Penn State hands Hoosiers 1st home loss

Assembly Hall has been kind to the Hoosiers. Until Sunday afternoon, the cream and crimson were undefeated at home this season and hadn't lost a contest since Feb. 29 -- that is, until Sunday when they fell to Penn State 65-44 and dropped to 1-4 in Big Ten action and 8-7 overall on the year.\nThe Hoosiers came out strong in the opening minutes with senior LeeAnn Stephenson and junior Cyndi Valentin knocking down a pair of threes as IU jumped out early to an 8-0 lead.\nValentin led the way early, scoring 12 of IU's first 17 points. With 11 minutes left in the first half, IU held their biggest lead against the Nittany Lions, 17-7.\nBut the Hoosiers' quick start soon vanished when PSU ended the half on a 21-8 run. IU's intensity on both ends of the floor fell, and they allowed the Lions to crawl back into the game and take the lead going into the half at 28-25.\nThe Hoosiers struggled throughout the second half, allowing the Lions to jump out on a 13-6 run. PSU never looked back as they outscored the Hoosiers 37-19 in the second half on their way to their fifth consecutive Big Ten win.\nValentin and junior Angela Hawkins led the Hoosiers on the day, scoring 32 of IU's 44 points. Valentin scored 18 points on 8 of 15 shooting, and Hawkins recorded a double-double with 14 points and a season-high 11 rebounds. \nDespite the loss, IU coach Kathi Bennett was especially pleased with Hawkins' play on the afternoon.\n"The girl never quits," Bennett said. "She plays her heart out. She's better than she was at the beginning of the season, and she's continuing to make better decisions, and I think she was definitely a positive."\nIn addition to Valentin's and Hawkins' effort, the Hoosiers shined in the opening minutes and said they feel strong about how they are setting the tempo early in games.\n"We finally started a game off strong, and we were knocking down our shots," Valentin said. "We played defense well, but we still need to finish off a game. In the second half we let (PSU) get on a run, and the game got out of reach."\nWith a contest against No. 5 Ohio State looming, the Hoosiers said they need to learn to maintain leads and stay consistent after they get out on top of a team as they did early on against Penn State Sunday afternoon.\n"I think a big struggle with our team is staying consistent throughout the game," Hawkins said. "Getting the lead and then getting too comfortable seems that sometimes it comes back and hurts us."\nThe Hoosiers return to action 7 p.m. Thursday at Assembly Hall when they play host to No. 5 Ohio State.\n-- Contact Staff Writer Matt Ostrega at mostrega@indiana.edu.