IU sweeps season series against toothless Wildcats

Northwestern arrived in Bloomington without a win in Big Ten play. The Wildcats left the same way they came.\nThe IU women’s basketball team (14-9, 7-4) overcame cold shooting early to sweep its season series with the Wildcats (4-19, 0-11), winning at home 74-58.\nSophomore point guard Jamie Braun led the Hoosiers with a strong performance, scoring 16 points, grabbing four rebounds and adding three assists. Junior forward Whitney Thomas added 12 points and 10 rebounds for her 10th double-double of the season. \nAfter the game, IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack spoke well of her young point guard, who just took up the position this year.\n“Jamie is really a player that could be thought about (as one of) the best in the country,” Legette-Jack said. “She’s feeling out where her teammates want the ball ... She’s being a team player, but she’s attacking when she needs to attack.”\nNorthwestern center Amy Jaeschke led all scorers with 26 points and added eight rebounds in the losing effort. \nThe game stayed close until a slew of 3-pointers from the Hoosiers turned a one-point lead into a 13-point lead over a two-and-a-half minute span late in the first half. \nBraun said the Hoosiers’ first-half run was a product of increased confidence and focus on the court. \n“We all just started looking for our shot,” Braun said.\nThe Hoosiers shot exceptionally well from behind the arc, hitting 8-of-19 shots for the game. Northwestern knocked down just one 3-pointer in eight attempts. \nFreshman guard Haylie Linn continued her hot streak from range, hitting 3-of-6 3-pointers on her way to a 10-point performance. The Madison, Wis., native is 8-of-18 from behind the arc in her last three games. \nAs a team, IU leaned on its strengths Thursday night: rebounding and turnovers. They beat Northwestern on the boards to the tune of 46-40, and they forced the visitors into 23 turnovers, which led to 23 IU points. The Hoosiers also improved on their Big Ten-leading 9.36 steals per game average, swiping the ball from the Wildcats 14 times. \nEvery Hoosier, except junior walk-on guard Lydia Serfling and injured freshman guard Jori Davis, saw action in the first half, and there were moments in the second half when every IU player on the floor was a freshman. \n“They’ve earned it,” Legette-Jack said. “It’s getting to a point right now, you don’t know who are the starters and who’s coming off the bench.”\nLegette-Jack said after the game she is pleased with her team’s overall progress this season. \n“I’m never satisfied,” Legette-Jack said with a smile. “We’ve got a lot of room to grow, but you can see growth is happening here.”\nThe game was just the second conference rematch for the Hoosiers so far this year, and their first season sweep. Their first meeting with the Wildcats in December saw IU win 84-53.\nDespite its middle-of-the-pack position in the Big Ten standings, the Illini is a dangerous team, especially at home, where they beat conference front-runner Ohio State by four points Jan. 31.