Mastodons Drop Season Opener to SIU Edwardsville 74-67

Sunday, November 11

Fort Wayne, Ind.

2:00 p.m.

Purdue Fort Wayne

0-1

SIUE

1-0

Team	1	2	F
SIU Edwardsville	29	45	74
IPFW	39	28	67

Photo by: Lucas Carter

Mastodons Drop Season Opener to SIU Edwardsville 74-67

11/11/2012 5:22:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Box Score

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The IPFW women's basketball team was defeated by SIU Edwardsville on Sunday afternoon by the final score of 74-67. The Mastodons held a 39-29 lead at the half, but the Cougars came back behind a 23 point, 16 rebound performance from Raven Berry.

Three Mastodons scored in double figures against SIU Edwardsville in the season opener. Haley Seibert led the team with 15 points off five 3-point field goals. Amanda Hyde and Rachel Mauk contributed with 14 and 12 points respectively. Hyde shot 7-for-16 from the field while adding five rebounds and a team-high six assists. R. Mauk hit three 3-point field goals to help her reach 12 points.

SIU Edwardsville also had three players score in double figures. Berry shot 10-for-21 from the floor to net her 23 points. The senior grabbed eight offensive rebounds on her way to a 16 rebound performance. Courtney Kenner scored 11 points and added five assists for the Cougars and Valerie Finnin contributed with 10 points.

Points in the paint ended up being a key factor in Sunday afternoon's game as the Cougars outscored IPFW 42-14 in that category. SIU Edwardsville also scored 19 points off IPFW turnovers which helped them erase their first half deficit.

Foul trouble also hurt IPFW in the second half as Amanda Hyde picked up her third foul of the game near the 13 minute mark and a critical fourth foul was whistled against Hyde with 11:26 to play. The 'Dons led 50-48 when Hyde committed her fourth foul, but the momentum shifted after that point as the Cougars pushed their lead to nine with Hyde on the sideline.

SIU Edwardsville shot 51 percent in the second half compared to just 33 percent for IPFW. The Mastodons got off to a good start as they hit 43 percent of their shots in the opening 20 minutes, including 7-for-17 from distance. The team cooled off in the second half and was also not able to reach the free throw line as they only attempted seven shots from the charity stripe compared to 25 for the Cougars.

Rebecca Bruner and Stefanie Mauk each played well in a losing effort as Bruner ended the day with eight points, two rebounds, and an assist in 22 minutes of play. S. Mauk hit two 3-point field goals ending the game with six points and a team-high nine rebounds. Erin Murphy also provided IPFW with a spark off the bench by scoring nine points.

The Mastodons will return to action on Tuesday, Nov. 13 with a matchup against Grace. The game will be the first part of a doubleheader as the men's team will also host Rochester at Memorial Coliseum. The women's game will tip off at 5:30 p.m. to start the action.

~ Feel the Rumble ~