IU defeats Fighting Illini, improves record to 11-8 overall

With the chance to make a jump in the Big Ten conference standings with a win, the IU women's basketball team rolled over Illinois Thursday night in a 63-48 romp.\nThe victory lifted IU's conference record to 5-3 and 11-8 overall.\nThe Hoosiers got off to a slow start against Illinois as the two teams exchanged baskets for much of the first 10 minutes of the game before IU charged ahead. Powered by senior forward Jenny DeMuth and little-used junior center Sarah McKay, the Hoosiers pulled away, building a 29-14 halftime lead.\nHalftime did little to slow down IU as the offensive onslaught continued. A high-octane fast break sparked by some strong team defense extended the Hoosier lead to as many as 29 points.\nThe Illini made a late run to shrink the lead, but the final score was not indicative of the strong game played by the Hoosiers.\nOn a night where leading scorer Cyndi Valentin was held to just nine points on 4-for-11 shooting, McKay and DeMuth powered the IU offense with 13 and 12 points respectively. Senior center Angie Hawkins chipped in with 11 of her own while patrolling the paint with three blocks.\nIU will travel to East Lansing, Mich., this weekend for a Sunday matchup with the No. 16 Michigan State Spartans. The defending national runner-ups are 14-6 overall, but have struggled some in conference play with a 4-3 record heading into Thursday night's game with Big Ten leader Purdue.