Box Score |
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BROOKINGS, S.D. – Trailing by as many as 18 points at one point in the second half, the IUPUI women’s basketball team held South Dakota State scoreless for a 8:20 stretch as it cut its deficit to seven points, but costly turnovers and missed opportunities allowed the Jackrabbits to regroup and execute down the stretch as they went on to defeat the Jaguars 62-47 Monday evening at Frost Arena.
#Del’Niqua Bellamy# came off the bench and provided a spark for IUPUI scoring a career-high 10 points and matching a career-high with seven rebounds.
“DeDe [Del’Niqua Bellamy] was our best player on the floor tonight,” said head coach
Austin Parkinson. “She rebounded, did all the little things, and was a factor. When she started to play like that the rest of the team fed off that.”
In addition to Bellamy,
Gretchen Gaskin also scored in double figures with 10 points, her first double-figuring scoring game since Dec. 6 and her third of the season.
The Jaguars dominated the glass against the taller SDSU squad, 41-33, but 20 costly turnovers resulted in 21 points off turnovers for the Jackrabbits.
“We said coming into the game that we needed to rebound and defend the three and were able to hold them to 26 percent from three and outrebound them by eight,” Parkinson added. “Outrebounding them showed some toughness and character, but we didn’t give ourselves enough possessions tonight with 20 turnovers.”
“This is a tough environment to play in and opposing teams have not had a lot of success here. We were in the game late and I don’t think the final score was indicative of how close the game was.”
Both teams struggled offensively from the onset with both teams combining for more turnovers than field goals over the first four minutes.
By the midway point of the first half, the Jackrabbits used eight points from Kristin Rotert to take a 16-6 lead, but a quick response by the Jags brought IUPUI within one possession.
A trey by
Shea Collins and five points at the end of the run by Gaskin concluded a 10-3 run closing what once was a 10-point deficit to three points, 19-16, with 6:24 to play.
Over SDSU’s next five possessions, Rotert, Jill Young, and Tara Heiser each buried three’s during a 14-0 spurt expanding the Jackrabbits lead to 14 points, 30-16, with less than four minutes to play.
Bellamy, the shortest player on the floor, scored IUPUI’s final three baskets of the half including two buckets off offensive put backs keeping the Jaguars deficit at 14 points, 36-22, entering the half.
Jenny Sunnarborg scored five straight points in the first minute of the second half pushing SDSU’s lead to 19 points, but from that point the Jags forced the Jackrabbits to settle for deep jump shots. South Dakota State continued to misfire on their jumpers and IUPUI slowly chipped away at its deficit. A Collins three at the 13:02 mark brought the deficit back down to 13 points, 43-30.
Even though SDSU widened their lead back to 18 points, 48-30, the Jags started to control the glass and make hustle play after hustle play leading an 11-0 charge that brought IUPUI within single digits, 48-41, with 6:21 remaining.
Unfortunately for IUPUI, costly turnovers, missed lay-ups, and SDSU connecting on free throws moved the lead back to double digits and once the lead moved past 10 points, the Jags were unable to make another move and fell, 62-47.
The Jags will host their final two home games of the season next weekend against UMKC and Southern Utah. The Jags open their last homestand against UMKC on Saturday, Feb. 19, before hosting their Pink Zone event and Senior Night against the Thunderbirds on Monday, Feb. 21.
