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INDIANAPOLIS – Kerah Nelson scored 25 points and Dawn Luster added 15 points, but two free throws by Indiana’s Sasha Chaplin with four seconds to play sent the Hoosiers to a 65-64 victory in an entertaining game from start to finish Sunday afternoon at The Jungle.

Nelson, who went a perfect 12-of-12 from the line en route to her season-high 25 points, had a chance to send the Jags to a victory, but her desperation jumper missed as time expired.

“Our ladies came out and were ready to go from the start, which for the last couple of games hasn’t been the case,” said head coach Austin Parkinson. “[We] expected to win and there are no moral victories here. We wanted to win the game and we thought we were going to win the game, but IU made plays down the stretch that allowed them to get the victory.”

Luster, who was hampered by an ankle injury early in the season, played her finest game as a Jaguar pouring in a career-high 15 points giving the Jags some much-needed scoring with their second and third leading scorers going a combined 1-for-17 from the floor.

“Kerah and Dawn played very well and I was really impressed with Dawn. She let the game come to her, didn’t settle for outside shots and drove the ball quite a bit,” Parkinson added. “Kerah had that want-to that your best offensive player should have and she played hard.”

IUPUI got off to a fast start recording five assists on five made field goals as it took a 10-8 lead into the first media timeout.
Throughout the opening 10 minutes, Indiana stayed in the game thanks to the offense of Jasmine McGhee, who scored 10 of IU’s first 14 points as the Hoosiers took their first lead of the game, 14-13, with 11:34 to play.

Luster then did her part to keep the Jags within striking distance scoring IUPUI’s next seven points to keep the score knotted at 20, until back-to-back old-fashioned three-point plays highlighted a 7-0 IU run pushing it on top, 27-20 with five minutes to play.

The Hoosiers widened their lead to as many as 11 points with 37 seconds remaining in the opening half, but Emily Phillips got an easy bucket in transition in the final ten seconds sending the Jaguars into the half trailing, 36-27.

Out of the break, Indiana extended its lead back to 11 three minutes in, before Luster kick started a furious rally.

Luster drilled consecutive treys, with the first occurring at 16:22, spurring a 14-5 run that trimmed the Jaguars deficit to two points, 46-48, with 11 minutes remaining.

During the rally, the Jaguars aggressiveness on the offensive end in the floor put the Hoosiers in foul trouble and IUPUI found itself in the 1-and-1 bonus at the nine-minute mark. By the under-eight minute media timeout, the Jags deficit was trimmed to one point, 51-50, and the Jaguars had seized the momentum.

Two Nelson free throws at the 7:26 mark gave IUPUI its first lead since leading 15-14, and signaled the beginning of seven consecutive lead changes until a #Del’Niqua Bellamy# lay-up pushed the Jags in front by three points, 60-57, heading into the under-four minute media timeout.

IU made a final push and regained a 63-62 lead with 28 seconds to play, before Nelson used an up-and-under move with 14 seconds on the clock to put IUPUI back in front, 64-63.

The see-saw battle continued to the horn and in the final seconds, Sasha Chaplin rebounded an Andrea Newbauer missed free throw and was fouled. She proceeded to go to the line and hit both of her free throws catapulting IU back on top, 65-64.

Following a timeout called by Parkinson, Nelson went coast-to-coast off the inbounds and got to the elbow, but her jumper missed as time expired giving Indiana the one-point win.

Phillips led all players with a season-high nine assists, while Bellamy posted a career-best six steals in the loss. Clara Mitchell also gave the Jags some valuable minutes scoring nine points and grabbing eight boards.

The Jaguars have six days off before returning to the floor on Saturday, Dec. 17, when it welcomes Eastern Illinois to The Jungle for a 7 p.m. tip.