Box score |
Box score (PDF)
INDIANAPOLIS – DeAirra Goss scored 24 points on 10-for-11 shooting from the field to lead the IUPUI women's basketball team to an 86-63 victory over Northern Kentucky University at the IUPUI Gymnasium on Wednesday night.
Goss missed her only shot of the night with 3:39 remaining in the game and finished 4-for-5 from the free-throw line. She grabbed four rebounds for IUPUI (8-4), while Dawn Luster and Nicole Rogers each added 12 points for the Jaguars.
Melody Doss scored 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the floor and grabbed three rebounds to lead NKU (4-6).
Kayla Thacker finished with 12 points, three rebounds and three steals for the Norse
With 4:43 remaining in the first half,
Kelley Wiegman hit two free throws to give the Norse a 33-26 advantage, the largest lead by both teams in the opening stanza. The Jaguars, however, finished the half with a 17-4 run to take a 43-37 advantage into the break. IUPUI had six different scorers during that stretch, led by Goss' six points.
Both teams shot 66.7 percent from both the floor and 3-point arc in the first half. NKU went 4-for-6 from long range, while IUPUI finished the half 2-for-3.
The Jaguars opened the second half with a 12-5 run behind seven points by Gross to push their lead to 55-42 with 14:12 left in the game. IUPUI would eventually stretch its advantage to as many as 24 (81-57) and the Norse would get no closer than 21 points the rest of the way.
"We did not do a good job defensively on them and a lot of that has to do with the fact that they are a good basketball program," NKU head coach
Dawn Plitzuweit said. "They have good players who space the floor, penetrate, kick and dump it inside. They did a lot of good things today."
The taller Jaguars finished with a 31-19 edge in rebounds, outscored the Norse 50-26 in the paint and limited NKU to 9-for-24 (.375) from the field in the second half. IUPUI's defense pressured the Norse into a season-high 23 turnovers.
NKU entered the game as the top free-throw shooting team in the Atlantic Sun Conference at 77 percent but struggled from the line on the day, connecting on just 63 percent (17-for-27) from the charity stripe.
IUPUI earned its first victory in the all-time series against NKU with the win. The Norse still hold a 17-1 advantage.
NKU concludes the non-conference portion of its schedule on Saturday afternoon as the Norse welcome Ball State to The Bank of Kentucky Center at 2:30 p.m. for Military Appreciation Day, presented by the Kentucky National Guard. Veterans and individuals with a military id receive free admission, while their guests will be given $1 admission to the game.
