Jaguars Come Back In Second Half To Down Spartans, 65-56
11/21/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 21, 2007
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - IUPUI shot 56.3 percent from the field in the second half to storm past the USC Upstate women's basketball team, coming back from a six-point halftime deficit to win, 65-56, in non-conference action on Tuesday night at the Hodge Center.
Freshman Oceana Jackson (Carnesville, Ga./Franklin County) posted another solid performance, notching her first career double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds. She hit just four shots from the floor but went 13-for-17 from the free throw line.
"Once we got the ball inside to O, she did a great job," Upstate head coach Tammy George said. "She's a little undersized, but she did a great job of attacking the basket."
Sophomore Courtney Hawkins (Greer, S.C./Greer) posted 16 points, three assists, two steals and three rebounds and junior Ebony Johnson (Columbia, S.C./Ridgeview) posted nine points, six rebounds and five steals. Freshman Tiffany Whiting (Troutman, N.C./South Iredell) just missed her fourth straight double-digit performance, finishing with eight points and six rebounds.
The Jaguars (2-3) got solid contributions from Julia Whitted (18 points, nine rebounds, four blocks), Amy Cook (16 points, four 3-pointers) and Jernisha Cann (15 points, nine rebounds). All three posted double-digit efforts in the second half to negate the six-point halftime lead by the Spartans (1-3).
"We struggled shooting," Upstate head coach Tammy George said, whose Spartans shot 32.7 percent (18-for-55) from the field and 23.8 percent (5-for-21) from 3-point range. "I felt like we were kind of flat and our intensity wasn't there (Wednesday) night."
The Jags used an 11-0 run that stretched between the first and second halves to take their first lead of the game. Back-to-back buckets from Whitted and a three from the left side by Cook gave the Jags a 27-26 lead with 18:41 left. The Spartans responded with two free throws from Jackson and a 3-pointer from Johnson to take a four-point lead. Cook answered with a three and a layup to ignite a 19-8 run and take the lead for good at the 16:30 mark.
The Spartans wouldn't go quietly. After a Whitted layup with 7:04 left, the Spartans went on a 9-0 run capped by a four-point play by Hawkins with 5:03 remaining to make it 54-52. Hawkins was on a no-look pass from freshman Brittany Thompson (Columbia, S.C./Dutch Fork) in the right corner where she drained a three while being fouled. That was as close as the Spartans could get, though, as a 3-pointer from Cook on the left side with 1:29 left gave the Jags a seven-point lead to cement the win.
Upstate started out hot, with layups by Hawkins and Johnson putting the Spartans up 16-7 with 12:49 left in the first half. A jumper and a 3-pointer from Cook helped the Jags cut the lead to 16-14 with 7:22 left in the first, but the Spartans realed off an 8-0 run featuring four points from Jackson to make it 24-14 with 3:34 left in the first. A Hawkins layup after two Jag free throws kept the lead at 10 with 1:16 left in the first, but jumpers from Cann and Whitted cut the lead to six at the break.
The Spartans will stay in the friendly confines of the Hodge Center as they will look to rebound on Saturday at 2 p.m. against Division II Limestone.
Notes:
The Spartans are now 1-2 in home openers under head coach Tammy George and 23-9 all-time.
With five assists, junior Courtney Bradley passed Joey Paugh (1989-93) for seventh on Upstate's career assists list. Bradley now has 274 assists.
Freshman Oceana Jackson has averaged 14.0 points and 7.8 rebounds per game through her first four games.
