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INDIANAPOLIS – Relying on their starters to carry the workload, the IUPUI women's basketball team (11-3, 1-0) opened up Summit League play with a big win over a strong defensive team in Western Illinois (11-4, 1-1) Saturday (Dec. 31), as four players made up the entire scoring line for IUPUI. 

"I'm really pleased to get off to a good start in conference by winning the opener," Head Coach Austin Parkinson said of the victory.  "I thought our team was very solid in regards to team defense and rebounding."
 
The Jags shot .444 for the game, and were 8-for-14 (.571) from three-point range.  Despite 11 steals from Western Illinois and committing 16 turnovers, the Jags were strong in several other facets of the game, including winning the battle on the glass.  IUPUI outrebounded Western Illinois 43-30, and held the Leathernecks to .339 from the field.  Emily Clemens, the second-leading scorer in the Summit League with 19.4 points per game, was held to just eight points.
 
Sydney Hall established a new career-high 22 points and was an absolute monster from long-range, dropping in 7-of-8 three-point shots.  Mikale Rogers and Jenna Gunn both finished with double-doubles, while Danielle Lawrence had 12 points, six rebounds and five assists on the day.  All four Jags scored all of the points for IUPUI. 
 
Allowing the ball to flow around the arc, Hall opened the game with a three-pointer on an assist from Lawrence, as the Jags took an early lead.  The next trip down, they dialed up the same formula, this time a corner three from the sophomore point guard.  Rogers opened up things from the paint on the next offensive possession, utilizing a post-move to put the ball through the nylon.  The Jags flashed picture-perfect ball movement on the next trip, finding an open Lawrence from the left-side for another IUPUI triple.  Hall ripped her third three-pointer following a trio of empty offensive trips for the Jags, as IUPUI held a 14-7 lead.  She'd connect again from distance on the next trip, sending the Jags into a media timeout with a double-digit lead.
 
Out of the break, Gunn put the Jags back on the scoreboard with an offensive board that she pushed into an and-one play, as the Jags held a 20-10 lead.  Rogers followed suit with an offensive board that she put back for two, but the Jags watched their lead shrink on a pair of WIU three-pointers.  After an officials review, one of the three-pointers was reduced to a two-point shot.  Lawrence hit from mid-range on the right side, Rogers picked up a block on one end and turned it into two points on the other, then followed it up by drawing an offensive foul with under 10 seconds to play.  The Jags closed the quarter leading Western Illinois 26-18.  The Jags shot .588 in the quarter, and 5-for-6 from three-point range.  They outrebounded the Leathernecks 8-5.
 
After a free-throw to start the quarter, Gunn worked an opening down low on a setup from Hall to put up the Jags first field goal.  Despite going more than three minutes without a point, the Jags locked it down on the defensive end, keeping the Leathernecks to 1-for-10 shooting through the first half of the second quarter.  Rogers finally broke up a lengthy dry spell with a smooth post move to put IUPUI up 31-24.  Utilizing a smart timeout, the Jags dialed up the right play just before the half, as Byrd find a cutting Lawrence to the right-side of the rim, as IUPUI put up one more bucket before the break.  The Jags led 33-24 at the half.  As a team, IUPUI shot just 3-for-13 (.231) in the second quarter, but held the Leathernecks to 2-for-17 (.118) on the defensive side.  True to their identity, the Leathernecks forced nine turnovers, picking up five steals.  The Jags outrebounded WIU 24-15 at the half.
 
Hall opened up the second half the same way she did the game, dropping in a three-pointer on solid ball movement.  Gunn added two free-throws, as midway through the third quarter, the teams had combined to score just 10 points.  Lawrence tiptoed her way down the base line to find an open Gunn in the lane, as the junior tossed up another pair for the Jags.  Rogers picked up and offensive board and returned it to the iron, as the Jags reclaimed a double-digit lead at 42-31.  With under two minutes to play, Lawrence added a pair of free-throws, Hall hit a corner three, and the Jags took a 47-38 lead into the final frame.  The Jags went 4-for-13 in the third quarter, as the Leathernecks shot 5-for-12.  The teams tied each other 14-14 in scoring output, as the Jags were 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.
 
Hall once again came through with the opening act, a three-pointer a minute into the action to kick off the final quarter.  Rogers worked an opening in the middle of the paint on a setup from Hall, as the Jags climbed to a 52-40 lead.  Hall added a free-throw, Lawrence hit a knifing layup, Gunn ripped a right-side jumper, and the Jags headed into a media timeout with a 57-42 lead. Out of a timeout, Rogers hit in transition, but the bucket was quickly negated on a Western Illinois breakaway.  Lawrence made a good cut to the basket for a layup, then found Rogers on a thread-the-needle pass to the post, as IUPUI went up 63-50.  Rogers hit 3-of-4 free-throw attempts in the final minute, as IUPUI closed out the game with a Summit League opening victory, 66-52.
 
With the victory, the Jags will next face Omaha on the road (Jan. 5).
 
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