Austin Parkinson Postgame Interview I Photo Gallery

INDIANAPOLIS – From the start, the IUPUI women’s basketball team went up and down the floor and scored 54 points off 45 Franklin College turnovers resulting in a 94-34 exhibition win over the Grizzlies Monday evening at The Jungle.

“I thought the kids did a good job, especially after we subbed and that second wave really pushed the tempo, got in the passing lanes, and played the way we want to play,” head coach Austin Parkinson said. “We talked about getting up in the passing lanes and being aggressive because we said if you are not going to do your job, somebody will. We played a lot of people tonight and I was pretty pleased with the effort.”

In addition to forcing 45 turnovers, IUPUI’s up-tempo style resulted in the Jags connecting on 35 of 77 shots, with 11 of those buckets coming on fast-break opportunities.

Dee-Dee Bellamy paced the Jaguars offensively scoring 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor, and added six boards. Five of Bellamy’s six rebounds came on the offensive end of the floor.

“Dee-Dee is very fast and tonight I thought she used her speed but played under control.” Parkinson said. “She’s made some improvement on her mid-range game, took good shots, and really disrupted things defensively. When she plays that hard and rebounds like she does, she has a big impact on how the game is played.”

The other lone Jaguar to score in double figures was true freshman Akilah Sims, who scored 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting in her first game in an IUPUI uniform.

Alongside Sims, DeAirra Goss, Jordan Barton, Nicole Rogers and Shawnece Teague all saw their first action as Jaguars. Goss scored nine points, dished out three assists and had three steals.

“I thought Akilah Sims really set the tone early with her rebounding and aggressiveness,” Parkinson added. “She got on the glass early and I think scored in double figures at the half, so it’s always nice to see that.

“Nicole Rogers struggled from outside, but I liked how aggressive she was. DeAirra is going to be a really good player for us and we didn’t have to play her as much tonight, but I’m sure as we get going and get into more competitive games that she’ll be a factor,” Parkinson said.

Out of the gates, IUPUI’s height proved to be a huge factor and ultimately IUPUI outscored Franklin 54-20 in the paint. Nevena Markovic, Clara Mitchell and Alyssa Holder combined to score 17 points, grab 16 boards and record six steals in 35 minutes of play, with Markovic posting a game-high nine rebounds.

IUPUI begins its 2012-13 campaign on Saturday, Nov. 10, when it welcomes Grace College to The Jungle for a Noon start.