Purdue Fort Wayne
Oral Roberts
Jackson Buzzer-Beater Gives IPFW Top Spot in Summit
1/9/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 9, 2010
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Tulsa, OK - A Chelsey Jackson jumper from the foul line as time expired gave the IPFW Mastodons sole possession of first place in the Summit League, as the Mastodons topped the Golden Eagles of Oral Roberts University 74-72, improving the 'Dons to 4-0 in the conference this season.
"There was no panic in Chelsey - none," said IPFW head coach Chris Paul. "Chelsey knew how much time was one the clock, there was no panic from her. I had a great look at it when it left her hand, and it was perfect."
IPFW's win, which puts them at 6-8 overall and 4-0 in the Summit League, coupled with North Dakota State's loss at UMKC, puts the Mastodons in sole possession of first place in league play, with South Dakota State, North Dakota State, Oakland, and UMKC all sitting with one loss each. Oral Roberts falls to 9-7 on the season, and 3-2 in the Summit League.
"I'm really proud of our team today," said Paul. "We came out with so much confidence and energy early - our kids are starting to believe in what they are doing. To hold them to 25 points in the first half is unbelievable, and to take a 13 point lead into halftime, obviously is very important. We knew they weren't going to go away - they are too good of a team. I really believe that if we hadn't had gone through the close Akron loss, the close Fairfield loss, and the close Butler loss, that we would not have been so prepared at the end of the game today."
Anne Boese tied her career-high with 24 points, making 6-of-13 three-point baskets, as Jordan Zuppe scored 15, on five three-point baskets, with three of those coming in the final three and a half minutes of the game. Stephanie Rosado scored 12 in just 20 minutes because of foul trouble, as Sydney Weinert and Jackson each scored eight.
Jackson dished out a career-high seven assists, with Weinert pulling down eight rebounds, as IPFW out-rebounded Oral Roberts 36-to-33 in the game. Boese had three steals, as she and Weinert each had a blocked shot.
"Jordan Zuppe is a competitor," noted the head coach. "She wanted the ball in her hands late. On those three's, there was no hesitation, and she put the team on her back. We grew up today - we grew up as a program."
The Mastodons jumped out quickly in the first half, as the host Golden Eagles led for just 16 seconds, with IPFW scoring first on a Jordan Zuppe three-point basket three seconds into the contest. The teams traded baskets for the first six minutes of the game, and Oral Roberts led by one at 9-8 after a Savanna Buck three-point basket five minutes into the game.
Trailing for the first time, IPFW ran off four straight points on baskets by Weinert and Boese, to lead by three at 12-9. A 4-1 run tied the game at 13, and IPFW responded with nine straight points over a three and a half minute span, to push the Mastodon advantage to nine at 22-13.
Oral Roberts used a 5-0 run to cut the deficit to three with just over three minutes left in the half, before IPFW out-scored ORU 12-2 the rest of the way, led by a trio of three-point baskets by Boese, sending the Mastodons into the locker room with a 13-point, 38-25 lead.
IPFW carried the momentum they gained late in the first half into the start of the second, as they out-scored the Golden Eagles 7-4 out of the locker room to run off to a 16-point lead, their largest lead of the game. Oral Roberts immediately countered with a 7-0 run, cutting the deficit to nine. Jackson and Boese scored back-to-back baskets to lead by 12, before ORU cut the Mastodon lead in half with a 6-0 run, dropping the deficit to 50-44 with 11:44 left in the game.
After an Eva Ivanova basket pushed IPFW's lead to eight, ORU took off for nine straight points to take their first lead since the early going at 53-52 after a Buck basket. The Mastodons responded with four straight points from Weinert and Jackson, to give IPFW a three-point lead at 56-53.
The Golden Eagles scored the next nine points to push out to a 60-56 lead, the largest lead for Oral Roberts in the game, following a pair of free throws by Janae Voelker. Rosado hit a pair of baskets to sandwich a Jaci Bingham basket, before Zuppe hit a long-range basket with 3:18 to play to help IPFW re-take the lead at 63-62.
Bigham followed with a three of her own on the next possession to help ORU recapture the lead, until Zuppe and Boese went on their own 6-0 run, each hitting a three-point basket, to push IPFW ahead 69-65, a lead they would not give up for the rest of the game.
The NCAA's second leading scorer, Kevi Luper followed with a three-point play, that was answered with Zuppe's fifth and final three-point basket of the game, giving IPFW a 72-70 lead. Luper scored twice in the final 38 seconds of the game, the final one with 12.1 seconds on the clock, tying the game at 72, and setting up the heroic efforts of Jackson.
"We didn't take care of the basketball the way I wanted to with 19 turnovers - that is too many," said the head coach in his radio interview after the game. "However, Oral Roberts forcing 25 turnovers a game, and we were below that. The key was to limit the three point baskets; they are averaging 13 in conference play, and we held them to six. I told the girls before the game that if you play defense, limit the three's, and hold them into the 60's, that we would do well."
Luper and Bigham scored 27 and 20 points each, as the pair were the only Golden Eagle players in double figures in the scoring column. Voelker pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds, with Buck and Luper grabbing four steals each.
The Mastodons travel to Shreveport, Louisiana, as they look to stay atop the league, as the team will face off against the Ladies of Centenary College on Monday night, with tip-off scheduled for 8:00 PM Eastern Time.
"We're not going to overlook Centenary," said Paul. "We're going to have a nice dinner, and we're going to cheer the men on tonight, and then we're going to take our time to getting to Shreveport. When we get to the gym tomorrow, we will be all business. We will be ready."
~Dons~
