IU drops season finale at Penn State

It’s been the telltale sign of how the IU women’s basketball team fared this year.\nWhen it comes to field-goal shooting, the number 40 has dictated the Hoosiers’ record throughout the course of the year. On days when IU shot better than 40 percent from the field, the team secured a record of 14-1. When the Hoosiers shot under 40 percent, however, that record falls to 3-10.\nAfter losing at Penn State (14-15, 7-9) Sunday, the under-40-percent record fell to 3-11 as the Hoosiers (17-12, 6-10) dropped their final game of the regular season 78-68, shooting 39 percent from the field.\nNot even double-doubles from senior center Sarah McKay and freshman guard Jamie Braun could help the Hoosiers capture their 18th win. McKay led IU with 22 points and 11 rebounds, her sixth double-double of the season; Braun added 14 points and 12 rebounds for her third of the season.\nThroughout the game neither team allowed its opponent to go on a run to take a big lead, though the Hoosiers took a 34-33 lead at halftime. In the opening seconds of the second half, Penn State took a 35-34 lead and didn’t trail again for the rest of the game.\nFollowing two free throws by senior guard Leah Enterline at the 4:17 mark in the second half, the score was tied at 63-63. It would be the closest the Hoosiers would come to winning for the rest of the game.\nAfter Enterline’s free throws tied the game, Penn State put together its first real run of the day – an 11-0 run that put IU away for good. During the final 6:45 of the game, the Hoosiers made only one field goal.\nWith the loss to Penn State, the Hoosiers’ in-conference record fell to 6-10 on the season, which will give IU the No. 9 seed in the Big Ten tournament, which starts next Thursday in Indianapolis. \nThe Hoosiers will play in the opening round of the tournament against the No. 8-seed Iowa Hawkeyes. On Jan. 11, the Hoosiers lost 71-67 against the Hawkeyes in Bloomington, though IU led by as many as 11 points in the second half.