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FORT WAYNE, Ind. – In an impressive showing in which the Jags owned the lead in the game for all but 17 seconds, the IUPUI women's basketball team (16-6, 6-3) put on a strong display in a 62-48 blowout victory over Fort Wayne (4-18, 1-8) Saturday (Jan. 28), pushing the Jags to their fifth-straight win.  The win helps IUPUI improve to 17-11 lifetime against Fort Wayne.

"I thought our team came out really sharp on both ends of the floor, and that set the tone for the game," Head Coach Austin Parkinson said.
 
On the afternoon, IUPUI shot 23-for-43 (.535) from the field while going 4-for-14 (.286) from three-point range.  After only attempting three three-pointers in the first half, the Jags launched 11 in the later portion of the game.  The Jags were outrebounded 19-24, but didn't need much help on the glass as the team was regularly knocking down their shots early on.  The Jags committed 14 turnovers, forcing 19 the other way.
 
Four Jags finished in double-figures, led by Mikale Rogers and Jenna Gunn who had 15 points each.  Danielle Lawrence had 11 points and four steals, while Sydney Hall had 10 points with four steals of her own.  Allex Brown, Caitlyn Tolen and Holly Hoopingarner scored for IUPUI as well.

"Jenna Gunn was outstanding and had an aggressive mindset," Coach Parkinson added of his player.  "Mikale played a solid all-around game and was very patient in her decision making."
 
Rogers' right hand began the journey to victory for IUPUI, as she dropped the ball in on a turnaround jumper to put the Jags up.  Hall would follow up on the next possession with a spin move and a touch shot off the glass.  Gunn would keep the hot start going, knocking down a jumper to make the Jags a perfect 3-for-3 to start the game.  She'd hit again on the next trip on a setup from Hall on an inbounds pass, putting the Jags up 8-0.  Hall would dish her second assist, this time to Rogers who tossed in the layup.  With 4:58 on the clock, Gun tossed in her third bucket of the game while getting fouled, as the Jags continued the perfect start, going 6-for-6.  She'd complete the and-one play.  Hall picked off a pass and tried to take it the distance, getting fouled in the process.  She'd convert 1-of-2 free-throws.  With just over two minutes remaining, Lawrence picked up her first points of the game, a layup, as the score moved to 16-8.  After being fouled on the play, she'd knock down the free-throw to convert the and-one.  Brown checked in and hit a pair of free-throws, Lawrence knocked down a jumper, and the Jags cruised to a big lead at the end of the first, 21-12. The Jags picked up 12 points in the paint and forced five Mastodon' turnovers while shooting 8-for-9 from the field.  IUPUI owned the boards, 4-1.
 
Lawrence began the second quarter with the game's first three-pointer, doubling up the 'Dons on the scoreboard.  Hall answered a layup from Fort Wayne with one of her own, but the Jags progressed was marred by a flurry of turnovers.  The Jags committed four turnovers in the span of four minutes, as the Mastodons were able to pull back within 10 points.  Out of a timeout, Byrd set up Rogers on a right-block layup as the Jags picked up their first points in nearly three minutes.  Byrd tossed her second dime, this time to Tolen who knocked down a three-pointer for her first points.  A foul 20 seconds later allowed Gunn to hit a pair of free-throws, Hall picked up a pair of steals, one of which converted into a Rogers' jumper.  The Jags finished the first half with the score 35-21, as the team combined to go 13-for-18 (.722) from the field, shooting just three three-pointers and knocking down two of them.  Despite committing nine turnovers, the Jags forced 10 turnovers defensively.  They took the second quarter, 14-9.
 
A minute into the action following halftime, Rogers set up Gunn for a jumper, as she knocked down her 11th point of the game.  A minute later, Lawrence hit Hall who knocked down her first three-pointer of the game.  Rogers converted the Jags third and-one play of the game, later hit a jumper, then set up Lawrence for a three-pointer as IUPUI built its largest lead of the game at 18 points.  Out of a timeout, Hall got into double-figures with a layup, the fourth player for IUPUI.  Brown hit her third and fourth free-throws of the game, followed by her fifth and sixth following a Lawrence steal.  Lawrence picked up her second steal in less than 30 seconds, which resulted in a jumper by Gunn just before the end of the quarter.  The Jags shot 7-for-12 in the third frame, and a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line.  After limiting themselves to just two turnovers, they forced five by the Mastodons.  They won the quarter 21-11.   
 
Hoopingarner, after being in foul trouble for most of the game, got her first bucket two minutes into the fourth quarter, also adding a steal shortly thereafter.  A sloppy quarter forced the Jags to burn a timeout, which later corrected on a pair of baskets from Rogers and Gunn.  After going mostly blank during the rest of the quarter, the Jags turned the game over to their bench, allowing the reserves to finish the game.  Despite a 6-16 showing by Fort Wayne, the Jags cruised to a victory, ending the game 62-48. 
 
With the victory, the Jags will return home to face Omaha Thursday (Feb. 2) at 7 p.m. EST.
 
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