Box Score

MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Trailing by 11 with 3:42 ledt on the clock, the IUPUI women's basketball team mounted a furious comeback but could not pull even, falling to Wright State, 59-57, in the semifinal of the Robert Morris Thanksgiving Tournament at the Charles L. Sewall Center.  Jernisha Cann tied an IUPUI record with her fifth consecutive double-double, finishing with 22 points and 10 rebounds.

IUPUI (3-3) dropped their second consecutive contest, but nearly pulled off an improbably comeback over the last three and a half minutes of the game.  After a Jaguar turnover, Wright State's (2-1) Shey Peddy raced for a breakaway layup to open the 11-point advantage for the Raiders.

However, the Jaguars would not go away quietly, as Julia Whitted converted a three-point play to make the score, 56-48, with 2:27 to play; another Whitted basket made it a six-point game with just over two minutes remaining.

Despite missing the ensuing free throw, the Jaguars kept hope alive when Nicole James grabbed the offensive board - the extra possession proved fruitful when Cann knocked down two free throws to make the score, 56-52, with 1:48 on the clock.

Cann came away with a steal on the next Wright State possession and hit a jumper in transition, slicing the Jags' deficit to just a single basket with 1:38 remaining.  However, IUPUI never got a shot to tie or take the lead, as a turnover on their next possession squandered their opportunity.

With the respite, Wright State put an end to the 9-0 IUPUI run as LaShawna Thomas hit a jumper with 32 ticks on the clock to push the Raiders lead to four at 58-54.  James and Cann both missed three-pointers on IUPUI's next possession, and Thomas hit 1-of-2 free throws on the other end of the court to push the lead to five.

A three-pointer by Quanisha Turner with 0:02 closed the scoring.

"I was proud of the way we came back today," IUPUI head coach Shann Hart said.  "That said, however, we should have never put ourselves in that position.  It was disappointing to have so many turnovers, and they cost us, especially down the stretch."

"Our turnovers and inability to generate offense outside of Cann and Whitted cost us today."

Both teams started slow, shooting under 40 percent in the first half, but coming on in the second half, as each team hit over half their attempts in the second half of play.  After being held to four points in the first 20 minutes, Cann had 18 on 7-of-10 shooting in the second half, knocking down 2-of-3 three-point attempts, her first of the year.

Whitted, whose double-double streak Cann matched, was equally impressive inside with 17 points and 7 rebounds on 8-of-11 shooting.  The junior also had 6 blocks to build an intimidating interior defense.

However, where IUPUI struggled for much of the day was from outside the paint, as the Jaguars only received 18 points from players not named "Cann" or "Whitted."  As a team, IUPUI hit 23-of-51 attempts, but Cann and Whitted accounted for 17-of-29, leaving the other nine Jaguars to shoot 6-for-22.

Aside from the exterior shooting woes, 29 turnovers contributed to the Jags' demise.  Wright State converted the 29 miscues into 30 points, while IUPUI had 20 points off of 20 Raider turnovers.  Three Jaguar starters had five or more turnovers in the game.

With neither team shooting well in the first half, Wright State led, 25-20, at the break; the Raiders stretched the lead to 10 3:43 into the second half and led the rest of the way.

The Jaguars will have less than 24 hours to turn around after the defeat, as they will take on Howard University in the consolation game of the RMU Tournament.  Tip-off is scheduled for 12 p.m. ET.