Box Score

INDIANAPOLIS -- Something about Mondays in The Summit League seems to suit Nicole James.  For the second straight Monday, James led IUPUI in scoring, scoring 17 points to lead three Jaguars in double figures as IUPUI defeated North Dakota State, 59-54, Monday night at The Jungle.

IUPUI (6-11, 2-3 Summit) led wire-to-wire, leading by as much as 12 points and never allowing North Dakota State (7-9, 2-4 Summit) to close within one possession in the second half.  

James, who had a career-best 18 points in the Jaguars 56-51 win over UMKC on Jan. 7, again provided the outside scoring punch for the Jags.  The Franklin Central-product knocked down 6-of-9 field goals, including 2-of-3 from downtown.  

While James provided the outside punch, Julia Whitted helped open up the court by dominating inside.  Whitted helped IUPUI outscore North Dakota State, 30-20, in the paint, going 8-for-17 inside and finishing the game with 16 points and 8 rebounds.  

In the first half of play, Whitted scored the Jags' first two baskets, opening up the court.  Two more layups, this time by Christina Cunningham and James, forced the Bison into an early timeout after they fell behind, 8-1.

Cunningham finished with 11 points, helping the Jags ice the game at the free throw line.

When the Bison closed to within two points early on, the Jaguars responded with a 12-2 run to turn an 8-6 lead into a 20-8 advantage.  Jernisha Cann had 6 points during the stretch, while James capped the run with a three-pointer.

Taking a 10-point lead into the intermission, the Jaguars and Bison went back-and-forth in the early goings of the second half, with North Dakota State closing to within 5 points halfway through the half.

Again the Jags responded favorably, using a turnaround jumper by Whitted, a long jumper by Farren Stackhouse and a layup from James to push their lead back to 11.

North Dakota State came back with one more run, cutting the IUPUI lead to 6 with 3:28 to play, but Cunningham knocked down a three from the wing to push the advantage back to 9.

From there, IUPUI hit 5-of-8 free throws to close the game.

The Jaguars will venture out on the road this weekend, taking on Centenary and Oral Roberts.  IUPUI will face the Ladies of Centenary at 3:00 p.m. CT from the Gold Dome on Saturday, Jan. 19.  The Jags will close their road trip at ORU on Monday, with the tipoff coming from the Mabee Center at 7:05 CT.

Both games will be available online via SummitTV.