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INDIANAPOLIS -- Trailing by just seven points midway through the second half, the IUPUI women's basketball team seemed poised to hang with No. 20 South Dakota State down the stretch. However, the Jaguars faded, knocking down their final field goal of the game with 10:17 remaining and eventually fell, 64-48, Monday night at The Jungle.
IUPUI (12-12, 7-6 Summit) dropped to 0-8 all-time against ranked opponents, including an 0-3 mark this season. And while two of those losses have come at the hands of South Dakota State (23-2, 12-1 Summit), head coach Shann Hart was focused on the positive following the game.
"For 30 minutes, we hung right with them," Hart said after the contest. "I felt like our energy was good, especially coming out in the second half. We could just never get over that last part of the comeback to really give ourselves a chance at the end, though."
The Jaguars had their opportunities early in the second half. Coming out of the locker room trailing, 36-29, at halftime, IUPUI reeled off five straight points to close within a single possession after a
Julia Whitted layup. The Jackrabbits answered with a Maria Boever layup to go back up by four, but the Jags immediately answered, as swift ball movement freed
Janna Eichelberger for a jumper.
SDSU missed a three-point attempt on their possession, giving IUPUI a chance to tie or take the lead. With the crowd in a frenzy,
Jernisha Cann drove to the low block, but her jumper rattled out. On their next possession, the Jacks came away with an offensive board and Macie Michelson buried a three from the corner, completing a five-point swing in SDSU's favor.
The Jackrabbits pushed their lead to 43-36 after Boever trailed a breakaway and converted the missed layup with 15:47 left. Still, the Jaguars had plenty of fight left in them, as
Brykeesha Tate converted in traffic and
Nicole James beat the pack downcourt for an easy layin, bringing IUPUI within three points at 43-40.
Eichelberger's foul on the defensive end led to a media timeout and two free throws for Boever, who buried them both. Cann's tip-in with 10:17 remaining made it a 47-40 contest with 10:17 on the clock, but it was the last field goal the Jaguars would score, as South Dakota State closed the game on a 17-8 run.
IUPUI was hampered by poor outside shooting throughout the night, going 0-for-9 from three-point range, including an 0-for-8 mark in the second half. The Jaguars entered the night hitting 35.2-percent from three-point land in Summit League play, but it was the Jackrabbits who hit their customary eight triples, the final one coming from Kristin Rotert with 3:05 to play and SDSU up 11.
Defensively, the Jaguars put the clamps down on South Dakota State forward Jennifer Warkenthien in the second half. The senior repeatedly hurt the Jags in the opening 20 minutes, scoring 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting, including a 3-of-4 mark from three-point range.
In a battle of two of The Summit League's premier players, it was Warkenthien who got the best of Cann, as Cann finished with 8 points and 8 boards to Warkenthien's 18 and 9.
Boever led all players with 19 points, while Whitted finished with 14 for IUPUI.
Still, compared with the 47-point loss in Brookings, S.D., just a month ago, Hart was pleased with the effort from her Jaguars. "When we played up there [at Frost Arena], we played like a young, frightened team. It certainly did not help that we didn't have [Jernisha] Cann for the game, but tonight, we played smarter basketball, though not smart enough.
"We know that if we play them again [in The Summit League Tournament], we can play them tough."
The Jaguars will once again take to the road over the weekend, heading to Tulsa, Okla., for a Valentine's Day matchup with Oral Roberts University. Tip-off from the Mabee Center is scheduled for 2:05 CT, and fans can follow the game via IUPUI Live!
