Balanced Offensive Attack Leads IPFW over Akron

Monday, November 15

Fort Wayne, Ind.

7:00 PM

Purdue Fort Wayne

1-1

Akron

0-1

Akron

IPFW

Jordan Zuppe scored 11 points and dished out six assists in IPFW's 69-54 win over Akron

Balanced Offensive Attack Leads IPFW over Akron

11/15/2010 10:03:15 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

BOX SCORE | POSTGAME NOTES | PHOTO GALLERY

Fort Wayne, IN - IPFW used a 12-3 run to end the first half, and an 8-0 early in the second to add some distance, with six players scoring at least eight points, as the Mastodons toppled the Akron Zips on Monday night by a 69-54 score at the Hilliard Gates Sports Center.

A 12-2 run starting with just over 12 minutes left in the game and ending with 7:10 on the clock pushed the IPFW advantage to 18, as the 'Dons cruised for the 15-point non-conference win.

"I'm really proud of the effort that we put out there tonight," said IPFW head coach Chris Paul. "We had a rough first half at Michigan State, and we talked about it in the locker room about letting it go, and then building on the next 20 minutes, and win the next 20 minutes - and we did that. After the game we talked about taking everything we did in that last half, and carry it over on Monday night, and I thought that was what we did."

Stephanie Rosado picked up a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double for the Mastodons, the first for the squad since she had an identical double-double against Centenary on February 6 last season. Kayla Drake also reached double figures for the second time this season, scoring a dozen points while pulling down a half-dozen rebounds. Jordan Zuppe, who hit half of her six three-point field goal attempts, ended the game with 11.

Three other players, Anne Boese, Amanda Hyde, and Erin Murphy, each scored eight points, with Sydney Weinert adding six. Zuppe pulled down five rebounds, while dishing out a game-high six assists. Rosado had two blocks for IPFW, as Zuppe picked off three steals.

The Mastodons jumped out quickly, scoring the first five points of the game on a Boese three-pointer and a Rosado lay-in, and increased its lead to six at 9-3.

Akron would not go quietly, and used a 12-2 run to take its first lead of the game, leading by as many as four at 26-22. The Zips would lead for a total of 2:29 of game time, but the four points would be the high-water mark for the visitors, as the Mastodons responded and out-scored Akron 12-3 over the rest of the half to take a five-point, 34-29 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Akron started strong, out-scoring the Mastodons 6-2 out of the halftime break, cutting the deficit to one at 36-35, before IPFW scored the next eight points on a pair of Zuppe three-pointers and a Rosado lay-in, pushing the lead to nine at 44-35.

The Mastodon advantage grew to ten with just over 12 minutes left in the game, and the lead never dipped below double digits, as IPFW cruised to the 15-point win.

IPFW made 48 percent of its shots (24-of-50), and 9-of-23 from long range (39.1 percent). The Zips hit 23-of-53 shots (43.4 percent), and 3-of-10 from long range, after starting the game a perfect 3-for-3 from long range over the first 15 minutes of the game.

The Mastodons forced 26 turnovers, the second straight game in which IPFW has forced at least 20 giveaways, while pilfering eight steals.

Rachel Tecca scored a game-high 21 points while Natasha Williams scored seven points and pulled down nine rebounds.

The Mastodons return to action on Saturday, November 20, when the team travels east to face off against the Penguins of Youngstown State University, with tip-off slated for 1:05 PM in Youngstown, Ohio.

~Dons~