Hoosiers still winless in Big Ten play

In its first meeting as fellow Big Ten opponents, the Indiana women’s basketball team fell to No. 19 Nebraska on Thursday night 62-48.

The loss for IU gives it a three-game losing streak to begin Big Ten play and drops its overall record to 5-11. Its 11 losses tie the team with Wisconsin for the most in the conference.

Nebraska, meanwhile, remains perfect in its inaugural Big Ten season with a 2-0 conference record. Its 13-1 mark for the entire season ranks second in the conference to undefeated Ohio State.

The Hoosiers led by as many as 10 points in the first half and led the Cornhuskers 20-12 after connecting on nine of their first 13 shots.

Nebraska responded by going on a 25-4 run to end the first half and scored the first nine points of the second half to bring the run’s total to 34-4 in favor of the Cornhuskers.

Although IU’s field goal percentage (.435) surpassed Nebraska’s (.333) by 10 percent, Nebraska attempted 21 more field goals and three more free throws.

Leading the way for the Hoosiers was junior forward Sasha Chaplin, who tallied a season-high 15 points, six rebounds and a career-high four blocks. She has now scored in double figures six times this year, including three of the past four games. She has also led the team in scoring in consecutive games after posting 14 points against Minnesota on Monday.

Nebraska forward Jordan Hooper led Nebraska with 21 points, 11 rebounds and two assists. She leads the team in both points and rebounds and is now averaging 26 points and 11.5 rebounds in Big Ten play.

IU will battle the Northwestern Wildcats on Sunday. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. in Assembly Hall.