Michigan ends IU's tournament run

INDIANAPOLIS — For the second consecutive year, IU faced Michigan in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.

And for the second consecutive year, the Wolverines sent the Hoosiers home.

Led by junior forward Cyesha Goree’s double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds, Michigan defeated IU to advance to face No. 2-seeded Michigan State in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.

The Hoosiers have not made it past the first round of the tournament since the 2008-09 season.

“Obviously we’re disappointed in the end result today,” IU Coach Curt Miller said. “But you’ve got to give Michigan a lot of credit.”

Trailing by 15 after halftime, the Hoosiers had six chances to cut their deficit to single digits in the second half. Each time, Michigan responded with a key play to keep IU from clawing back.

“We had to expend so much energy to get ourselves into that position,” Miller said.
Much of that energy was also devoted to keeping up with Michigan’s second-chance points. The Wolverines had a 24-8 advantage in second-chance points against the Hoosiers while grabbing 12 offensive rebounds.

The Wolverines also had 24 points off turnovers.

“That’s very tough,” said freshman guard Alexis Gassion, who led the Hoosiers with 12 points. “Credit to them because they were very good in transition and they were getting all those rebounds.”

In the first half, the Hoosiers started quickly with five points in the first 50 seconds of the game and jumped out to an early 9-6 lead.

But IU would score just eight in the next 11 minutes 52 seconds of play.

The Wolverines responded with a 9-2 run for their first lead of the half. That run grew to 13-4 through the first five minutes.

Michigan led by as many as 18 and shot 50 percent from the field in the first half, while the Hoosiers shot only 40 percent from the field.

For IU players like senior center Simone Deloach, it was their final time playing in the Big Ten Tournament and the fourth time in their four years getting eliminated in the first round.

“It’s frustrating, of course,” she said. “But I just hope that the underclassmen understand how tough it is in the Big Ten and the Big Ten Tournament and they can redeem themselves next year and the year after that.”

The Hoosiers started the season 14-0, including a win over then-No. 22 Iowa in its first Big Ten game of the season.

Because of that start, Miller said the team didn’t face adversity until mid-January.

“And I’m not sure we always handled that or understood what was coming,” he said. “But I’m proud of the year.”

Miller said the team will continue to learn.

“We truly believe we will receive a post-season bid and we hope to receive a post-season bid and we’ll prepare hard for it,” Miller said.