INDIANAPOLIS – The IUPUI women's basketball team (6-19, 4-12 HL) completed a wire-to-wire victory Sunday (Feb. 18) afternoon, outscoring Robert Morris (6-19, 2-14), 70-50, ending a four-game skid.
Faith Stinson paced the Jags, tallying a game-high 17 points with five three pointers. The sophomore was close to a double-double as well, recording seven rebounds. Jazmyn Turner, however, did reach the milestone for the third time this season, scoring 13 points and pulling down 10 boards to lead all players.
Abby Wolterman opened the scoring with a shot from beyond the arc that was the first of three in the opening five minutes of the contest. The other two came from Jaela Johnson, who came off the bench and connected on her first two attempts. A three pointer from the other side of the court cut the lead to seven, 16-9, just before the end of the quarter.
IUPUI continued its success from deep in the second quarter, knocking down a pair of threes in the opening two minutes—one from Logan Lewis and Stinson's first of five. The two also scored inside the paint to cap a 10-0 run to start the stanza, stretching the lead to 17. After trading baskets for most of the quarter, a Wolterman jumper just before the end of the half tied the largest lead of 18 that the hosts would carry to the break.
The Jags were outstanding on the defensive end in the first half, limiting the Colonels to a 34 percent field goal percentage on 9-of-26 shooting. There was also a big discrepancy in rebounds (22-5) that led to the difference on the scoreboard.
Despite struggling offensively to start the third quarter (1-for-6) and turning the ball over three times in the opening five minutes due to the Colonel's full court pressure, the Jags held onto its double-digit lead they built in the first half. The Jaguar offense got back on track at the free throw line, with Jaci Jones and Turner combining for five straight free throws to extend the advantage in the middle of the quarter.
Robert Morris, however, continued to cut into the lead on the back of its efficient offense, closing out the quarter with a 46 percent shooting percentage. The visitors also converted on 8-of-10 attempts from the charity stripe to outscore IUPUI 20-15 in the quarter and give the team a shot heading into the final stanza.
The Colonels began the fourth quarter with a long two that made it an 11-point game—the smallest advantage since the opening minute of the second quarter. The Jags' Walton matched the score with a three on the other end that brought the crowd in the Jungle to their feet.
It took nearly 35 minutes for IUPUI's leading scorer, Katie Davidson, to get on the board but her layup in the final quarter stretched the lead to 19. Robert Morris, however, continued to knock down difficult shots to stay within reach.
A Stinson three—her fifth of the game—pushed the advantage to 20 with just over a minute remaining sealed the deal. The five three pointers mark a new career-high for the sophomore.
Thalia Walton rounded out the double-digit scoring for the Jags, tallying 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting. Johnson and Wolterman followed closely behind, with each registering nine points and the former dishing out a season-high seven assists.
IUPUI will now take on Cleveland State on Wednesday (Feb. 21) for Favorite Professor Night. The contest will be the team's second of three straight home games.
