Box Score

SHREVEPORT, La. -- At this rate, the IUPUI women's basketball team will be known as "The Cardiac Kids."  For the second straight game, the Jaguars went to the wire for a 57-55 win over Centenary Monday night at the Gold Dome.

The win for IUPUI (14-12, 9-6 Summit) was not secure until Karolina Zaloga missed a layup at the buzzer that would have forced overtime.  The Jaguars overcame 20 turnovers, an 11-for-21 performance from the free throw line and the ejection of head coach Shann Hart with 6:50 left in the first half.

"At the end of the day, it's a win," IUPUI associate head coach Chanel Spriggs said after the game.  "We had a lot of things go against us today, but we persevered and picked up a big win."

As they did in their comeback win at Oral Roberts on Saturday, the Jaguars trailed for most of the second half before rallying late.  Leading 24-22 at halftime, IUPUI gave up the lead with 17:17 remaining and did not regain the lead until the 4:43 mark on a Kiara Butler three-pointer.

In the 13:34 span, the Jaguars tied the game on five separate occasions, but could not get over the hump.

"We talked about it after the game, how we need to maintain our energy," Spriggs said.  "Too often, we let up with our intensity and as a result, did not take control of the game."

Butler's three, off a feed from Julia Whitted, gave the Jaguars a 51-49 lead, but Centenary (4-21, 2-12 Summit) knotted the contest on a jumper from Leslie Forest.  On a loose ball, Butler fouled Zaloga, who hit both free throws to put the Ladies up two with 2:15 left.

After a Whitted jumper tied the game, the junior hit 1-of-2 free throws to put the Jaguars ahead for good with 77 ticks left on the clock.  The IUPUI defense forced turnovers on consecutive Centenary possessions, and Spriggs took a timeout with 39 seconds to play.

On the ensuing inbounds, Jernisha Cann drove the right side of the lane for a finger roll, giving the Jags a three-point cushion with 28.6 seconds remaining.  An Ashley Jackson layup cut the IUPUI lead to a single point, and Brykeesha Tate hit 1-of-2 free throws to set up the game's final play. 

With 6.8 seconds in the clock, Zaloga broke the IUPUI press to create a clear path to the basket, but her layup was too hard off the backboard, where James scooped up the rebound.

The first half featured 29 combined turnovers, as the referees placed an emphasis on traveling.  With so many turnovers, neither team got into an offensive rhythm.  IUPUI built a four-point lead, but it was quickly erased by the Ladies.

With the Jaguars leading, 15-13, Hart was assessed a technical; after Bethany Joseph hit 1-of-2 free throws, Hart was assessed a second technical and ejected with 6:50 to play in the half.  Joseph again hit 1-of-2 freebies as part of a 9-2 run that helped to build a five-point Ladies lead with 5:09 left in the opening stanza.

Cann scored five of her 13 points in the final five minutes of the half to help the Jaguars build a two-point halftime lead.  The senior posted her 16th double-double of the season with 13 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.

Whitted went 7-for-11 from the field to finish with a game-high 19 points, while Janna Eichelberger had 11 points, nine in the second half.

IUPUI went 2-0 on their road trip to Oral Roberts and Centenary for the second straight season.  In their contest with the Ladies, the Jaguars forced a season-high 28 turnovers.

The Jaguars will be back in action on Saturday, Feb. 21, when they meet Oakland in a key Summit League matchup.  IUPUI will enter the "Pink Zone" for the game, raising awareness and money for the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center.  Tip-off is scheduled for 4:30 p.m., and prior to the game, the Jaguars will honor seniors Jernisha Cann and Brykeesha Tate.