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INDIANAPOLIS -- After a sluggish first half of play, the IUPUI women's basketball team made the necessary adjustments, pulling away for a 65-53 win over the visiting Centenary Ladies Saturday evening at The Jungle.  Head Coach Shann Hart was barefoot for the game, in support of men's head coach Ron Hunter and Samaritan's Feet.

With Governor Mitch Daniels in attendance, IUPUI (8-9, 3-3 Summit) snapped a three-game losing streak with the win, getting a double-double from Julia Whitted in the process.  Whitted, who has four double-doubles in four straight contests, had a game-high 18 points to go along with 10 boards.

"At halftime, we were very disappointed in our effort," Hart said.  "We just came out sluggish, as if we assumed to win.  We talked about setting good screens and utilizing our baseline offense, and fortunately, we executed much better in the second half."

While the Jaguars hit 14 field goals in both halfs, the improvement in their offensive sets shone through in IUPUI's assist total; In going 14-for-31 in the last 20 minutes of play, the Jags tallied 12 assists, led by the 4 of Jernisha Cann and Nicole James.

Cann struggled from the field for most of the game and saw her streak of 13 consecutive double-doubles come to an end; the mark is the ninth-longest in NCAA Division I history.  Still, despite her struggles, Cann contributed 12 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals.

Leading just 29-26 at halftime, the Jaguars scored the first seven points of the second half, getting jumpers from James and a three-pointer from Kiara Butler in the corner to build a quick 10-point advantage, forcing Centenary (3-14, 1-5 Summit) into a quick timeout.

IUPUI maintained the lead for the remainder of the half, but the Ladies made the Jaguars work late in the game, going on a 10-4 run over a 3:17 stretch to trim IUPUI's lead to 52-49.  Once again, the Jags leaned on their defense, using a James and a Brykeehsa Tate layup to move back ahead by two possessions.

The steal ignited the Jaguars, as it began a 9-0 run that effectively ended the game.  Setting up in the post, Whitted converted a turnaround jumper to put IUPUI up, 56-49, before Brittany Ransom drained a three from in front of the IUPUI bench.  Butler capped the run with a layup off a feed from Cann.

"We obviously didn't play as well as we wanted tonight - despite the win, we made a lot of errors, as evidenced by our turnover total.  Still, we needed a win - hopefully it will give us something to build on, as we have a very difficult test on Monday."

James had 12 points for IUPUI, while Butler finished the game with 10.  With Cann back in the lineup, the Jaguars enjoyed a 41-32 rebounding edge over Centenary, converting their second-chance opportunities into 25 points. 

With Whitted and Cann, IUPUI controlled the low post, outscoring Centenary, 36-18, in the paint.  Anne Farrell led the Ladies with 15 points.

Asked about coaching barefoot, Hart remarked, "I have new respect for what Coach Hunter did last year.  Coaching in heels, no matter the size is tough, but my feet are definitely sore right now.  I'm glad we could play a part in today's drive, and hopefully we'll reach the goal of 1,000,000 shoes."

The Jaguars will play their last game in The Jungle for the month of January on Monday, when they host defending conference champion Oral Roberts.  Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m., and fans can catch the action via IUPUI Live!