RCA Dome as good as home

The IU women's basketball team will try to retain some home court advantage when it takes on Boston University Saturday at the RCA Dome.\nIU is coming off a 3-1 road trip in which the Hoosiers most recently defeated Eastern Michigan 70-64 Wednesday night.\nAgainst the Eagles, IU jumped out to an early first half lead that never faltered, although Eastern Michigan made several comeback attempts. The Hoosiers allowed the Eagles to get as close as three points but held on for the win.\n"Since we were struggling from the field, I told the team that we had to get to the free throw line by continuing to attack the basket," IU coach Sharon Versyp said in a statement. "Our free-throw percentage was huge for us down the stretch when the offense was struggling to hit a field goal."\nThroughout the night, IU shot 21-for-26 from the charity stripe, including a 14-for-15 performance from senior forward Jenny DeMuth. \nDeMuth led the Hoosiers with 24 points, a season-high for the senior. Sophomore guard Nikki Smith provided some long-range help with five 3-pointers and a career-high 17 points.\nAfter their strong showing on the road, the Hoosiers are happy to return to Indianapolis for Saturday's game against Boston.\n"It's always hard to travel and keep up with studies," senior guard Cyndi Valentin said. "It will be great to play at home and have our own fans cheering for us instead of the other way around."\nValentin leads the Hoosiers with averages of 17.1 points and 3.8 assists per game.\nComing off Wednesday's victory, IU remains focused on playing well on a game-to-game basis.\n"We're looking forward to (Saturday's game)," senior forward Angela Hawkins said. "We still need to work on defense and learn each other's roles on the team."\nWith momentum on their side, the Hoosiers will play a Terriers team that is 5-1 on the season and riding a four-game win streak.\nBoston features a balanced scoring attack with six players averaging seven points or more.\nThe game is scheduled to tip off 45 minutes after the completion of the men's game at the RCA Dome.\nSaturday the Hoosiers will be without freshman guard Tara Miller, who is leaving the team for personal reasons.\n"We respect Tara's wishes," Versyp said in a statement. "She is a player who has potential, and we wish her the best of the luck in the future."\nMiller played in one game this season, scoring two points with an assist in three minutes of action against Youngstown State. She will finish the semester at IU before pursuing other opportunities.