IUPUI Cruises to Second Tournament Victory, With 61-34 Win Over Lamar

Nov. 27, 2011

Final Stats (PDF)

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Led by junior Kerah Nelson’s game high 22 points, the IUPUI Jaguars defeated the Lamar Cardinals 61-34 in the second to last game of the Basketball Travelers Tip-Off Classic Sunday at Allen Fieldhouse. IUPUI moved to 3-3 on the season and finished the tournament with a 2-1 record, while Lamar dropped to 5-3 on the season with their 1-2 record in the Tip-Off Classic.

The Jaguars jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead and did not look back, as Lamar would trail during the entire contest. Midway through the first half the Jaguars held a 26-15 lead off the heels of a three-pointer by Katie Comello. The redshirt sophomore would head to the locker room with 15 points and would finish the contest with 17.

IUPU came out in the second half much like the first and went on a quick 7-1 run before the Cardinals would answer with their first field goal of the half. IUPUI did not let Lamar back into the contest as they would extend their 27-point lead to a game high 33 at one point in the second.

The Jaguars outshot the Cardinals 42.6 percent – 25percent during the game and outrebounded them 40-31. The third IUPUI player in double-digits was freshman Nevena Markovic, while Lamar had two reach that same plateau as freshmen Ria Pateraki and Shauna Long both scored 10. IUPUI next plays North DakotaState at home on Wednesday, while Lamar takes on UTEP this Thursday in El Paso.

IUPUI head coach Austin Parkinson
On defending Lamar junior guard Kalis Lloyd:
“I’m so proud of the team. We challenged the team and DeDe (Del’Niqua) Bellamy last night and she played really well against Kansas. And we told her that today she would be guarding Lloyd who is taller and averaging nearly 20 points—she had 20 last night with 12 rebounds. And DeDe comes out today and shuts her out; I think she will be in the running for defensive player of the year.”

On the junior forward Kerah Nelson:
“With the way we started the game, Kerah Nelson showed tremendous leadership. What she did the second half versus Kansas, she carried it over into today and really set the tone for the way we played.”

On the performance by his IUPUI Jaguars:
“DeDe is really growing and learning from her freshman to her sophomore year to embrace her role and understanding what that is. She has been attacking the basket pretty well too with some nice plays at the bucket. But it was a team effort; Katie Comello and Nevena Markovic both bounced back well after some tough games. And Emily Phillips did a great job; she ran her ball club and got us into our offense. If you are going to have that leadership from the point position, then you are going to be pretty good.”

On his Jaguars’ effort:
“With Sunday games like this (with an 11 a.m. tip) I told them it’s all about heart and toughness. If you want to play and you have energy then you are probably going to win the game. And to all of our credit, the kids came out and had a lot of energy.”

Lamar Head Coach Larry Tidwell
On his team’s performance today:
“Our overall performance, on a scale of one to ten was about a minus-two. As we’re trying to build the team, we are having trouble with a lot of things that aren’t about basketball. The tournament is first-class; I would come (back) here in a heartbeat. The facilities, the people, the coaches, everything was first-class, and it was a shame that we didn’t play like we were capable of playing. We’ve had some good wins this year; we beat Ole Miss out of the SEC and we’ve just had some good wins this year. We had a rough tournament, and we have to get some things fixed.”