ONLINE ONLY: Hoosiers claim Big Ten first round

INDIANAPOLIS -- Coming off two tough road losses that saw them drop to the sixth seed in conference, the IU women's basketball team wasted no time Thursday night putting those defeats behind it, trouncing 11-seed Michigan 68-52.\nThe Hoosiers took the court looking like a different team than the one that lost to Minnesota and Iowa in the last two weeks.\n"Those last couple games we came out flat," senior guard Cyndi Valentin said. "Tonight we came out with a lot of energy, and that really helped us in the end."\nWith the cream and crimson crowd on their feet in support, the Hoosiers took an early 9-2 lead. Using a balanced scoring attack, IU continued to build its lead.\nComing out of a media timeout with less than 12 minutes remaining in the half, Valentin and Jenny DeMuth went on a run of their own, highlighted by two Valentin 3-pointers on consecutive possessions.\nThe Hoosier onslaught continued as DeMuth hit four late free throws to give IU a 40-20 advantage heading into the break.\nComing out of the locker room, IU bounced back from a quick Wolverine run as DeMuth scored six straight points.\nAt the 10-minute mark, senior Brigett Branson hit one of two free throws, her ninth point of the game and a new career high. Branson's free throw gave IU a 53-37 lead.\nMichigan's defense solidified in the game's final 10 minutes, limiting the Hoosiers offensively as the Wolverines chipped away at the IU lead.\nWith three minutes remaining, Michigan drew as close as 11 points, but Valentin continued her strong offensive game, scoring five points to ice the game for IU.\n"The game of basketball is a game of runs," said IU coach Sharon Versyp. "They got within 11, but we were able to keep on coming."\nFor the first round victory, Valentin led the Hoosiers with 19 points and 8 assists. DeMuth was not far behind, notching 17 points of her own while also pulling down eight rebounds.\nNext up for the Hoosiers in the Big Ten tourney is No. 3-seeded Minnesota. The Golden Gophers won both of the regular season contests with IU, including a Feb. 23 65-58 win in Minneapolis.\n"It's hard to beat a team three times in a season," Demuth said. "We're going to lay it all out there and hopefully come out on top in the end."\nThe Hoosiers realize the Big Ten tourney is a whole new season, Versyp said.\n"The Big Ten is up for grabs," she said. "Any team that takes the floor could win the tourney so we just have to worry about ourselves right now." \nFriday's game is scheduled to tip off 25 minutes after the conclusion of the 6 p.m. contest between Purdue and Illinois.