INDIANAPOLIS – IUPUI women's basketball opened up its Horizon League home schedule with a convincing 76-41 win over Oakland on Thursday (Jan. 2). The Jags finished with three players in double figures and shot their best percentage from behind the arc all season.
In just 23 minutes, Macee Williams scored a team-high 18 points and pulled down 13 rebounds for her fifth-straight double-double and ninth overall this season. Williams was joined in double figures by Holly Hoopingarner, who tallied 11, and Katelyn O'Reilly, who added 10, going 3-for-3 from three-point range.
For the game the Jags finished 11-for-20 from three (55 percent). It was the highest shooting percentage from beyond the arc this season and the highest since going 10-for-18 (55.6 percent) against Milwaukee on March 2, 2018. The Jags broke out of a slump from behind the arc thanks to a big fourth quarter. In the fourth, IUPUI finished 8-for-9 from deep as the Jags pulled away from Oakland, outscoring the Golden Grizzlies 28-12 in the last ten minutes.
Before the fourth quarter, IUPUI was just 3-for-9 from deep but Sydney Roule got things started with a three that put the Jags up 20. After an Oakland bucket, IUPUI went on a 10-0 run that featured threes by Hoopingarner and O'Reilly. Morgan Allen and Destiny Perkins each hit threes later in the quarter, and Taylor Ramey's first three of the game put IUPUI up 30 for the first time. With the game winding down, Ramey and Agatha Beier each hit one more three.
IUPUI's defense was back to its stingy self, holding Oakland to a season-low 41 points. The Golden Grizzlies shot just over 32 percent from the field and did not hit a three in 10 attempts. It was the first time IUPUI had not allowed a three since Saint Louis went 0-for-13 in a WNIT game in 2017.
"It was great to be back at home tonight and I really liked how we competed defensively all game," said head coach Austin Parkinson. "Katelyn has been off to a very solid start in conference play."
As has been the case in recent games, IUPUI dominated on the glass, outrebounding Oakland 46-22. The Jags also used great ball movement, assisting on 20 of their 29 baskets. Hoopingarner dished out a season-high seven assists.
IUPUI jumped all over Oakland early with the Jags taking a 15-4 lead on a Natalie Andersen layup with two minutes left in the quarter. Williams was the catalyst for the early lead scoring 10 points in the frame, outscoring the Golden Grizzlies by two by herself as IUPUI led 19-8 after the first quarter.
The Golden Grizzles pulled back in to the game, getting the score within four in the second but IUPUI pulled away using a 14-2 run over a five minute frame. During the run, IUPUI went 5-for-8 from the field with both O'Reilly and Sydney Roule hitting threes. Oakland did manage a final basket to end the quarter but IUPUI took a 35-21 lead in to the half.
The early part of the third quarter again belonged to Williams as the junior scored six of IUPUI's first seven points with IUPUI taking a 42-25 lead halfway through the quarter.
UP NEXT
IUPUI will take on Detroit Mercy on Saturday (Jan. 4) with tip off at 2 p.m.
