BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) -- Nebraska was less concerned about having its
37-game regular-season unbeaten streak snapped than it was with the way
it happened.
The bigger Huskers were
out-rebounded by scrappy Indiana on Sunday, and the Hoosiers managed to
stun No. 24 Nebraska 67-61 at Assembly Hall. It was the Big 12
powerhouse's first loss during the regular season since March 3, 2009.
"Coach (Connie Yori) has been telling us all
year long that there were some areas we definitely needed to get better
at," Nebraska guard Dominique Kelley said. "Today, Indiana kind of
exposed us with their rebounding. The fact we weren't more competitive
in that area probably hurts more than the fact we lost the game."
Jori Davis scored 21 points and Hope Elam added
14 for Indiana (4-3), which lost its only other game against a ranked
team by 33 points to Georgia on Nov. 21.
There were 12 lead changes in the second half, the last coming with 1:14
remaining. Whitney Lindsay fed a cutting Andrea McGuirt for a layup and
the foul, and she made the free throw to give the Hoosiers a 63-61
lead.
Nebraska rushed a shot on its next
possession, and Davis scored to extend the lead to 65-61. She later
added a pair of free throws for the final margin.
"I didn't even know about (the streak)," Davis
said. "It's not about them. It's about us getting this next win, which
we really needed as a team. I am sorry we had to break it, but we were
at home and needed to protect our floor."
To combat Nebraska's size, Indiana went with a zone defense that seemed
to fluster a a pair of Nebraska's leading scorers. Star freshman Jordan
Hooper scored 13 points on 5-of-15 shooting, after average nearly 17 per
game coming in. And point guard Lindsey Moore, averaging 12.3, was held
to a single free throw.
Kelley did what
she could, scoring 21 points to lead the Huskers. Jessica Periago added
15, but it was not enough.
"They turned
us over too much and you got to give them credit," said Yori, whose team
committed 17 turnovers. "I thought they played with a lot of energy and
a lot of passion. They looked like the team that wanted it a little bit
more."
The game was part of the Big
Ten/Big 12 Challenge, in its first season. The two will be Big Ten
opponents next season, though, when Nebraska joins the conference.
