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JAGS LOOK TO EXTEND WINNING STREAK THURSDAY AT WESTERN ILLINOIS

Jaguars and Leathernecks tip at 8 p.m. ET

1/29/2014 10:00:00 AM

By: John Berry, IUPUI Sports Information
Live Stats | Listen Live | Watch Live ($) | IUPUI Game Notes (.pdf)

MACOMB, Ill. - Following a three-game homestand, the IUPUI women's basketball team returns to the road this weekend beginning with a trip to Macomb, Ill., on Thursday, Jan. 30, to take on Western Illinois.

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
  • The Jaguars and Leathernecks will tip at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday at Waste Management Court inside Western Hall.
  • Live stats can be accessed through www.IUPUIJags.com via www.GoLeathernecks.com.
  • Fans can also watch the game online via www.GoLeathernecks.com for a fee.

ABOUT WESTERN ILLINOIS
  • The Leathernecks enter the week as the highest scoring team in the league averaging 81.4 ppg, and they are coming off a weekend split at South Dakota and Denver last weekend.
  • WIU is led by Ashley Luke, who averages a double-double with 19.8 ppg and 10.6 rpg, which rank second and first in the conference, respectively.
  • Michelle Maher and Tori Niemann are also scoring in double figures averaging 14.1 ppg and 13.3 ppg, respectively.
  • Rebecca Henricson is the facilitator for the Western Illinois offense dishing out 113 assists compared to committing just 31 turnovers.
  • Luke is shooting a team-best 54.5 percent from the floor, and collectively the Leathernecks are shooting 44.7 percent. Maher is the top threat from three with 43 makes, followed by Liz Skotowski's 37. Maher is coming off a performance in which she hit seven three's in a four-point loss at Denver on Jan. 26.
  • Defensively, WIU is forcing its opponents into 19.6 turnovers per game while allowing 71.8 ppg.

THE SERIES WITH THE LEATHERNECKS
  • Thursday's contest will be the 33rd meeting between IUPUI and Western Illinois with WIU holding a 23-9 lead in the series.
  • IUPUI has won three straight in the series, including two straight at Waste Management Court inside Western Hall.
  • Both teams enter the game averaging more than 70.0 ppg, but neither team has scored more than 70 points in the last 20 meetings.
  • The last time either team scored more than 70 points was on March 1, 2004, when the Leathernecks scored 79 points.

LAST TIME OUT ...
  • DeAirra Goss scored a game-high 26 points, but Akilah Sims and Dawn Luster scored three points in the final 12 seconds to lead an improbable comeback giving IUPUI a 70-68 win over in-state and Summit League rival IPFW Saturday afternoon (Jan. 25) at The Jungle.
  • Goss scored 19 of her game high 26 points in the first half and had an opportunity to tie the game with under 20 seconds to go, but missed one-of-two opportunities from the free throw line that kept the Jags behind by one. Despite misfiring from the line, Dawn Luster and Akilah Sims picked up Goss and teamed up to score the Jaguars' final three points to secure the come-from-behind victory.
  • IUPUI was efficient on the offensive end of the floor for the first 20 minutes hitting 53.8 percent of its field goal attempts compared to 36.4 shooting for the Mastodons, but 14 IUPUI fouls in the first half resulted in the Mastodons outscoring the Jags 15-9 from the charity stripe to offset their shooting woes.
  • With the score tied at six early on, the Jags had four different players score during a 12-2 run that put them in front 18-8 with 11:11 to play.
  • The Jaguars cushion fluctuated between six and eight points for the next several minutes until an Amanda Hyde free throw closed IPFW within four, 27-23, with just under six minutes to play.
  • In the final minutes of the half, Goss scored six points, and Mikale Rogers and Shanika Maddox combined for five to offset some Mur Hagerman three's helping IUPUI take a 38-33 lead into the half.
  • Out of the half, two three's from Nicole Rogers kickstarted a 10-2 run over the first six minutes that boosted IUPUI's five-point halftime lead to 13 points, 48-35.
  • Five uncharacteristic turnovers and four Mastodons free throws started a run that dipped IUPUI's lead to single digits, 52-43, as the midway point of the half neared, but that turned into a 23-6 run that placed IPFW on top 58-54 with 6:25 remaining.
  • The Jags remained poised and used an old-fashioned three-point play from Sims with 3:30 remaining to regain a one-point lead at 62-61, but the see-saw ending began when Ariana Simmons hit a three and Seibert connected on two free throws to reestablish a 66-62 IPFW lead.
  • Nicole Rogers connected on a 15-foot baseline jumper to make it a one-possession game, 66-64, as the two-minute mark approached, before Luster drove and got a runner to fall with 1:37 on the clock to knot the score at 66.
  • However, after being held to just 4-of-13 shooting for the first 39 minutes, the Mastodons top offensive threat in Hyde buried a jumper from the left wing with 36 seconds left to give IPFW a 68-66 advantage.
  • On the other end of the floor, Goss drew a foul on Hyde – her fifth - and looked to tie things up, but missed the first free throw before making the second to bring IUPUI within one, 68-67. On the ensuing inbound, Luster stole the ball from behind Seibert in the backcourt corner, found Goss underneath the rim, and Sims grabbed Goss' miss and got the put back to go to quickly give the Jags a 69-68 lead with 12 seconds to go.
  • On the defensive end, IUPUI managed to get the ball back after forcing a jump ball with five seconds to play, and Luster hit one-of-two from the line after being fouled to move the lead to two, 70-68. Seibert got a look with under two seconds to go that would have sent the game into overtime, but it fell off the front of the iron giving the Jags the two-point victory.
  • IUPUI, who came into the game ranked second in field goal percentage in the Summit League behind IPFW, outshot the Mastodons 50.0-percent to 39.2-percent, but IPFW hit 91.3-percent of its free throws to outscore the Jags at the line 21-12.
  • The Jaguars did win the rebounding battle, 33-24, thanks in part to Nevena Markovic's game-high eight rebounds and Sims' seven. Markovic also joined Goss in double figures with 11 points.

GOSS EARNS SECOND STRAIGHT WEEKLY CONFERENCE HONOR
  • After winning her first Summit League Player of the Week honor on Jan. 21, it didn't take long for senior guard DeAirra Goss to win her second weekly award.
  • Goss continued her impressive start to Summit League play by scoring 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting against IPFW on Jan. 25, while adding four rebounds and four assists.
  • Goss scored 19 of her 26 points in the first half and upped her Summit League scoring average to 19.8 ppg.
  • A week after holding South Dakota's leading scorer Nicole Seekamp scoreless, Goss had another challenge on the defensive end of the court on Saturday receiving the assignment on reigning Summit League Player of the Year and this year's leading scorer in the league, Amanda Hyde. Goss held Hyde to 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting from the floor – 10 points below her season average entering the game.

LEADER OF THE PACK
  • Since the start of Summit League play, senior guard DeAirra Goss has elevated her play on both ends of the floor.
  • In the non-conference portion of the Jags schedule, Goss led IUPUI with 11.8 ppg, while adding 4.1 rpg and 1.3 apg. She scored those 11.8 ppg on 43.8 percent shooting from the floor, and got to the line around five times per game while connecting on 62.8 percent of her tries.
  • Since league play began, Goss has been more aggressive on the offensive end averaging 19.8 ppg, while upping her rebounding and assists averages to 4.6 rpg and 2.0 apg.
  • Not only is she shooting 51.6 percent from the field, but she is getting to the line approximately seven times per game and hitting 83.3 percent from the stripe.
  • During this stretch, Goss has scored over 20 points three times, including a career-high 27 points on a career-best 11 made field goals against South Dakota on Jan. 16.

SOPHOMORE SURGE
  • The term sophomore slump is used in basketball for those who had great rookie seasons, before watching their sophomore numbers not reach the expectations set by their freshmen statistics.
  • In the case of Akilah Sims, the Fort Wayne, Ind.-native has developed her game significantly from her freshman to her sophomore season and her development been a vital piece of IUPUI's success.
  • After averaging 4.7 ppg on 39.7 percent shooting, and 3.7 rpg as a freshman in 13.6 minutes per game, Sims has upped all those numbers in her sophomore campaign.
  • This season, Sims' scoring average has jumped to 9.7 ppg and that is thanks in part to her 52.7 percent shooting from the field, which ranks fifth in the Summit League.
  • Sims has also upped her rebounding average to 4.3 rpg, and her free throw percentage has risen from 56.1 percent last season to 66.1 percent in 2013-14.
  • She has scored in double figures nine times, including in three straight games from Dec. 30 to Jan. 9, and her best performance came against Denver on Jan. 18 when she scored a career-high 18 points.
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