Purdue Fort Wayne
South Dakota State
Mastodons Fall by 11 to Hot Shooting Jackrabbits
2/20/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 20, 2010
Box Score |
Photo Gallery 
Fort Wayne, IN - The South Dakota State Jackrabbits made a blistering 62.2 percent (28-of-45) of their shots from the field, and the Mastodons, who made just 30.8 percent in the first half, could not overcome a 11-point halftime deficit, falling to the Jacks 76-65 in a Summit League match-up on Saturday at the Memorial Coliseum.
"South Dakota State is an excellent basketball team," said IPFW head coach Chris Paul. "Even though they've lost to Oral Roberts twice, in my mind they are the favorite. They have size, they have strength, and when they shoot nearly 50 percent from threes, they are impossible to beat. They are tournament savvy, and they know how to win. I thought that they played very well tonight. Our kids didn't stop working, they kept fighting, and we were able to accomplish some things in the second half."
Sydney Weinert and Chelsey Jackson battle for a loose ball against South Dakota State  |
|
Chelsey Jackson tied for the game high with 19 points, while Anne Boese scored 12, becoming the school's single-season three-point leader, making 4-of-8 from long range in the loss. Sydney Weinert added 10 points, with Jordan Zuppe and Eva Ivanova scoring nine and seven points, each. Stephanie Rosado scored six points and pulled down a team-leading eight rebounds, as Jackson dished out five assists for a game-high.
South Dakota State was nearly unstoppable from the field, making 28-of-45 shots, and 8-of-17 from three-point range (47.1 percent). IPFW struggled from the field, making 23-of-60 shots (38.3 percent), including just 8-of-26 (30.8 percent) in the first half.
The teams traded baskets to start the game, SDSU first with a lay-in by Jennie Sunnarborg, with IPFW's Jordan Zuppe following with a three-point basket, giving IPFW a 3-2 lead, their only one of the first half. The Jackrabbits, currently tied for first place in the Summit League standings, rattled off 12 straight points, turning the one-point deficit into a ten-point, 18-7 lead six minutes later.
IPFW would not back down, running off nine straight points of their own, capped b a Jackson lay-in with 8:36 left in the half, cutting the SDSU lead to just two at 18-16. The Mastodons were unable to overcome the entire deficit, with the Jacks answering back by out-scoring the `Dons 15-6 over the rest of the half, taking an 11-point, 33-22 lead into the locker room at halftime.
IPFW and SDSU went back and forth, opening the second half, with the IPFW deficit sitting at a dozen after an Anne Boese three-pointer with 14:47 to play, before the visitors rattled off a 23-10 run, pushing the Jack lead to 25 at 65-40. the Mastodons kept fighting, and ran off an immediate 9-0 run to cut the deficit to 16; however, the closest the team would come would be 11, when Jackson made a basket with 5.6 seconds left, giving the game its 76-65 final score.
"I told the players at halftime that in the first half we couldn't throw the ball in the ocean if we were on a boat," commented Paul. "We were missing lay-ups and we were missing free throws in the first half. In the second half South Dakota State made a run, but we answered and bounced back, and the second half score was 43-43. We can't miss that many lay-ups, and go 11-of-20 from the free throw line, and still beat South Dakota State."
SDSU was led by Kristin Rotert who scored 19 points, as Maria Boever added 17. Jill Young scored 11 points off of the bench, with Macie Michelson scoring 10 and picking up a game-high four steals.
The `Dons return to action on Monday, February 22, when the team plays host to the Bison of North Dakota State University on senior night for the squad's three seniors, Ivanova, Laura Gerhardt, and Courtney Reed. Tip-off for the game is set for 7:00 PM EST at the Hilliard Gates Sports Center.
"Monday night means everything," said Paul. "For one, it is senior night and you want to honor your seniors. Secondly it gives us a chance to get back to .500 before the last game of the year, because one of our preseason goals was to have a winning season. It would also give us an 10-win home season, which would be the best since we've gone to Division I. It means everything, because you want that momentum. We want to win the last two and feel really good about what we are doing heading into the conference tournament, because even though I think South Dakota State is the best team, I believe it is up for grabs when we get out there."
~Dons~
