Purdue Fort Wayne
Western Illinois
Mastodons Use Pair of Runs to Beat Leathernecks
1/2/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 2, 2010
Fort Wayne, IN - The IPFW Mastodons used a pair of runs, 10-0 in the first half, and a 23-5 streak in the second, to run past the Leathernecks of Western Illinois University 62-46, improving IPFW to 4-8 on the season, and more importantly, 2-0 in conference play.
"Being undefeated at 2-0 in the conference means everything," said IPFW Head Coach Chris Paul. "I told the kids that after we beat Oakland, we were at the top, and we want to hang onto the top as long as possible. Now we are 2-0, and still sit at the top. You have to win your games at home, and we have another tough one at home (against IUPUI) to try to go to 3-0."
Stephanie Rosado picked up her third career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, with Sydney Weinert missing the double-double by just two rebounds with a career-high-tying 14 points, adding eight boards. Jordan Zuppe and Anne Boese each scored a dozen, with Chelsey Jackson adding eight points.
Sydney Weinert is shown here going up for two of her 14 points, as she added eight rebounds against Western Illinois  |
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"(Our balance and teamwork) is exactly what we have been preaching to the players," said Paul. "That is what is going to make us difficult to defend and to stop, and it is what is going to win us a lot of games. Opponents can’t key on one person, because if you key on Stephanie, then Sydney is open, or Anne Boese, or Chelsey Jackson, or Jordan Zuppe. We have been preaching to the team concept for quite a while, and we are really proud of how the team did today. We scored 28 points between Stephanie and Sydney, and we still hit seven three-point baskets, which is exactly that kind of balance working for us."
Rosado and Weinert led the rebounding charge for the Mastodons, as the hosts out-rebounded Western Illinois 40-22 in the game, the seventh time in a dozen games this season the ‘Dons have out-rebounded their opponent. Zuppe dished out three assists, as Sarah Haluska had two steals to lead the team.
"(Sydney) Weinert and (Stephanie) Rosado are getting better and better," said Paul. "We talked about how we played Northwestern, Louisville, and Notre Dame for a reason. When we go against teams in our conference, not to put anyone down, but they aren’t Louisville out there on the floor, so we can do some things. You saw today how when matched up with kids their own size or smaller, we can be pretty effective."
IPFW jumped ahead quickly in the game, leading 5-0 after a basket by Rosado and a three-pointer by Boese, as the Mastodons would not give up their advantage, leading wire-to-wire. The Leathernecks cut the deficit to one at 7-6 after an Erica Lewis basket, but a quick 10-0 IPFW run capped by three-pointers on back-to-back possessions by Boese and Zuppe put the Mastodons firmly ahead at 21-8.
The first-half lead grew to as many as 14 on Zuppe’s second three-pointer of the game, before WIU scored seven straight to cut the deficit in half at 24-17 with just over two minutes left in the opening half. A Weinert 6-0 run put the Mastodons ahead 30-17 with 28 seconds to play, before Lewis capped the half with a basket to trim the deficit to 11 at 30-19 heading into the locker room.
The Leathernecks used the late first-half basket and turned it into a second-half surge, scoring the first ten points to close the gap to one at 30-29. The lead remained at one at 32-31 before the Mastodons went on their own surge, out-scoring WIU 23-5 over the next seven minutes to once again put IPFW firmly in control with a 19-point lead with just under eight minutes left in the game.
The Mastodon lead grew to as many as 20, but never shrunk below 13 as IPFW cruised to the 62-46 conference win.
"I liked the way we ran things in the first half,” noted the head coach. "Especially holding them to 19 points. I was a little disappointed the way we came out of the locker room, we missed a lay-up early, and then we put our heads down, we stopped working and allowed Western Illinois to go on a 10-0 run. But to our kids' credit, we responded, and we stepped it up from there. It is a good conference win – all conference wins are good wins."
Jordon O’Brien scored a career-high 19 points for the Leathernecks, as Erica Lewis added 11 for Western Illinois, now 4-10 on the year and 0-3 in conference play.
The Mastodons return to action at the Hilliard Gates Sports Center on Monday, January 4, when they play host to the Jaguars of IUPUI with tip-off scheduled for 7:00 PM.
~Dons~
