INDIANAPOLIS -- Depsite a career-high 25 points from sophomore Julia Whitted, the IUPUI women's basketball team suffered through an abysmal shooting second half, falling to Cleveland State, 60-49, Wednesday night at The Jungle.
IUPUI (3-6) got 25 points and 10 rebounds from Whitted in her second double-double of the season. The sophomore shot 10-for-18 from the field, but the rest of the Jaguars hit just 9-of-40 shots, a 22.5 percent clip.
In the second half, the Jaguars shot 20.8 percent as a team, hitting just 5-of-24 attempts.
Whitted and junior Jernisha Cann each posted double-doubles, accounting for nearly all of IUPUI's 30 points in the paint. Cann had 12 points and 10 boards.
The Jaguars trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half before closing their deficit to one at the intermission. IUPUI was able to score 22 of their 31 points in the paint to keep the game close, dominating inside and on the offensive glass.
Whitted led the way with five offensive rebounds, most coming off her own missed shots.
Freshman Brittany Ransom kept the Jags within striking distance towards the end of the half by scoring six of the last nine points for IUPUI, hitting a free throw, knocking down a three-pointer in the corner and converting a fast-break layup.
Trailing by just one point at halftime, the Jaguars seemed to hit a wall halfway through the second half, lacking ball movement on offense and a rotation on defense.
Cleveland State (3-4) packed the interior on their defensive end, daring IUPUI to hit an outside shot. The Jaguars struggled throughout the half, hitting just one jump shot in the final 20 minutes.
Still, the Jaguars led by two points with 13:22 to play before the dam broke, as the Vikings used a quick 7-0 run to gain control of the game.
Free throws kept IUPUI alive, but Cleveland State was able to wear down the Jaguars, working their way inside to tally 12 points in the paint in the second half. Using strong ball movement, the Vikings were able to get a three-pointer from Brittany Korth with 3:39 to play, extending their lead to nine and effectively ending the game.
The Vikings hit 6-of-17 three-point field goal attempts, compared to the 1-of-11 effort from IUPUI.
The Jaguars will open Summit League play on Saturday, December 8, when they venture to Macomb, Ill., to take on Western Illinois. The game will tip off at 4:30 CST and can be seen on SummitTV at www.TheSummitLeague.org.
