Penn State spoils IU’s upset attempt

The IU women’s basketball gave No. 11 Penn State a scare late Thursday night, but senior guard Maggie Lucas and the Nittany Lions proved to be too much for the Hoosiers, defeating IU 71-63.

Lucas started the game on a 7-0 run en route to a game-high 32 points on 10-for-16 shooting. While the Hoosiers struggled to score in the closing minutes, Lucas scored Penn State’s final seven points to squander IU’s hopes of an upset.

IU Coach Curt Miller credited Lucas’ performance down the stretch as being the difference in the game.

“There’s a lot of good players on that team and without her tonight having a monster game, we may have pulled the upset,” Miller said. “You gotta give her credit. She wanted the ball and she made big, big shots. She did what we weren’t always capable of doing tonight.”

IU (17-7, 4-7) stormed out of halftime, rattling off a 10-0 run to claim a 41-37 lead with about 16 minutes remaining in the game.

Penn State (19-5, 10-2) had a 10-point lead with two minutes and 38 seconds left in the game, but the Hoosiers began to force turnovers and went on a 6-0 run.

Freshman guard Larryn Brooks forced Penn State’s Ariel Edwards into turning the ball over with 53 seconds remaining.

Brooks missed a layup attempt, but senior forward Simone Deloach gathered the rebound and converted a layup while getting fouled to bring the Hoosiers within four points.

Deloach went to the free throw line with a chance to bring IU within one possession, but failed to convert on the free throw.

“If we make that foul shot, it’s a one possession game,” Miller said, “and we all see what can happen in close games in this building.”

Lucas went 4-for-4 from the free throw line and freshman guard Alexis Gassion missed a 3-point attempt in the final minute, allowing the Nittany Lions to hold on for the win.
Brooks said IU got open looks from beyond the arc all night.

Penn State’s length in the frontcourt forced IU to attack from the perimeter, but the Hoosiers could not convert enough. IU shot 8-for-34 from beyond the arc and missed its final nine 3-point attempts.

“We didn’t really get to where we needed to be at the end in the closing minutes,” Brooks said. “That’s just on us.”

One bright spot for IU was Deloach’s performance. She finished with her second consecutive double-double with 13 points and 15 rebounds.

Miller said Deloach’s post play and rebounding was what kept IU within striking distance of Penn State despite IU shooting a dismal 29.7 percent from the floor in the first half.

“Another great game for Simone,” Miller said. “At halftime she had eight rebounds. I said you can get 15 tonight — she did.”

Miller said he was disappointed IU was not able to pull off the upset of Big Ten-leading Penn State because he said it could have gone a long way towards earning an NCAA Tournament berth.

At the end of the day, the Achilles’ heel for the Hoosiers ended up being a problem that has haunted the young Hoosier team all season.

IU couldn’t score the baskets it needed to make down the stretch.

“We didn’t make some of the shots (we) needed to make to beat a team that talented,” Miller said. “We wanted this one. We needed a signature win — we wanted it and we just came up short.”

Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen