IU bounced from Big Ten Tournament

INDIANAPOLIS -- In a Feb. 19 game at West Lafayette, the IU women's basketball team was able to come back from a first-half deficit to ultimately upset then-No. 10 Purdue. \nIn Sunday's Big Ten semifinal, the tables were turned similarly on the sixth-seeded Hoosiers as they were unable to come back from a first-half deficit, losing to No. 2-seed Purdue 67-41 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.\nIU scored the first points of the game on two Cyndi Valentin free throws, but that would be the only time the Hoosiers led the rest of the game.\nThe Purdue defense limited IU to just three field goals in the first half while also forcing 13 turnovers.\n"We came out with a vengeance and a lot of intensity," said Purdue forward Erin Lawless. "We knew what we had to do to win this game."\nWith the Hoosiers sputtering on offense, the Boilermakers took advantage, taking a 28-10 halftime lead.\n"From the start, we never got into a rhythm offensively," Valentin said. "Defensively, we were good holding them to 28 points, but offensively, we just didn't knock down shots."\nTaking the floor for the second half, IU scored two quick baskets to cut Purdue's lead to 14. Limited by foul trouble -- all five IU starters had at least three fouls -- the Hoosiers were unable to maintain the momentum. \nThe Boilermakers continued to suffocate the cream and crimson defensively and were able to cruise the rest of the way.\nThe outing was the lowest scoring output of the year for IU. The previous low was 45 points against Ohio State on Feb. 5.\n"Purdue played great defense," said IU coach Sharon Versyp. "We didn't knock down some open shots and obviously when that happens, it manifests itself."\nValentin was the lone Hoosier in double digits with 21 points, including 17 in the second half. Freshman forward Whitney Thomas wrapped up her Big Ten tourney with seven points and 10 rebounds. The freshman found herself tangling with Purdue's towering front line all game, eventually fouling out in the game's closing minutes.\n"Purdue did a great job crashing the boards," Thomas said. "We missed some block outs and that hurt us so we had to work with what we had."\nPurdue will go on to face the top-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes in Monday night's Big Ten Championship at Conseco.\nSunday's loss dropped the Hoosiers to 17-13 on the season -- a seven-game improvement over last year's 10-18 mark. Even with the loss, Versyp said she is proud of the way her team played this weekend in Indianapolis.\n"It hurts because you didn't want to lose, but someone always has to in the end," Versyp said. "But I'm very proud of these ladies."\nThe Hoosiers will now wait until March 13 for the NCAA selection show to see if they make the postseason tournament.