Purdue Fort Wayne
13-17
South Dakota State
20-10
Jackrabbits Shoot Their Way to Summit Semifinals
3/7/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 7, 2010
Sioux Falls, SD - The IPFW Mastodons trailed by just two points with 5:29 left on the first half clock, before the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, in front of a home-team friendly 5,384 fans, made 26 of their next 31 shots over a 19-minute span, turning their two-point lead into a 44-point advantage, cruising to the Summit League semifinals with a 93-52 win over the 'Dons.
“Obviously we are very disappointed,” said IPFW head coach Chris Paul. “We felt like we had a good game plan in place coming in, and it worked early. I felt comfortable with the looks we were getting early in the game.”
Chelsey Jackson scored a team-high 19 points, as Stephanie Rosado, Jordan Zuppe, and Eva Ivanova each added eight points. Rosado and Ivanova pulled down eight rebounds apiece to tie for the team lead, with Jackson dishing out a team-best four assists.
To compound the hot shooting of SDSU, IPFW hit just 16-of-61 shots in the game (26.2 percent), and just 5-of-31 (16.1 percent) in the first half. For the game, the Jackrabbits made 34-of-68 shots, and a conference-tournament-record 13 three-point field goals on 29 attempts.
IPFW made 8-of-22 from long range, keeping alive two long-distance shooting streaks, the first a run of 345 consecutive games with a three-point basket made, the fifth longest current streak in the country, and a 31-game streak of at least one three-point basket made by sophomore Anne Boese, who finished the season with 96 three-point baskets, second most in Summit League history.
IPFW jumped ahead quickly, reaching the scoring column first with a three-pointer from Jackson, before the home team on the scoreboard scored seven straight to take a lead that they would not give up for the remainder of the game. IPFW tied the game back up at 10 apiece following a Sarah Haluska old-fashioned three-point play, and the Blue and White used a 5-0 run to cut the deficit to just two with 5:39 left in the first half after a pair of Anne Boese free throws.
For the next 19 minutes it was all South Dakota State, as the Jackrabbits ended the half on a 14-0 run to lead by 32-16 at halftime, the fewest points scored in a half by the Mastodons this season, and the fewest since North Dakota State held IPFW to 16 in the Gates Sports Center on January 5, 2009.
A 39-11 run to start the second half put the game out of reach for the Mastodons, who fell to 13-17 on the season, a Division I school record for wins during a season.
“In the second half we knew we would have to make a run, but we did not expect them to shoot the ball that well,” said the head coach. “They are a great basketball team, and unfortunately we caught them on a night where they played extremely well.”
Maria Boever scored a game-high 20 points, leading five Jackrabbit players in double figures. Kristin Rotert scored 17 points, Jennie Sunnarborg and Ketty Cornemann 15 each, and Jill Young 11. Jennifer Schuttloffel pulled down 10 rebounds, as the 'Jacks out-rebounded IPFW 47-36 in the game.
“It is hard to find failure in the best season we have ever hard,” commented Paul. “We will take this loss and move on. We will be better next year. What we will try to do is to build a basketball program from the ground up that has had very little history. We have good kids, and quality people.”
~Dons~
