IU looks to return to winning ways Thursday

Coming off its first loss of the season, the IU women's basketball team will look to get back on track against the University of Evansville tonight at Assembly Hall.\nThe Hoosiers lost to the University of Miami Saturday 79-70, due in large part to turnovers and poor shooting in the first half. Shooting just under 48 percent for the season, IU only managed to make 40 percent of its shots (24 percent in the first half) and turned the ball over 26 times against the Hurricanes.\nIU coach Felisha Legette-Jack said part of the reason for the Hoosiers' loss came from a letdown of intensity during practice. \n"We need to play the game without fear, play the game without thinking that they're somebody because they wear a Miami shirt, an Evansville shirt or a whatever shirt," Legette-Jack said. "This is Indiana basketball, and we play confrontational. We catch the ball, we face our basket, and we go to our basket. I can handle turnovers if we're going aggressively to our goal."\nTo correct the mistakes from Thanksgiving break, Legette-Jack pushed her team hard in ensuing practices to regain the concentration and intensity IU displayed in its first five games.\n"I think (the loss to Miami) showed her that maybe she's gotten a little easier on us in the previous practices, and that made us softer, which kind of showed in the game," freshman guard Jamie Braun said. "I think with her getting harder on us, we won't make those kinds of mistakes in practice that we made in the Miami games."\nAgainst Miami, Legette-Jack said IU was turning the ball over laterally, which, to her, showed signs of fear. She said the Hoosiers are going to have to respect all and fear no one to shut down an Evansville team that averages 76 points per game.\nLed by junior guard Rebekah Parker and her 90 percent three-point shooting, Evansville has jumped to a quick 4-1 record, something the Hoosiers say they don't want to take lightly.\n"They have a swagger, and they're playing great basketball right now," Legette-Jack said. "They're going to be in attack mode and knock down their free throws as well. We have to be cognizant of that, and we have to play smart defense."\nThrough watching game film, the Hoosiers are going to have to prepare for Evansville's "in-your-face defense," junior guard Nikki Smith said. IU needs to play smarter and make better decisions tonight, she said.\n"I think after Miami, we had to take a step back and realize that we have to just take care of the ball," Smith said. "We can't be throwing around lazy passes and getting 20 turnovers. We can't beat a team like that."\nSophomore forward Whitney Thomas said the Hoosiers must communicate more and correct simple mistakes against Evansville.\n"We'll come out with energy," Thomas said. "Like Coach said, we were playing on our heels the whole time, and we want them to be playing on their heels, not us"