Senior send-off

On senior night, Sarah McKay lived up to the billing.\nPlaying in her final home game alongside senior guard Leah Enterline, McKay, a senior center, carried the Hoosiers to their 17th victory of the year, defeating Northwestern (8-21, 2-14) 83-59 on Thursday night at Assembly Hall.\nLed by McKay’s 21 points, the Hoosiers (17-11, 6-9) won their second straight game and fifth straight game against the Wildcats. Entering the game, McKay needed only 10 points to reach 600 total points for her collegiate career. McKay easily eclipsed that mark Thursday night and it is the second milestone she has recorded in a week since grabbing her 400th rebound Feb. 18 against Illinois.\nOn McKay’s and Enterline’s last home game, IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack opted to sit her two seniors with 1:35 to go in the game. The pair left to a standing ovation as their first-year head coach embraced them with a hug.\n“They’ve done so much for this program,” Legette-Jack said. “They stayed through it all and they’re resilient. That’s where our character comes from; that’s where our cohesiveness comes from.”\nEnterline added that the last four years have been a “roller-coaster” ride for her and her teammates.\n“We’ve had some really good times and we’ve had some changes that were made in some difficult times,” Enterline said.” “But all in all, we stuck together, and our team pulled through.”\nIn addition to the 21 points McKay poured in, four other Hoosiers scored in double-digits. IU shot a collective 49 percent from the field, and freshman guard Jamie Braun was the second leading scorer for the Hoosiers, adding 14 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Junior guard Nikki Smith, 11 points; sophomore forward Whitney Thomas, 12 points; and sophomore forward Kim Roberson, 13 points, also scored in double figures.\n“I’ve just been going out there trying to play as hard as I can,” Braun said. “When I get the open looks, I take them because I don’t want to get benched. My teammates really helped me a lot by giving me some nice passes and getting me some easy looks.”\nAs well as the Hoosiers played on the offensive end, the team played that much better on defense. IU forced 21 Wildcat turnovers – five of which were steals by Roberson – and held Northwestern to just 28.6 percent field-goal shooting in the first half.\nIn the opening minutes, the Hoosiers got off to a quick start. IU jumped to an 8-0 lead, only to see Northwestern score 10 straight points to take a 10-8 lead with 16:46 to go in the first half. That run would turn out to be the best effort Northwestern could muster for the rest of the game.\nAfter several scoreless possessions, the Hoosiers answered the Wildcats’ comeback and were able to put together a run of their own. IU closed out the first half on a 41-12 run, shooting 57 percent from the field in the process. Following the game, McKay, Enterline and senior forward Carrie Smith, who suffered a season-ending injury earlier in the season, were honored in a senior night ceremony. The three addressed the crowd after the game and were presented framed jerseys from the IU athletics department.\nWith just one game to play before the Big Ten tournament, the Hoosiers travel to Penn State on Sunday to try and close out the Big Ten regular season with a three-game win streak.\n“There’s a lot of work to be done but it’s a great feeling when you’ve got eight great young women, who’s ready to challenge and attack for victory,” Legette-Jack said. “We’re peaking at the right time.”