EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The IUPUI women's basketball team suffered through a 4-for-29 second half, falling to No. 17/18 Michigan State, 65-35, Friday night at the Breslin Center.
In the opener of the Preseason WNIT, the Jaguars knocked down just 14-of-59 attempts from the field. Sophomore Julia Whitted led the Jags with 10 points.
Junior Jernisha Cann had 13 rebounds, but struggled to knock down jumpers throughout the night, finishing 1-for-13.
Cann's struggles were emblematic of the Jags, as they scored just 13 second half points in the loss. In the second half, the Jaguars went 9:59 without a field goal, as Michigan State stretched a 20-point lead to as much as 31.
IUPUI (0-1) could not contain Spartans center Alyssa DeHaan, who finished with 18 points, 7 rebounds and 7 blocks. DeHaan's presence on both ends of the court disrupted the Jaguars, leading to foul trouble on the defensive end and shooting woes on offense.
22 turnovers also hampered the Jaguars, as they struggled to find an offensive flow for most of the second half.
The Jaguars opened the game sloppily, committing more turnovers in the first four minutes of the game than they did they remainder of the first half. Seven turnovers put the Jags in an early 12-0 hole, causing an IUPUI timeout just 16:59 into the half to settle the squad.
As the Jaguars calmed, they gradually battled back, solving the Spartans defense by getting the ball inside to Whitted, who went toe-to-toe with the 6-foot-9 DeHaan. While DeHaan had 10 points in the first half, Whitted matched that despite picking up three fouls.
Junior Farren Stackhouse provided instant offense from the bench, entering the game and knocking down the Jags first bucket of the season with a three-pointer and sparking IUPUI with five points.
The Jaguars closed their deficit to five points with 11:41 remaining in the half, but could get no closer, as Michigan State went 11-for-12 from the free throw line to keep their cushion. With 3:24 left in the opening 20 minutes, IUPUI trailed 30-22, but two late Spartan three-pointers and a free throw extended their advantage to 15 at the break.
IUPUI will open its 2007-08 home slate with Morehead State on Wednesday, Nov. 14. The game will begin at 7 p.m. from The Jungle. The Jaguars's next WNIT opponent will be Marshall, with the two squads facing off on Friday, Nov. 16 on the campus of Miami-Ohio.
