Hoosiers defeat Iowa, advance in Big Ten tournament

INDIANAPOLIS – This time around, the IU women’s basketball team would not allow Iowa’s 3-point shot to beat them. The Hawkeyes attempted 19, but only connected on four in a 67-53 Hoosier win in the opening round of the Big Ten tournament.\nWhen the two teams on Jan 11, the Hawkeyes shot six-for-ten from beyond the 3-point arc in a 71-67 Iowa victory. Thursday, Iowa took 11 3-point attempts before finally connecting for their first on attempt number 12, with eight minutes to go in the second half.\n“The first time we played them, we realized that we stood around too long on defense,” said IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack. “What we tried to do is put them on their heels a little bit by changing up the defense. And that made them take a little longer and when they had to take the shot the clock was ticking. They were a little bit under duress.”\nThe Hoosiers allowed only 53 against an offense that on Sunday scored 103 points against Wisconsin.\n“In every game, our staple is our defense,” said sophomore guard Kim Roberson. “We try to hold other teams to 50 or points or under.”\nBoth teams came out playing a tight defense and the game remained scoreless for three and a half minutes before freshman guard Jamie Braun broke the scoreless tie. The Hoosiers continued playing stingy defense, not allowing the Hawkeyes to score for six minutes into the game. During that time IU went on a 9-0 run and continued rolling, taking an 18-6 lead early in the game with Roberson and freshman guard Shanice Billington coming up big off the bench. \n“It’s all about the momentum,” senior center Sarah McKay said. “Anyone on our team can step up anytime. We’ve seen that all season long.”\nThe Hoosiers shot 46 percent from the field in the first half behind 12 points by Roberson to take a 34-21 lead into halftime.\nRoberson led the Hoosiers in scoring with 21 points, the fourth time this season the sophomore has scored 20 or more points. In addition to the 21 points, Roberson was all over the court, diving for loose balls and forcing turnovers.\n“I always try and give my team whatever I can,” Roberson said. “I’m going to play with all that so our team will be on top in the end.”\nWith the win over the Hawkeyes, the Hoosiers advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament, where the Hoosiers will take on No. 5 Ohio State, the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten. \n“We’re going to continue to ride this train until the wheels fall off,” Legette-Jack said. \nIn the Jan. 21 game between the two teams in Columbus, Ohio, the Buckeyes defeated the Hoosiers 72-62. Ohio State features center Jessica Davenport, who was named the Big Ten player of the year.\n“I go into every game the same way,” said McKay, who will be defending Davenport. “Just play hard, do what I can and know that my teammates are going to back me up. It’s just another game and happens to be a big one.”