Senior trio dominates in WNIT win

For the IU women's basketball team, the postseason is the postseason whether it is the NCAA or the National Invitation Tournament, but the goal remains the same -- keep winning.\nSaturday afternoon at Assembly Hall, in their first postseason tournament since the 2001-02 season, the Hoosiers won their first round WNIT matchup with the Rice Owls 67-57.\nIU had not played a game since the March 5 Big Ten semifinal versus Purdue, but the Hoosiers showed no signs of rust early in the contest. Senior forward Jenny DeMuth scored IU's first six points while the Hoosiers unleashed a full-court press on the Owls. The pressure worked, as Rice committed 12 first-half turnovers.\n"I wasn't sure how we'd play, but the press in the beginning really helped get our bodies moving," IU coach Sharon Versyp said.\nComing out of a timeout with 12 minutes remaining in the half, the Hoosiers scored nine straight points to extend their lead to 12 points. Two Rice 3-pointers brought the Owls within eight points before senior guard Cyndi Valentin knocked down a jumper at the buzzer to bring the score to 38-28 heading into the break.\n"Ending the first half on a positive note was good because they had made that run," Valentin said.\nIn the second half, Rice continued to chip away at the deficit, but for every basket the Owls scored, IU tallied one of its own. With leading scorer Lauren Neaves saddled with foul trouble, the Hoosiers took advantage in the post, exploiting Rice's lack of inside depth.\n"With (Neaves) on the bench, we wanted to crash the boards," senior center Angie Hawkins said. "We needed to keep pounding it in and looking for the open shot."\nFor the game, the senior trio of Valentin (26 points), DeMuth (20 points), and Hawkins (nine points) combined to score 55 of the 67 total points for IU.\n"Cyndi, Jenny, and Angie played unbelievable today," Versyp said. "Rice is a good team. They never gave up."\nNext up for the Hoosiers is Indiana State tonight. The Sycamores are an impressive 27-5 on the season, including a 12-1 mark on their home court. IU is not letting ISU's home court advantage intimidate them. The Hoosiers do not want their season to end.\n"We're just excited to play," Valentin said. "This is the first postseason in awhile for us so we're going to do everything we can to keep playing."\nIndiana State won its first round WNIT contest last Thursday against Eastern Michigan and will be hosting its fifth consecutive WNIT contest.\n"Indiana State is a great team," Versyp said. "With in-state teams, it is always a rivalry, but we've got to play our game"