Box Score | Photo Gallery

INDIANAPOLIS -- Playing at pristine Conseco Fieldhouse for the first time in school history, the IUPUI women's basketball team went cold in the second half, shooting just 28.6 percent over the final 20 minutes of play as they fell to the USC Upstate Spartans, 73-63, Tuesday night.

IUPUI (3-2) struggled from the interior down the stretch, missing several looks from the low post.  Jernisha Cann was one of the bright spots of the Jaguars, as she posted her fourth consecutive double-double with 23 points and 15 rebounds.  The 23 points matched her career high, while the 15 boards were a season-best for IUPUI.

Leading 32-29 at the intermission, the Jaguars watched their lead slip away for good on a three-pointer by USC Upstate's (4-0) Lesley Daniel with 14:37 remaining in the game; a layup by Cann made it 42-41, but the Spartans went on a 19-9 run over the next 6:49 to wrest control of the game.

"I was just disappointed in our execution tonight, especially in the second half," IUPUI head coach Shann Hart remarked.  "In the first half, we did a decent job of containing their shooters, but we let them get free far too often for open looks in the second half."

Two Upstate three-pointers answered IUPUI baskets, salting away the contest.  In the second half, the Spartans drained 5-of-7 long-range shots to pull away; Courtney Hawkins hit all three of her three-point attempts in the second half and finished with 19 in the half and 22 for the game.

Conversely, IUPUI finished just 2-for-16 from the three-point stripe, missing 10 consecutive three-pointers over a 31:03 stretch until Brykeesha Tate, playing at Conseco Fieldhouse for the first time after working as a ballgirl for the Indiana Fever for multiple seasons, drained a three from the top of the arc with 1:00 left on the clock.  It cut the Jaguar deficit to seven, but IUPUI could not make up the ground.

"Offensively, we struggled, just as we did in the Purdue game.  It felt like we missed 30 layups again, and obviously, you can't miss that many inside shots and expect to win too may games."

In regards to the score, the contest was the polar opposite of the game the two teams waged a year ago; in that game, IUPUI overcame a 26-20 halftime deficit to rally for a 65-56 win at the G.B. Hodge Center in Spartanburg, S.C.  This time, the Spartans turned the tables on the Jaguars.

In the opening half, it appeared the Jaguars may be able to run USC Upstate into the ground; however, the Jags could not pull away, building just a four-point lead on two occasions.  Both times, the Spartans answered with three-pointers to steal any momentum back from IUPUI.

Cann was IUPUI's only real threat in the first half, scoring 12 points on 6-of-11 shooting; the Jaguars defense was able to hold Hawkins to 1-of-6 shooting, but she was able to get free on pick-and-rolls in the second half and carry Upstate to the victory.

The four consecutive double-doubles for Cann are a new career best; with one on Saturday, she will equal the school record of five straight, set by Julia Whitted, who had five straight from Feb. 11-28, 2008.

Whitted finished just shy of her third straight double-double with 13 points and 9 rebounds.  Nicole James had 10 points for the Jags.

The Jaguars will now head to Moon Township, Pa., outside of Pittsburgh, for the Robert Morris Thanksgiving Invitational on Saturday and Sunday.  IUPUI will take on the Wright State Raiders Saturday at 4:00 p.m., with their opponent for Sunday to be determined.