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Jernisha Cann
John Gentry, Jr.

TWICE AS GRAND FOR CANN IN 68-47 WIN OVER SOUTHERN UTAH

Senior becomes first IUPUI player with at least 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in her career

1/3/2009 9:27:11 PM

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INDIANAPOLIS -- Sluggish after a hard fall in IUPUI previous game, Jernisha Cann still managed to become the first player in IUPUI basketball history with at least 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds in the Jaguars' 68-47 win over Southern Utah Saturday evening at The Jungle.  With 14 points and 11 boards, Cann tallied her 12th straight double-double.

IUPUI (7-6, 2-0 Summit) snapped a two-game losing skid by jumping out to an 11-point lead midway through the first half and letting Southern Utah (5-8, 1-2 Summit) within 10 points on one occasion the rest of the way.  The Jags shot a blistering 48.4 percent from the field in the opening stanza, including a 5-of-7 effort from Cann and 3-for-4 from Nicole James.

"It was good to get a win today," IUPUI head coach Shann Hart said following the game.  "We didn't always play our best - Southern Utah definitely outhustled in stretches of the game - but when we needed to, we came away with points and [defensive] stops, which was good to see."

The Jaguars used a strong interior offense with Cann and Julia Whitted scoring the first eight points of the game to stake IUPUI to an early lead.  The Thunderbirds would come within three points, at 11-8, but get no closer the rest of the way, as the Jags answered with a 7-0 burst to open a 10-point lead.

Cann knocked down a jumper to get the rally started, and Kiara Butler faked her defender, took a dribble and launched a three to make it a 16-8 game.  On the subsequent Southern Utah possession, James stole the ball and laid it in to cap the run.

Though Southern Utah would cut the lead to six, IUPUI quickly built it back to double-digits as Janna Eichelberger drained a three from the corner and James converted a layup in traffic to push the Jaguars advantage to 23-12 with 7:55 remaining in the half.

It was a simple rebound that landed Cann in the IUPUI record books.  Brykeesha Tate missed a runner in the lane, but after the ball caromed off the hands of players inside, it ricocheted to Cann at the free throw line, where she simply scooped it up to tally career rebound 1,000.

The Kansas City, Mo.-native joined Delores Jones (Northeastern Illinois, 1994-98) and Elisha Turek (Oral Roberts, 2003-07) as the only Summit League players in the 1,000-1,000 club.

"I'm tremendously proud of Jernisha," Hart said.  "She's made a positive impact here at IUPUI since she stepped onto campus.  Moving into this select group - and being the first player to do it at IUPUI - will help her continue to receive the recognition she is deserving of."

With IUPUI ahead 35-20 at halftime, Southern Utah continued to play hard in the second half, cutting IUPUI's lead to 45-36 on two free throws from Challis Pascucci with 10:27 remaining.  However, the Jaguars answered with another 7-0 surge to put away the game.

Butler hit two free throws before Tate knocked down a jumper off a feed from Cann to make it 49-36, IUPUI.  Another Butler freebie and Cann layup pushed the lead to 16 with 7:27 left in the game.

The Jaguars led by as much as 25 before the final buzzer sounded.

10 of the 11 Jaguars who played scored at least one point, as IUPUI outscored Southern Utah, 38-12, off the bench.  Three Jaguars - Cann, Whitted and Brittany Ransom - finished with at least 10 points.  Ransom's 10 points matched her career high from a year ago. 

Eichelberger, Butler and Ransom all hit two three-pointers for IUPUI, as the Jags knocked down a season-best 6 long balls, going 6-for-12 from behind the arc.

"It was great to get some of our shooters going today.  If we're going to compete for a Summit League title, we're going to need to take the pressure off of Cann and Julia to an extent, and we'll need to hit some jumpers along the way."

IUPUI will look to sweep their weekend at home when they host UMKC on Monday, Jan. 5.  Tip-off from The Jungle is scheduled for 7 p.m., and fans can follow the game via live stats and IUPUI Live!
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