BROOKINGS, S.D. – Hoping to remain in the race for the top spot in The Summit League, the IUPUI women’s basketball team will take on first-place South Dakota State Monday evening at 7 p.m. CT from Frost Arena.
IUPUI (11-13, 7-5 Summit) sits in a three-way tie for fourth place after a disappointing 65-60 loss at North Dakota State on Saturday, three games behind South Dakota State (17-6, 10-2 Summit).
Julia Whitted led the Jaguars with 18 points in the defeat, and is averaging 20.6 points over her last five games.
The Jaguars have won six of their last eight contests, while South Dakota State has won 11 of their last 12, including a 56-46 defeat of IUPUI on Jan. 12 in The Jungle. In that game, the two teams combined for 58 turnovers, 27 of which were on the Jackrabbit side.
While South Dakota State has not lost a game in Frost Arena in the 2007-08 campaign, the Jaguars have not lost on Monday nights this season. Whitted leads the team with 16.4 points on Monday nights, while
Nicole James is posting 12.4 points, along with
Christina Cunningham.
Jernisha Cann is nearly averaging a double-double with 9.0 points and 10.0 rebounds.
The Jackrabbits are led by their point guard, Andrea Verdegan, who controls the offense with 3.4 assists and 9.4 points. Balancing the SDSU attack are forwards Maria Boever and Jenn Warkenthein, who are posting 12.9 and 13.4 points per game, respectively.
The game can be viewed online via SummitTV at
www.thesummitleague.org. Live stats and live audio will also be available on the South Dakota State athletics website at
www.gojacks.com.
IUPUI will fly home from Sioux Falls, S.D., on Tuesday to prepare for their weekend homestand against Oral Roberts and Centenary. The Jags will be hosting 'Think Pink' during their Saturday contest in an effort to promote breast cancer awareness and research. Fans are asked to wear pink to the game, while the Jaguars will warm up in pink shirts.
