Valparaiso Holds Off IPFW 82-73

Tuesday, December 4

Fort Wayne, Ind.

7:00 p.m.

Purdue Fort Wayne

3-4

Valparaiso

3-5

Valparaiso

IPFW

Photo by: Lucas Carter

12/4/2012 9:56:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Box Score

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The IPFW women's basketball team fell to the Valparaiso Crusaders on Tuesday night by the final score of 82-73. Amanda Hyde led the way for IPFW, scoring a game-high 25 points.

Hyde knocked down 10 of her 16 shots, including 3-for-4 from long range to score her 25 points. The junior also chipped in with five assists and three rebounds. Stefanie Mauk and Erin Murphy also impacted the IPFW offense as each student-athlete scored 10 points against Valparaiso. Mauk hit three 3-point field goals and really stepped it up defensively with six rebounds and a career-high three blocks.

Rachel Mauk, Haley Seibert and Mur Hagerman each scored seven points against the Crusaders on Tuesday night. Seibert was 5-for-5 from the charity stripe with four assists and Mauk added two assists and two rebounds.

The inside presence of Gina Lange and Tabitha Gerardot hurt IPFW as the two combined for 35 points. Lange was 10-for-10 from the free throw line on her way to scoring 18 points and Gerardot shot 50 percent from the floor to net 17. The Crusaders got 15 points from guard Charae Richardson who also added six assists, three rebounds and two steals.

Each team shot the ball very well overall, but the Mastodons were lights out from 3-point range in the first half hitting 75 percent from distance. The hot shooting by IPFW got the team back in the game after trailing early.

IPFW's largest lead of the first half was 10 points, but a Valparaiso charge led by Gerardot would erase the deficit as the Crusaders came back to take the lead with just over six minutes remaining in the opening half. A layup by Lexi Miller would split the teams right before the break as Valpo entered the locker room with a 34-32 lead.

Valpo got off to a good start in the second half and quickly increased their lead to eight points after a 3-point field goal from Richardson. Hyde answered with a 3-pointer nearly two minutes later, cutting the gap to just three points at 47-44.

The 'Dons briefly took a one-point lead after a 3-pointer from Stefanie Mauk, but the Crusaders took control of the game after that moment as back-to-back 3-point field goals from Miller and Maegan Callaway pushed the Valpo lead to five. The lead doubled after a layup from Gerardot with just less than seven minutes to play and Valpo grabbed their largest lead of the game at 68-54 with 5:39 to play. IPFW tried to foul down the stretch to narrow the gap, but Crusaders shot 88 percent from the free throw line allowing them to hang on for their third win of the season. IPFW falls to 3-4 with the loss.

The IPFW bench outscored Valparaiso 22-16, but a huge difference in this contest was Valparaiso converting points off IPFW turnovers. The Crusaders scored 29 points off IPFW miscues and also poured in 36 points in the paint to build a lead.

The Mastodons will try to even their record at .500 this Thursday night as they host No. 14 Purdue at the Gates Center at 7 p.m.

~ Feel the Rumble ~