Second Half Surge Leads IPFW to Third Straight Win

Monday, January 10

Fort Wayne, Ind.

7:00 PM

Purdue Fort Wayne

Western Illinois

Stephanie Rosado picked up her fifth double-double of the season against Western Illinois

Second Half Surge Leads IPFW to Third Straight Win

1/10/2011 9:47:04 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

BOX SCORE | POSTGAME NOTES (.pdf) | PHOTO GALLERY

Fort Wayne, IN - IPFW used a second half 11-0 run to turn a five-point lead into a 16-point margin, as the Mastodons put enough space between themselves and the Western Illinois Leathernecks to cruise to an 86-74 Summit League victory on Monday evening.

IPFW picks up its 10th victory of the season on January 10, the quickest to 10 wins since the program joined NCAA Division I in 2001-02, and the fifth quickest in the 36 years of the program.

Stephanie Rosado scored a game-high 24 points while also pulling down a game-high 10 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season, and 11th of her career, while Jordan Zuppe added 16 points and six assists for the Mastodons.

Anne Boese added 13 points, while Amanda Hyde poured in 11 off of the bench. Erin Murphy scored nine, with Sydney Weinert chipping in seven in the winning effort. Hyde added five rebounds, while Rosado and Weinert each dished out a trio of assists. Weinert had a game-high three blocked shots, while Zuppe picked up three steals in the win.

IPFW (10-5, 4-2 Summit League) jumped out quickly, scoring five points in the game's first 24 seconds, and led by as many as six at 11-5 before the Leathernecks went on a 9-2 run to take a one-point, 14-13 lead. The teams went back-and-forth, with WIU (4-11, 2-3 Summit) leading by two at 23-21 before IPFW ran off a 12-2 run of its own to lead by eight at 33-25 with just over six minuts remaining before halftime.

The first half lead grew to as many as nine, which was the final margin at the break after a Hyde lay-up with 48 seconds remaining in the stanza closed the scoring in the period.

A quick jumper by Kayla Drake put IPFW ahead by 11 30 seconds into the second period; however, the feisty Leatherneck squad fought back, closing to as few as five at 56-51 with 12:20 to play in the game, before IPFW's 11-0 run, highlighted by three-pointers from Zuppe, Murphy, and Boese. The lead grew to as many as 18 at 78-60, and never dipped to single digits, as the 'Dons cruised to the 12-point win.

IPFW made 33-of-62 shots from the field, a percentage of 53.2, the third time this season IPFW has shot over .500 in a game, and the second highest shooting percentage of the year. IPFW knocked down 9-of-26 three-point field goals (34.6 percent), while converting on 11-of-13 charity stripe attempts.

The Mastodons committed just eight turnovers, the second lowest total in a game this year, and the +10 assist-to-turnover margin is five better than the previous high this year.

Sadie Webb scored a career-high 23 points, while Valencia Kelly tied her career-high with 19. Michelle Salvatori added 13 points, as the trio had 55 of the team's 74 points in the game. IPFW forced 13 Leatherneck turnovers, but was out-rebounded by WIU 31-to-30.

The Mastodons return to action on Saturday, January 15, when the team hosts Oakland University in a Summit League double header, with tip-off for the women's game scheduled for 4:30 PM.

~Dons~