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OXFORD, Ohio – Another big moment for Head Coach Austin Parkinson and his program, the IUPUI women's basketball team (7-1) got off to their best start in program history after defeating Miami (2-6) 65-53 Wednesday (Dec. 7), utilizing a big fourth quarter to pull away late. 

"Tonight was a game where we gave up the lead and momentum, but were able to answer with our defense in the second half," Coach Parkinson said of his team. 
 
The Jags shot .447 (21-for-47) for the game, including .368 (7-for-19) from three-point range.  Defensively, the Jags forced 24 turnovers, picking up seven steals and three blocks.  IUPUI limited Miami to .344 (21-for-61) from the field, as three Jags finished in double-figures.  Danielle Lawrence led the Jags with 22 points, adding five rebounds, two assists and a block.  Mikale Rogers came just a rebound short of a double-double, going off for 12 points and nine rebounds.  Sydney Hall had 10 points and three steals, while Jenna Gunn added nine points.  Kelsi Byrd, Holly Hoopingarner, and Allex Brown also added to the score for IUPUI.

"Mikale was incredibly efficient and Danielle has put back-to-back strong performances together," Coach Parkinson added.
 
Fresh off her Summit League Player of the Week award, Rogers kicked off the scoring for the Jags with a layup 50 seconds into the action.  Lawrence hit from distance on a setup from Hall to answer a pair of Redhawks' baskets, putting the Jags up 5-4.  Less than a minute later, she'd hit again from long-range, doubling up Miami.  She'd make it eight-straight points, hitting a layup at the 6:13 mark.  Under a minute later, she'd connect for her third three-pointer of the quarter, as IUPUI went up 13-9.  Gunn ended a short two minute scoring drought by the Jags, upping the total to 15-9.  Byrd added her first basket of the game, a triple, with roughly thirty seconds to go in the midst of a nearly six-minute scoreless run by Miami.  They'd end the dry spell with a pair of free-throws just before the end of the quarter, as the Jags led 18-11.  The Jags shot .583 (7-for-12) in the quarter, and .571 (4-for-7) from long range.  They forced five turnovers that led directly eight points, picking up three steals during the stretch.  Lawrence led the Jags with 11 points in the quarter.
 
It took two minutes before Hoopingarner cracked the lid off the basket for the Jags in the second quarter on a jumper.  Miami ended over an eight-minute stretch without a field goal by hitting a jumper on the ensuing possession, but Byrd answered right back with a layup to make it a 22-13 lead.  Rogers hit a jumper to respond to four-straight Miami points, followed by a Gunn triple with three minutes to play to make it 27-19.  Lawrence recorded her first points of the second quarter on a layup with 2:34 on the clock, followed by a Gunn layup forcing a Miami timeout after the Jags pulled ahead by double-digit points.  The Redhawks went on a 5-1 run to end the frame, as IUPUI led at the break, 32-24.  The Jags shot .353 (6-for-17) in the quarter, and just .200 (1-for-5) from three-point range.  The Jags forced seven turnovers and limited themselves to just a single turnover in the quarter.
 
At the half, Lawrence had a team-high 13 points, adding three rebounds and an assist. Gunn had eight points on a 3-for-5 shooting performance, while Rogers had four points and four boards.  Byrd had five points and two assists.
 
Lawrence opened up the second half with a layup 15 seconds in to regain a double-digit lead for the Jags.  The Redhawks responded, going off for five-straight and forcing IUPUI into a 30 second timeout.  They'd stretch it to a nine-point run, before Brown hit for her basket to end the Hawks' streak.  A pair of buckets gave Miami its first lead of the game, as IUPUI was just 2-for-9 from the floor to that point.  Out of a timeout, Rogers hit a free-throw to tie the game, quickly followed by a Hall three-pointer to reclaim the lead.  Hall would add to it on a pair of free-throws, as a Miami bucket was wiped out on an offensive foul.  It didn't take long before Miami came back with five-straight points, tying the game with 1:25 to play in the quarter.  Rogers hit on a jumper on the next trip down to put the Jags back on top, and Lawrence would tack on a free-throw to make it a three-point lead.  Rogers would pick up a big block in the fading moments of the third, preserving the score at 45-42.  The Jags shot just .308 (4-for-13) in the quarter, and 1-for-5 from three-point range.  The Jags forced seven turnovers, committing six of their own. 
 
It took a minute and a half before Rogers hit the first shot for either team, extending IUPUI's lead.  Hall dropped in two free-throws at the 5:53 mark, Lawrence added a pair of her own, and Rogers hit a jumper as the Jags began to slowly rebuild their lead.  Hall again connected on two free-throws with three minutes to play, while Lawrence tallied again to make it a nine-point lead for the Jags.  Byrd hit with 1:35 to play from long range, pushing the Jags to 60 points.  Hall, Gunn, Lawrence and Rogers combined for five free-throws, and the Jags cruised to victory 65-53.  The Jags outscored the Redhawks 20-11 in the final frame, shooting 11-for-14 from the charity stripe. 
 
The Redhawks were in foul trouble throughout the game, as one player fouled out and three others finished with four fouls.  The Jags committed just 14 fouls to 27 for the Redhawks. 
 
The 7-1 start is unprecedented in the history of the women's basketball program at IUPUI, as the Jags will now have a showdown with currently undefeated Ohio (6-0) Saturday (Dec. 10) at 3 p.m. EST in the Jungle.

"It should be a good one on Saturday and we will need everyone to come out to support our ladies," Coach Parkinson said of the big matchup.

IUPUI was recently named the 24th-ranked mid-major program in the top-25 poll by CollegeInsider after defeating Indiana State and Missouri last week.
 
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