IU womens basketball goes on the road to Ball State, comes away with victory

The IU women’s basketball team found itself down by as many as 16 points on Nov. 17 at Ball State, but clawed its way back for a 76-71 win.\n“It’s always good to get a road victory,” sophomore guard Jamie Braun said. “It gives us confidence for the future, and any win against a team like this is a good victory.”\nBall State led 33-17 at the 6:35 mark in the first half, but IU responded with a 19-5 run to cut the lead to 38-36 \nat halftime. \n“We were playing offense like they had six players on the court,” IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack said. “We did a much better job of attacking in the second half.”\nDespite a quick start in the second half by IU, the Cardinals led 49-45 with 12:44 to play. But the Hoosiers responded with a 24-8 run to lead 69-59 with 1:24 left in the game and held on for the 76-71 victory.\n“They made their run in the beginning, but we handled it well,” senior guard Nikki Smith said. “We kept our poise and played our game. \nBraun led IU with 24 points and six assists. \n“I just tried to attack the basket and find my teammates,” Braun said. “I was trying to set the tempo for the team.”\nJunior guard Kim Roberson added 15 points and senior guard Nikki Smith scored 14. \nLegette-Jack said she was pleased with the team’s first road win of the season. \n“It was a lot of firsts for us,” she said. “Sometimes you take it for granted to go on the road, but we have eight newcomers and two new coaches on our staff. The travel is different and you get out of your normal routine. We were able to get a win against a very tough team.”\nThe Hoosiers defended and rebounded well, forcing Ball State into 19 turnovers and out-rebounding the \nCardinals 32-28.\nJulie DeMuth, the sister of former IU player Jenny DeMuth, led Ball State in scoring with 24 points. \nThe Hoosiers, now 3-0, will travel to the Virgin Islands for three games over Thanksgiving, Nov. 22-24. They will take on Wake Forest, Wichita State and Texas A&M. \n“It will be new for everyone,” Smith said. “It’s a chance to play against different teams and some good competition. It will be good to be in the Virgin Islands for Thanksgiving and it should be a really fun experience.”\nLegette-Jack said the competition in the Virgin Islands should be tough.\n“Everybody there is going to be good,” she said. “We’re going to be the underdogs, because we’re the team without the history. But right now, we’ll just enjoy this win against Ball State, and then we’ll prepare for the game against Wake Forest on (Nov. 22).”