nail their first Big Ten win, the Hoosiers will look to extend their winning streak at home. Currently, IU has a five-game winning streak in Assembly Hall.\nProtecting home court will be important for the Hoosiers to make it to the NCAA tournament, especially because the Big Ten boasts five teams in the top 25.\nSenior forward Jamie Gathing said getting the team back on track and protecting home will start with Northwestern.\n"We need to basically win all of our home games in the Big Ten and steal a few on the road," Gathing said. "It would be very good (to win tonight), we play Penn State on Sunday so we need to get back to our old selves and playing as hard as we know we can."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Dan Click at daaclick@indiana.edu.