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INDIANAPOLIS - On Saturday, the IUPUI women's basketball team struggled through the opening 10 minutes of the first half en route to an 17-point defeat.  Monday night, it was the beginning of the second half that spelled doom for the Jaguars, as they scored two points in the first 10 minutes, setting the tone for a 74-55 defeat to Oakland at The Jungle.

For IUPUI (2-20, 1-10 Summit), Gretchen Gaskin and Ebony Davis tied for the team lead with 10 points apiece, while Davis added a career-high 13 rebounds to post her second career double-double.

Trailing 39-29 at halftime, the Jaguars were optimistic their harassing defense could bring them back into the game, as they had forced nine Oakland (11-11, 8-3 Summit) turnovers at the break, while committing just three of their own.  

However, the Jaguars connected on just 1-of-10 shots to open the second half, while committing eight turnovers in the first 9:56 of the second half.  By that time, Oakland had opened a 32-point lead, outscoring IUPUI 24-2 over the timespan.

"It's the same thing we've talked about all year," IUPUI head coach Shann Hart said following the game.  "We haven't been able to play 40 straight minutes of hard, focused basketball, and tonight an experienced Oakland team took advantage."

The 32-point lead would be the largest of the night for the Grizzlies, before the Jaguars began connecting on a flurry of three pointers in the game's final six minutes, as Kerah Nelson and Mariah Fleming each buried two apiece and Elizabeth Mercer connected on one, bringing the final margin under 20.

Though the Jaguars trailed by double figures at the intermission, they seemed poised to strike in the second half, taking momentum into the locker room after Farren Stackhouse buried a triple off the "Picket Fence" as time wound down in the first half.  The three-pointer stemmed what was an 8-2 closing run by Oakland over the half's final two minutes.

Davis and Clara Mitchell controlled the paint for the Jaguars in the first half, as Mitchell got off to a strong start with 7 early points, while Davis picked up the slack after Mitchell was targeted in the post, scoring eight of her 10 in the game's first 20 minutes; the St. Louis-product grabbed 11 of her boards in the second half, however.

The loss moved the Jaguars within one of tying the school record for losses in a season (2003-04, 2004-05) and kept them one-game behind Western Illinois for the eighth and final spot in The Summit League Tournament.

IUPUI will look to move into a tie with Western Illinois for eighth when the teams meet in Macomb, Ill., on Saturday, Feb. 6.  Tip-off from Waste Management Court at Western Hall is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. CT (5:30 ET).