Dec. 5, 2009
Box Score | Notes
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Senior Melissa Jeltema turned in a 14-point, six-rebound effort, while freshman Bethany Watterworth also added 14 points, but it was not enough for the Oakland University women's basketball team (2-5, 0-1 Summit League) as IPFW (2-4, 1-0 Summit League) shot over 50 percent from the floor in the second half, racing to a 64-58 win over the Golden Grizzlies on Saturday at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.
"IPFW did a nice job of attacking us on the inside and getting us in foul trouble," said head coach Beckie Francis. "We really couldn't stop the bleeding. I was proud of how we came back but we just couldn't finish."
Oakland controlled the game in the early going, pushing ahead by seven (10-3) with 13:05 remaining after a layup by junior Anna Patritto. IPFW responded with a 8-2 run, pulling to within one (12-11) with 9:22 remaining in the half. However, Oakland pushed its lead back to seven (20-13) just three minutes later.
The Mastodons charged back in the closing minutes of the half, going on a 11-4 run, capped by an Anne Boese jumper with 19 seconds remaining in the half to tie the contest at 24-24 going into intermission.
The two teams traded leads ten times over the first nine minutes of the second half, when the Mastodons, trailing by one (40-39), went on a 9-0 run to claim a 48-40 lead with 10:05 remaining in the contest.
The Golden Grizzlies were not done, however, as Oakland rallied, using a 3-pointer by senior Hanna Reising to tie the game at 58-58 with 2:36 remaining. However, the basket by Reising was Oakland's last, and the Mastodons closed the contest on a 6-0 run to seal the win.
IPFW's Stephanie Rosado led all players with 21 points and 11 rebounds. OU committed just 11 turnovers to IPFW's 17, but the Mastodons held a 38-33 advantage on the rebounding glass and a 44.6 to 39.7 percent shooting advantage from the floor.
The Golden Grizzlies will return to action on Sunday, Dec. 13, as Oakland plays host to Purdue at the Athletics Center O'Rena. A 1:30 p.m. tip is scheduled.
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