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INDIANAPOLIS -- The IUPUI women's basketball team raced out to a 16-point halftime lead, only to see their advantage evaporate in the second half.  Fortunately for the Jaguars, they weathered the Oral Roberts run and came back for a 59-51 victory over the Golden Eagles Monday at The Jungle.

IUPUI (9-9, 4-3 Summit) used a 28-7 run to close the first half, only to see Oral Roberts (9-9, 2-5 Summit) open the second half of play on a 26-5 run to get back into the game.  Down the stretch, Jernisha Cann and Julia Whitted came through for the Jags, combining for 9 of IUPUI's final 18 points.

Trailing by three with 5:32 remaining, Cann hit 1-of-2 free throws, but IUPUI retained possession on an offensive board.  After a defensive stand, Brittany Ransom hit a three from the corner off a feed from Cann, giving the Jags a 44-43 lead they would not relinquish.

Whitted came through with a layup in traffic off a dish from Janna Eichelberger to push IUPUI's lead to 48-45 with 3:37 on the clock, and on the defensive end of the court, put an end to Oral Roberts' chances with a block on a drive by Mariana Camargo with 60 seconds to play.

The block, combined with two Nicole James free throws, put the Jaguars ahead, 54-47 with 48 seconds remaining.  IUPUI closed the game by going 7-for-8 from the charity stripe in the final 3:00 of play.

"We did a good job of regaining our composure down the stretch," head coach Shann Hart said.  "Obviously, Oral Roberts deserves a lot of credit for taking us out of our comfort zone and coming back.  I felt like if we could just get the lead back, our kids would relax, and thankfully, it happened."

At halftime, it did not appear that the Jaguars would need any late-game heroics, as a 28-7 run fueled the Jags to a 32-16 halftime lead. 

While the Golden Eagles opened the game with a 9-4 lead, IUPUI began to constrict the opportunities for ORU, fueling the burst.  The Jaguars forced 14 first-half turnovers, leading to 11 points.  And while Oral Roberts tried to clog the paint and dare IUPUI to take jump shots, the Jags were able to knock down the mid-range jumper, opening the paint for Cann and Whitted.

Ransom got the run started with a layup, and Whitted followed with a jumper in the paint off a feed from Brykeesha Tate.  James knocked down a 17-footer from the right wing, and when Whitted hit a jumper from the top of the key, IUPUI led, 12-11.

Off a long rebound, Kiara Butler found Cann on the outlet for an easy layup, putting IUPUI up, 14-11, and forcing an ORU timeout.  A Georgia Jones jumper was just a temporary plug for the Golden Eagles, as Eichelberger and Butler both drained baskets - the second coming on a no-look, cross-court pass from Tate.

Eichelberger drilled a three from the corner to continue the outburst, and Ransom capped the festivities with her first three of the game to put IUPUI up, 32-17.

Still, the Golden Eagles came roaring back after Whitted had the first basket of the second half, taking their first lead since the 12:01 mark of the first half on a drive by Janae Voelker with 11:13 remaining.  Cann tied the game at 39 with a turnaround jumper, but ORU gained a four-point lead with just under 7:00 remaining, setting IUPUI up for the come-from-behind win.

While the Jaguar defense allowed Oral Roberts to hit 52.4 percent of their attempts in the second half, they limited the damage by holding the Golden Eagles to a 1-of-4 mark from three-point range.  Oral Roberts, who entered the game hitting 7.1 three-pointers per game, went just 2-for-14 from downtown.

For Cann and Whitted, it was the fourth game this season in which they posted double-doubles in the same contest.  Whitted finished the night with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Cann had 11 points and 10 rebounds.  James was the third IUPUI scorer to reach double figures, finishing with 12 points.

The Jaguars will be back in action on Saturday, Jan. 24, when they head north on I-69 to take on IPFW.  Tip-off from the Hilliard Gates Sports Center in Ft. Wayne, Ind., is scheduled for 1:30 p.m..  Fans can catch the game on IUPUI Live!