Hoosiers fall to Iowa in season finale

Too little, too late. That was the story for the IU women's basketball team Sunday night as they dropped their third consecutive game, 56-53, to Iowa in the season finale.\nThe Hoosiers, down eight with two minutes left in regulation, made a valiant effort to topple the Hawkeyes. Senior Jamie Gathing led the late surge with two consecutive baskets to cut the deficit down to four. Following a missed Hawkeye free-throw, Gathing connected on a three-point basket with 17 seconds left in regulation to bring the Hoosiers within one, 52-51.\nJunior Cyndi Valentin gave IU a chance to tie Iowa with a running three-point jumper but missed with five seconds remaining. Sophomore Jamey Chapman corralled the rebound of Valentin's miss and laid in the put back with three seconds left to bring the Hoosiers within one again, 54-53.\nIU had one last chance to tie the Hawkeyes after a pair of made free throws with 0.8 seconds left, but pass from junior Bridgett Branson was knocked down as time expired.\nGathing led the Hoosiers in the scoring column with 13 points and 3 rebounds -- a fitting way to celebrate her Senior Day. Chapman recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds on 6-8 shooting.\nChapman turned in a strong performance and has ended the season on a positive note. The Omaha, Neb.-native said while she feels her game has improved, her main goal is to help the Hoosiers come away with victories at any cost.\n"I really wanted to win," Chapman said. "I really wanted to get a win for the seniors and wasn't really thinking about myself. I do think I'm improving and becoming a threat against opposing teams."\nJunior Kali Kullberg came off the bench to give the Hoosiers a boost after Valentin left the game midway through the first half due to an injured eye. Kullberg netted seven points along with two assists and a pair of steals.\n"The loss of Cyndi took away a shooter for us," IU coach Kathi Bennett said. "Kali came in and did a great job defensively and offensively. She gave us a lift with Cyndi out of the game."\nFree throws were hard to come by for the Hoosiers Sunday night as they attempted only one free throw -- coming with 27 seconds left in the second half by Chapman. Bennett said she was disappointed with the free-throw figures and felt it was the difference maker in the contest.\n"For us to shoot one free throw I don't understand that," Bennett said. "That was the difference in the game. I thought there were some crucial times where some things were called and weren't called that affected the game."\nDespite the loss, Kullberg said she feels the squad has made positive strides as of late and has the momentum to surprise a few teams in the Big Ten Tournament beginning Thursday.\n"This was a great boost of momentum playing the last two minutes so strong," Kullberg said. "It's nice to see that out of this team even though it didn't turn out the way we wanted to."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Matt Ostrega at mostrega@indiana.edu.