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LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Playing in a hallowed basketball venue with a young team, IUPUI head coach Shann Hart knew it would be imperative to get out to a strong start in Sunday's game against Louisville.  Instead, the Jaguars staggered out of the gate, scoring nine points in the game's first 10 minutes en route to an 88-58 loss to the Cardinal at Freedom Hall.

IUPUI (1-9) finally got going midway through the first half, but by then the damage had been done.  By the 6:51 mark of the first half, the Jaguars trailed, 36-11, done in in large part by a 4-for-17 shooting effort to start the contest.

"It's tough to beat any team when you start off so cold from the field," Hart said following the game.  "But when you're playing a Big East team at their court, you have to try and make up for it by limiting their second chances, and they killed us on the boards, too."

The cold start hurt, but Louisville (6-3) dominated the glass, outrebounding IUPUI, 47-31, for the game, including a 24-13 advantage in the opening half.  The nine offensive boards led to 12 second chance points for the Cardinals, led by Chauntise Wright, who had 12 points in eight minutes of first-half play.

Wright's size clogged the middle - both offensively and defensively - and kept IUPUI off-balance on both ends of the court, as she finished with 18 points on the evening.

Still, the Jaguars kept  battling, whittling a 27-point deficit to 20 on the strength of their full-court press late in the first half.  Jessica Huffman got IUPUI rolling with a jumper, before Janna Eichelberger went coast-to-coast for a layup to silence the Freedom Hall crowd. 

After an Ebony Davis steal led to a Huffman layup, the Cardinals burned their second timeout of the half to settle down, taking a 22-point lead into the locker room.

The Jaguars were optimistic that their momentum would carry over into the second half, but Louisville squashed those aspirations by trading buckets with IUPUI over the first five minutes of the half, eventually building a 33-point lead before settling on the final margin.

Huffman's 21 points led all players, while Alyse Poindexter had a career-high 7 points in her return to her home state.  Fellow Kentucky native Clara Mitchell had 4 points.

Louisville was led by Becky Burke, who had 19 points, while Wright added 18.  The Cardinals put five players into double figures, as Gwen Rucker and Nikki Burton each had 12, while Laura Terry chipped in with 11.

The Jaguars forced 24 Cardinals turnovers.

IUPUI will practice through the week before hosting Murray State on Monday, Dec. 21.  Tip-off from The Jungle is scheduled for 7 p.m., and fans can follow the game on IUPUIJags.com as well.