Women hope history repeats itself, streak is broken against Illini

In the team’s past 25 Big Ten regular season conference games, the IU women’s basketball team has managed only one win, dating back to last season.

When the Hoosiers go for their first win in the conference this season Sunday, they’ll have a chance to play the only team they’ve beaten in those games: Illinois.

After losing to the Fighting Illini in the teams’ first meeting at Bloomington’s Assembly Hall last season 74-67, the Hoosiers traveled to Champaign, Ill., and knocked off Illinois 59-52, ending a nine-game conference losing streak very similar to the team’s losing ways this season.

Since that win Feb. 10, 2011, Indiana has gone more than a year without a conference win. With only five games left in the regular season, IU must face two teams, Ohio State and Purdue, ranked in the top 25 in the country.

Even with both teams in the bottom of the Big Ten in wins this season — Illinois stands at 2-9 in the Big Ten, just one spot ahead of the last-place Hoosiers — junior forward Aulani Sinclair said she and her teammates won’t get too hyped up about this game and will treat Illinois like any other conference opponent.

“It’s just another Big Ten game,” Sinclair said. “We don’t overlook anyone or underlook anyone, we’ve just got to go out there and play. It doesn’t matter if they’re (in) the number one spot or right above us — we’ve just got to play every game like we know we can.”

After this season’s 11 straight conference losses, Legette-Jack said some teams might throw in the towel, but she’s convinced that her players continue to give every game their all, down to the final seconds.

“We’re always talking about life lessons and staying steadfast,” Legette-Jack said. “We’re going to be competitive because that’s who we are, but we can’t always predict the score. We certainly want to win, and we’re playing and practicing hard to win, but that’s just not happening right now.

“Those who quit become losers, and you won’t find that anywhere in Indiana, especially not on the IU women’s basketball team.”

Down the stretch, Legette-Jack’s players have, at times, let games get out of hand. After staying close through the first half in several of their conference losses — including a one-point lead at halftime against now-No. 10 Ohio State — the Hoosiers have gone on to lose seven Big Ten games this season by at least 15 points.

But Legette-Jack said that when it comes down to it, her team isn’t concerned with getting a win on Sunday but simply improving in a few key areas. And if they do so, she thinks the wins will follow.

“We don’t play for the win, we play for the journey of the success and the succession,” Legette-Jack said. “We’re trying to continue to fight hard on defense and improve our offense — trying to get better on the box out, make layups and free throws and take care of the ball. If we do that, we’ll have a better chance of having success, and the score will take care of itself.”