ROCHESTER, Mich. – Leading 60-58 with 3:44 to play, the IUPUI women’s basketball team picked a bad time to go cold, as they failed to score over the next 2:46, allowing Oakland to grab a 66-62 win Saturday afternoon in the O’Rena.

IUPUI (13-15, 9-7 Summit) fell one-half game behind Oakland (16-9, 9-6 Summit) with the loss. Despite being outrebounded, 45-30, the Jaguars still found themselves ahead due in large part to their 46.4 percent shooting effort.

Trailing 39-32 early in the second half, the Jaguars mounted a rally from beyond the arc, getting three three-pointers from Nicole James to pull ahead, 53-50, with 8:43 to play. 

Following a controversial Oakland three-point play, the two teams traded the lead from there, with the Jaguars taking their final lead when Julia Whitted grabbed an offensive rebound and put the ball back in, giving IUPUI a 60-58 advantage.

From there, however, IUPUI appeared to wear down, giving up three offensive rebounds to Oakland. With 2:57 remaining, Jessica Pike secured a board in the key and fed Melissa Jeltema for the go-ahead basket.

Whitted’s turnaround jumper caught both sides of the rim, but would not fall, and the Grizzlies extended their lead to six following a long outlet pass to Pike. IUPUI stood one more chance, but following a Jernisha Cann layup with 48 ticks on the clock, the Jaguars could not secure an defensive rebound, allowing Oakland to run the clock down.

Whitted had her eighth double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds. James had 13, while Christina Cunningham chipped in 12, as did Cann.

After scoring 97 points in their previous game, IUPUI got off to a much slower start against Oakland, hitting just 2-of-7 field goals to open the game, allowing the Grizzlies to open up an early six-point lead. 

Still, the Jags battled back, getting the ball in Cunningham’s hands to key a 15-7 run that helped them open up a brief two-point advantage. The senior knocked down a three from the wing to put IUPUI up, 20-18 with 8:40 to go in the half. 

The lead was short-lived, as Oakland went 12-deep on the bench, fueling a 13-6 closing burst that helped the Grizzlies take a 35-30 lead into the half.    

The Jaguars will bus down I-69 for another key Summit League matchup on Monday, facing in-state rival IPFW. Tipoff from the Hilliard Gates Sports Center is scheduled for 7 p.m., while the game can be viewed on SummitTV via www.thesummitleague.org.