Box Score

ROCHESTER, Mich. -- IUPUI junior Julia Whitted matched her career high with 27 points on 11-for-18 shooting, but the rest of the IUPUI women's basketball team went 9-for-35 from the floor in a 71-53 loss to Oakland Monday night at the Athletics Center O'Rena.

IUPUI (10-10, 5-4 Summit) slogged through a 9:46 drought in the first half after taking an 11-8 lead midway through the opening stanza.  By the time Jernisha Cann dropped in a layup with 2:52 left in the half, Oakland (16-4, 8-1 Summit) led, 29-13, having just completed a 21-0 run on the Jaguars.

"I thought [our drought] was 12:37, but I get the point," head coach Shann Hart said in the post-game press conference.  "Unfortunately with us being such a young team, that is the downside.  When you can't score baskets, then obviously you have to defend, and we didn't do that well tonight.  Our rotation wasn't good.  Part of that is [Jernisha] Cann not being healthy, but even if she was, collectively as a team, we did not guard well tonight."

Six Jaguar turnovers put fuel on the fire during the Grizzlies' decisive run, as IUPUI finished the half with 13 turnovers and just four assists.

Trailing 32-16 at halftime, Hart lit a fire under the Jaguars in the locker room, helping Whitted come out more aggressive in the second half.  The Northview High School-product hit her first seven buckets of the second half, helping the Jags draw within 11 points on two occasions.

"In the first half," Whitted said, "I wasn't used to what they were doing [defensively] in the post, and in the second half I adjusted.  I came in more aggressively and wanted to get the ball and go to the hoop."

Whitted's three-point play with 6:29 in the game capped a quick 5-0 run in which Whitted scored all five of IUPUI points, bringing the Jaguars within 11 at 57-46.  Though Hanna Reising converted on Oakland's trip down the court, Cann grabbed her own errant shot and put in the rebound to bring the Jags within 11 for the second time in the game.

On IUPUI's possession, Cann missed a three-point attempt from the right wing, and Oakland came away with a loose ball after the senior helped break up a 3-on-1 break, putting in the basket to stem the Jags' momentum and push their lead back to 13.

The Jaguars had one more surge in them, as Kiara Butler drained a three off a feed from Nicole James to cut IUPUI's deficit to 63-51, but Oakland again kept their possession alive after a botched fast break, this time with Sharise Calhoun converting the layup to make it a 65-51 game with 2:25 left on the clock.

Two Cann free throws were all the Jaguars could muster down the stretch.

Whitted's 27 points matched her career high, set on March 8, 2008, in the quarterfinals of The Summit League Tournament.  The junior now has double-doubles in six of her last seven contests after grabbing a season-high 14 rebounds, two shy of her career best.

IUPUI, 9-3 when placing three or more players into double figures, could only muster Whitted's effort, as Cann narrowly missed a double-double with 9 points and 10 boards.  Brykeesha Tate, coming off a 17-point performance at IPFW, and James, who had 12 on Saturday, were both shut out by Oakland.

IUPUI wraps up the first half of The Summit League schedule at 5-4, good for fourth in the conference, while Oakland is tied with South Dakota State for first.

The Jaguars will look to bounce back on Saturday, Jan. 31, when they head west to Kansas City, Mo., for a matchup with UMKC.  Tip-off is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. CT from Kemper Arena.  Fans can catch the game on IUPUI Live!