Purdue Fort Wayne
South Dakota State
#21 South Dakota State Too Much for IPFW
1/3/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 3, 2009
Fort Wayne, IN - The 21st ranked Jackrabbits of South Dakota State were too much for the Mastodons of IPFW, as the visitors from Brookings secured a 3-0 conference record with a 71-48 victory in the Gates Center on Saturday evening.
South Dakota State, ranked 21st in the USA Today/ESPN poll, and 24th in the Associated Press poll, jumped out to a 31-15 halftime lead, and despite a furious IPFW comeback, held on for the 71-48 Summit League victory.
IPFW was led by Chelsey Jackson, who scored a game-high-tying 18 points, hitting 9-of-15 shots from the field. Jordan Zuppe and Anne Boese each scored eight points for the `Dons, as Zuppe nabbed a career-high eight rebounds in the losing effort.
The `Dons were unable to put together any sort of scoring run in the opening half; however, the visitors did not have the same problems, using runs of 4-0, 7-0, and 3-0 to open to a 14-6 lead with 12:40 on the first-half clock, as each of IPFW's half dozen came from Jackson.
The `Dons closed the gap to single digits, coming as close as eight at 22-14 following a Courtney Reed free throw with 4:29 on the clock. The eight point deficit would be the closest the `Dons would come the rest of the way, as the Jackrabbits rattled off nine straight points, as IPFW's only counter would be a Zuppe free throw with 24 seconds to play, giving SDSU a 31-15 halftime advantage.
Eva Ivanova opened the second-half scoring for IPFW with a basket in the lane, until Maria Boever made lay-ups on back-to-back possessions, giving SDSU a 35-17 lead.
Trailing by 19 at 43-24 with 13:47 to play in the game, the `Don offense hit its stride out-scoring the Jackrabbits 16-9 over the next four-plus minutes, cutting the deficit to a dozen at 52-40.
After having their lead neatly trimmed down, the `Rabbits used an 8-0 Jill Young run on a pair of three-point baskets and a jumper to push ahead by 20, cruising the rest of the way for a 71-48 victory.
Jennifer Warkenthien led SDSU with 18 points, including scoring her 1,000th career point on a free throw late in the contest. Boever scored 12, with Young and Ketty Cornemann adding 11 and 10, respectively. Young missed a double-double by a solitary rebound, while Warkenthien dished out a game-high five assists.
IPFW, ranked second in Division I in three-point field goal makes, tied a season-low by hitting just 3-of-17 attempts, while South Dakota State drilled seven of their 21 attempts. IPFW held SDSU to a 45.3 (24-of-53) field goal percentage, while making 20-of-58 of their own shots, for a percentage of 34.5. The `Dons also held their own on the boards, keeping South Dakota State, who was third in the league in rebounding margin, to just a six-rebound margin (38-32).
The `Dons, now 2-11 on the season and 1-2 in Summit League play, stay at home, as the squad hosts the Bison of North Dakota State University on Monday, January 5, with tip-off for the pivotal conference match set for 7:00 PM.
~Dons~
