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LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kerah Nelson, Katie Comello and Nevena Markovic combined to score 53 of the team’s 61 points and defensively, the IUPUI women’s basketball team held Lamar to 25.0 percent (12-of-48) shooting from the floor en route to claiming a 61-34 win in its finale of the Basketball Traveler’s Inc. Tipoff Classic at historic Allen Fieldhouse.

With the win, IUPUI improved to 3-3, while Lamar fell to 5-3.

Kerah Nelson carried the offense early before Katie Comello got hot from three late in the opening half as the Jags took a 21-point lead into halftime, but the story of the game was the defense of #Del’Niqua Bellamy# who held Lamar’s leading scorer Kalis Loyd (19.0 ppg) scoreless in 22 minutes of action.

“I’m so proud of her and the team, because it wasn’t just [Del’Niqua], but we challenged her last night and said you’re going to go up against somebody who is taller and averaging close to 20 points per game and she came out and shut her out. That’s big-time defense and I think she’s going to be in the running for [Summit League] Defensive Player of the Year,” said head coach Austin Parkinson. “On the offensive end, Kerah Nelson showed tremendous leadership and really set the tone for the way we played.”

Parkinson went on to say, “Sunday games like this are all about heart and toughness and if you want to play and you have energy, you are probably going to win the game. To our credit, our ladies came out and had a lot of energy.”

After scoring 15 points in each of her first two games, Nelson scored 17 of her game-high 22 points in the first half, while Comello and Markovic each bounced back with 17 points and 14 points, respectively, after tough outings against KU.

The IUPUI defense was opportunistic early turning Lamar turnovers into points as the Jaguars jumped out to a 16-5 advantage more than six minutes into the game. During the spurt, Clara Mitchell got the Jags going connecting on two buckets in the lane, before Nelson scored eight straight points including a pair of triples.

Nelson continued to carry IUPUI hitting step-back jumpers and scored 15 of the Jags first 23 points before Comello buried a trey with 8:05 to play maintaining an 11-point lead for the Jaguars, 26-15.

The Comello triple came just before the under eight-minute media and coming out of the media, Emily Phillips found Markovic for an easy basket on a set piece, before Comello converted an old-fashioned three-point play and Mitchell rolled in a jumper capping off a 10-0 run upping the IUPUI advantage to 33-15 with 6:32 to play.

A three-pointer by Lamar’s Carenn Baylor with 2:59 on the clock brought the Lady Cardinals within 15 points, 36-21, but Comello drilled two 3-pointers in the final minutes sending IUPUI into the half with a 42-21 lead.

Both teams looked to have lost their legs a bit in the opening quarter of the second half as IUPUI hit just 1-of-6 attempts from the field, but Lamar mustered only one free throw during that span and the Jags lead grew by one point, 44-22, at the 15:43 mark.

Lamar continued to struggle offensively and IUPUI’s lead never dipped below 20 the rest of the way as it cruised to a 61-34 win.

In the second half, the Jags held the Lady Cardinals to just 13 points on 4-of-17 shooting, and for the game the Lamar starters went a combined 3-of-21 from the field.

For the third time this season, Bellamy lead the squad with nine rebounds, while Nelson and Markovic added seven and six, respectively, pacing the team to a 40-31 edge on the glass.

After having five of its first six games away from the home, IUPUI begins a stretch in which it will play seven of its next nine games at home beginning with its Summit League opener on Wednesday, Nov. 30, against North Dakota State at 7 p.m.