IU loses 10th straight game in worst loss of the season

Going into Wednesday’s matchup with Michigan State, IU Coach Curt Miller knew his team would have to reduce its turnovers against a physical Spartan defense to have any chance at victory.

That didn’t happen.

IU dropped its 10th consecutive game Wednesday night, falling to Michigan State 72-42 at the Breslin Center.

The 30-point defeat is the worst of the season for the Hoosiers.

MSU (19-5, 7-4) once again wreaked havoc on the IU (10-15, 1-11) offense, forcing 22 Hoosier turnovers. In their first matchup Jan. 20, IU had a season-high 25
turnovers.

The Spartans took those mistakes and turned them into 31 points, accounting for nearly half of their point total. They boast one of the top defenses in the league, holding opponents to a Big Ten-best 50.6 points per game.

Junior forward Klarissa Bell led Michigan State with 16 points with 6-of-13 shooting from the field.

Sophomore forward Becca Mills and junior forward Annalise Pickrel each scored in double figures to combine for 21 of the Spartans’ 33 bench points.

Senior forward Linda Rubene netted a career-high 14 points off the bench to lead the Hoosiers.

IU’s 22 turnovers marked the fifth time this season the Hoosiers have turned the ball over more than 20 times. Meanwhile, Michigan State turned the ball over seven times, leading to just five points for IU.

The Hoosiers took a 9-8 lead with 13:40 to go in the first half after Rubene had a 3-point shot bounce all over the rim before falling through the net. But that would be IU’s last lead.

Michigan State responded with a 21-5 run.

In the second half, with the score 33-21, Michigan State went on a 9-0 run to put the game out of reach for the Hoosiers at 42-21 with 15:04 remaining.

Michigan State shot better from behind the 3-point line than anywhere else from the field, going 9-of-19 from distance. The Spartans shot 44.4 percent overall.

While 10 Spartans recorded points in the game, there were only eight Hoosiers who even saw the court. Senior forward Aulani Sinclair, senior guard Jasmine McGhee and freshman guard Nicole Bell all played 34 or more minutes.

Sinclair failed to score in double figures for the second straight game, recording six points on 3-of-8 shooting.

McGhee saw her three-game double figure scoring streak snapped, scoring nine points on 4-of-14 shooting.

IU shot 36.6 percent from the field but just 20 percent from beyond the 3-point line.

The Spartans entered the game holding opponents to a Big Ten-best 25.7 percent from 3-point land.