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FARGO, N.D. -- It was a historic season for the IUPUI women's basketball team.  Unfortunately, history was made on the wrong end of the ledger, as the Jaguars closed the 2009-10 season with a 73-59 loss to North Dakota State on Monday at the Bison Sports Arena.

IUPUI (3-26, 2-16 Summit) wrapped up the season with the fewest wins and lowest winning percentage (.103) in school history, while their loss total also set a new IUPUI women's basketball record.

Still, the Jaguars battled North Dakota State (16-12, 11-7 Summit) to the bitter end on Monday night, playing on of their better all-around games of the season.

Kerah Nelson led the Jaguars with 15 points, while Clara Mitchell posted a career-best 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting.  Mitchell used an array of post moves to finish in double figures for the third time in her freshman season, controlling the interior for the Jags.

Briannica Tye added 10 for IUPUI, as the Jaguars shot 14-for-30 to hang around in the second half.

Unfortunately, North Dakota State shot 61.5 percent in the second half to hold the Jaguars at bay.  Trailing 28-25 with 2:49 to go, the Jaguars missed two free throws prior to the Bison closing the half on a 6-0 run to take a nine-point lead into the locker room.

NDSU's surge continued in the opening minute of the second half, as a Katie Birkel layup and Whitney Trecker three-point play pushed the Bison lead to 14.

Still, the Jaguars kept pushing, this time on the back of Gretchen Gaskin.  The junior would use a runner in the lane and a three-point play to bring IUPUI within three possessions, 41-32, with 17 minutes to play.  However, Abby Plucker answered Gaskin's tradition three-point play with a longball to push the lead back to 12, and the Bison maintained a double-digit lead for the game's next 12 minutes. 

Again, though, Gaskin and Mitchell brought the Jaguars back, as a Gaskin jumper, followed by a Mitchell left hook made it an eight-point contest with just over five minutes remaining. 

The Bison would counter though, feeding Jill Zaruba down low, and the senior scored her 17th point of the game to restore the 10-point edge. 

Two Tye free throws gave IUPUI one last glimmer of hope, but Birkel drilled a three from the left wing to make it 69-55 with 2:26 left and eliminate any hope of a comeback for IUPUI.

With her 13.7 points per game average, Nelson became the first freshman to lead the Jaguars in scoring since the 1996-97 season, when Kelli Werling led the Jags with 12.7 points per game.

The 2010-11 IUPUI women's basketball season will begin in November.