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INDIANAPOLIS -- Despite a furious second-half rally, the IUPUI women's basketball team could not overcome a worst-case scenario start to the game, falling to IPFW, 66-49, at The Jungle on Saturday evening.  Ebony Davis led the Jaguars with a career-high 17 points in the defeat.

IUPUI (2-19, 1-9 Summit) started the game ice cold, shooting just 4-for-23 over the game's first 12 minutes.  To compound matters, the Jaguars added 13 turnovers to the mix, leading to easy baskets for IPFW (10-11, 7-3 Summit).

The Mastodons assumed control of the game from the opening tip, building a 22-point lead in the game's first 7:13, going ahead 26-4 after two Anne Boese free throws.  The Jaguars brought their deficit into the high teens the rest of the half, as each team's offense stagnated around missed shots and turnovers.

By the halftime horn, IUPUI trailed, 37-19, their eighth first half this season in which they had not reached 20 points.

While the Jaguars enjoyed a comfortable rebounding margin in the first half, grabbing 13 offensive boards, they had just four second-chance points in the half.  Davis was the only Jaguar who got untracked in the game's first 20 minutes, scoring 11 of her team-leading total in the half and grabbing three offensive rebounds.

"I'm still trying to figure out why we started so poorly," IUPUI head coach Shann Hart said following the game.  "When you're fighting just to stay in the race for the conference tournament, and to come out so flat to start, it's disappointing.

"To our credit, we refocused at halftime and made a good run."

The Jaguars did just that, coming out of the locker room with a renewed purpose; Kerah Nelson, IUPUI's leading scorer, got the message loud and clear after a scoreless first half, knocking down a jumper to get the Jags rolling.

Janna Eichelberger followed with a triple from the wing, and after Nelson went coast-to-coast for a layup, IUPUI had brought their deficit to a more manageable 12 points with nearly 18 minutes left in the game.

IPFW responded with a three of their own, but the Jaguars kept attacking, as consecutive layups from Davis made it a nine-point game just after the 16-minute media timeout.  The single-digit deficit for IUPUI was their first in the contest since it had been 12-4.  

Down nine, the Jaguars missed four opportunities to cut the deficit more, and the Mastodons eventually answered with buckets by Chelsey Jackson and another three from Boese, reassuming a 14-point lead at the half's midway point.

Still, IUPUI kept plugging away, getting a jumper in traffic from Gretchen Gaskin and a three-point play from Nelson to close within 11.  Two free throws by Nelson and a Davis layup completed a 5-0 spurt for the Jaguars, bringing IUPUI to a 49-42 game with 6:23 to go and the momentum behind them.

However, IPFW answered with five straight points, as the Jaguars committed turnovers on three consecutive possessions.

IUPUI would come as close as 10 down the stretch, but IPFW iced the game on a Jackson jumper from the elbow with 1:44 to go.

Nelson finished the game with 16 points - all in the second half.  The Jaguars 52 rebounds were a season high.

The Jaguars will be back in action on Monday, Feb. 1, when they play host to Oakland in Summit League play.  Tip-off from The Jungle is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET, and Scott Taylor will have the call on IUPUIJags.com.