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INDIANAPOLIS – Answering the call of a hot-shooting opponent, the IUPUI women's basketball team (8-2) fought their way to victory against Tennessee Tech (3-8) Wednesday (Dec. 14), overcoming a small halftime deficit to win by double-digits, 77-63.  The Jags finished with five players in double-figures on the night, as every player who touched the floor scored for IUPUI. 

As a team, the Jags shot 25-for-57 (.439) from the field, including 7-for-19 (.368) from long-range.  Operating at peak efficiency in their easy opportunities, the Jags converted 20-of-23 free-throws, with no player missing more than one time from the line. 
 
Danielle Lawrence led all players on the night with 17 points, also picking up seven rebounds and shooting 7-for-8 from the free-throw line.  Sydney Hall had 15 points, two steals and a block, Kelsi Byrd posted a season-high 10 points, and Holly Hoopingarner added 11 on the night.  Mikale Rogers put up 10 points with five boards and three blocks, as Jenna Gunn, Caitlyn Tolen, and Allex Brown also tallied for the Jags.
 
After watching the Golden Eagles drop in a long jump shot to start the game, Lawrence went cutting down the lane on a pass from Hall to toss up the Jags first points of the game.  Rogers would add to it on a hook shot on the next trip, as IUPUI went up 4-2.  After watching Tennessee Tech drop in back-to-back buckets, Hall ripped a triple to reclaim the lead for the Jags.  Tolen was gifted a second chance on a missed three-pointer, as Hall pulled in an offensive board to set up the senior with her second chance.  She'd convert, granting IUPUI a 10-6 advantage.  Hoopingarner followed suit with a pair of three-pointers, Brown put back a missed shot, and the Jags took a commanding 18-8 lead early.  Rogers spun her way through a crowd to put up a bank shot with 1:35 to play, but the Jags went blank during the remainder of the quarter, as the Golden Eagles plated a pair of buckets to cut into the deficit, 20-15.
 
The Jags shot 8-for-17 (.471) in the first quarter, grabbing 10 boards to seven for TTU.  IUPUI committed just two turnovers, forcing three the other way. 
 
Brown started the second quarter on a jumper set up by Gunn to ignite the scoring festivities.  Hall quickly followed with a triple, Lawrence hit a long jumper, Hall again connected in transition, and IUPUI held a 29-24 lead with 5:07 on the clock.  The Golden Eagles went on a furious rally, scoring eight unanswered points to take an eventual lead.  Hoopingarner hit her third bucket, a jumper, to end the drought, but the Jags still faced a one-point deficit with under two minutes to play.  After seeing the gap grow to three, IUPUI tossed in a pair of free-throws from Byrd on a technical foul called against Tennessee Tech, as the Jags once again pulled to within a point.  Gunn hit a very long jumper at the one-minute mark to put the Jags back on top, but they'd see a late bucket by TTU peg them to a deficit as they headed to the locker room for the half.
 
The Jags shot just 6-for-16 (.375) in the second quarter, giving up three turnovers but forcing five on the other side.  After going 4-for-9 from three-point range in the first, the team went just 1-for-3 in the second frame, as the Golden Eagles owned the quarter with a 15-21 scoring advantage.
 
In the first half, IUPUI picked up nine points off of turnovers, and 14 off the bench.  The Golden Eagles commanded the paint, outscoring the Jags 20-8 in the lane and converting eight fast-break points. 
 
Just 28 seconds into the second half, Lawrence put up a free-throw to tie the game, as the Jags looked to respond to a crooked second quarter.  She'd hit a layup on a quick move on the left side, tying the game again.  Things got chippy as a double-technical was called against Lawrence and Yaktavia Hickson of Tennessee Tech, which was her second of the game.  Hickson was ejected from the game, as Lawrence pushed the lane on the next possession and earned a trip to the free-throw line.  She'd drop in both, as the Jags picked up a 40-38 lead.  They'd hit a fast break bucket on a steal by Rogers who found a streaking Tolen down-court.  Lawrence attacked the lane again, earning another chance at the charity stripe and converting on both shots.  Picking up a foul away from the ball, Rogers worked the fifth team-foul from TTU, heading to the line and dropping in both chances.  After watching the Golden Eagles tie the game once again, Byrd hit a left-side triple with roughly five minutes to play as IUPUI went back on top.  After drawing contact on a push to the basket, Hoopingarner dropped in two free-throws, as IUPUI grew its lead to 51-48.  She'd add one more from the line, Byrd earned a bucket down low with a hard push, Hall drew contact on a left-side layup, as IUPUI went up 56-52 with 37 seconds left on the clock.  She'd convert the and-one play.  Byrd connected again on a steal that went the length of the court, and Rogers added a block at the end of the frame as the Jags led by seven, 59-52.
 
The Jags shot 6-for-13 (.462) in the quarter, forcing six turnovers by the Golden Eagles.  Lawrence had seven points in the quarter, as three players reached double-digit figures by the end of the frame.
 
Tolen hit a big corner three-pointer to start the fourth quarter, as the Jags pounced on the Golden Eagles early.  Despite showing a heightened sense of urgency, calls seemed to not go in favor of IUPUI to start the quarter, as Tennessee Tech picked up back-to-back buckets.  Lawrence answered the call after a timeout, hitting in transition with six minutes to play.  Rogers found an opening down low, Lawrence had a put-back bucket, and IUPUI went up 68-60.  Getting down to the final pair of minutes, Byrd drew contact on a trip to the lane, hammering down a free-throw as part of the effort.  Rogers spun right and faded away on a converted jumper, as IUPUI looked to burn the clock holding onto an eight point lead with under a minute to play.  With the Golden Eagles playing the foul-game late, Hall dropped in two free-throws, followed by two more on a second trip, as the Jags held their biggest lead of the game with 12 points.  Lawrence added two from the charity stripe, as the Jags would burn the clock, and walk away with a 77-63 victory. 
 
With the win, the Jags now turn their focus to Belmont, who the team will face on the road Sunday (Dec. 18). 
 
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