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The IUPUI women’s basketball team will head back on the road this weekend for a pair of Summit League contests at North Dakota State and South Dakota State. The Jags open the two-game stretch in Fargo, N.D., against the Bison on Saturday, Feb. 12, at 6 p.m. EST, before heading south to Brookings, S.D., to meet the Jackrabbits on Monday, Feb. 14, at 8 p.m. EST.            

·         The Jaguars will conclude their weekend trip at South Dakota State on Monday, Feb. 14, at 8 p.m. EST.

·         Sophomore Kerah Nelson scored 15 of her team-high 17 points in the first half to keep the IUPUI women’s basketball team within striking distance, but IPFW shot 60.7 percent in the second half and outscored the Jaguars by 18 points to pick up an 84-59 win Monday evening in The Jungle.

·         Nelson hit 8-of-16 shots from the floor for her 17 points and grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds, while Jasmine Horne also scored in double figures for IUPUI (3-19; 1-11 Summit) with 16 points.

·         From the get-go, it took the Jags some time to get into the flow of the game. In the first six minutes, four IPFW (16-6; 10-3 Summit) players combined to push the Mastodons out to a 14-7 lead.

·         It was then that Nelson put the Jaguars on her back scoring nine of IUPUI’s 11 points during an 11-3 surge to give the Jags their first and only lead of the game, 18-17, with 10:56 on the clock.

·         A 7-0 IPFW response over the next 4:05 widened the Mastodons lead back to seven points, but Nelson continued to do her damage in the paint scoring IUPUI’s next four points off post moves as the Jaguars deficit returned to three points, 25-22.

·         Behind seven points from Indianapolis native Anne Boese during a 15-6 spurt, IPFW took a 40-28 lead heading into the final minute.

·         However, a free throw by Del’Niqua Bellamy and a lay-up at the buzzer by Horne brought the Jaguars deficit into single digits, 40-31, entering the half.

·         While it was Nelson who carried the Jaguars in the first half scoring 15 of the team’s 31 points, Horne and Clara Mitchell picked up their games in the second half combining to score 12 of the team’s 14 points through the mid-way point of the half.

·         Despite Horne and Mitchell picking up their offensive production, IUPUI could not keep IPFW out of the lane. Chelsey Jackson continued to penetrate into the lane and either score or distribute to her teammates leading to a 60 percent field goal percentage over the first 10 minutes of the second half, resulting in the Mastodons lead growing to 63-45.

·         Over the final 10 minutes, the Jags continued to fight, but were unable to cut the deficit any further and ultimately fell to IPFW, 84-59.

·         In a career-high 28 minutes, Bellamy contributed career-bests in both scoring and rebounding with six points and seven boards. Mitchell, in addition to Nelson, was aggressive in the post and scored seven points while grabbing five rebounds.

·         IUPUI also won the turnover battle committing a season-low 11 turnovers, but the deciding factor was IPFW shooting 53.3 percent from the floor compared to 39.0 percent for IUPUI.

·         NDSU comes into Saturday’s game as winners of three of its last four games, upping its overall record to 11-12 and its conference mark to 7-6.

·         The Bison are 6-3 on the season at home, including 3-3 in Summit League play, with their three losses coming to the Top 3 teams in the league standings; Oral Roberts, IPFW, and Oakland.

·         Abby Plucker is the team’s top scorer and rebounder averaging 15.9 ppg and 10.2 rpg, the only player in the league averaging a double-double.

·         In league play, Plucker’s numbers are even higher as she is scoring 20.5 ppg while snatching 10.5 rpg.

·         As a team, the Bison are third in all games and second in league play in 3-point shooting, while ranking in the Top 4 in both overall and conference-only games in defensive field goal percentage.

Below is where IUPUI players rank among the Top 10 in Summit League statistical categories through games on Feb. 8 (overall/conference):

Field Goal Pct...................................... Kerah Nelson (7th, .486)

Rebounding........................................ Kerah Nelson (T-5th, 7.0)

3-Point FG Made................................. Shea Collins (10th, 1.6)

Offensive Rebounds........................... Janna Eichelberger (10th, 2.2)

Defensive Reb.................................... Kerah Nelson (6th, 4.9)

Rebounding........................................ Kerah Nelson (9th, 6.8)

Field Goal Pct...................................... Kerah Nelson (3rd, .565)

Assists................................................ Dawn Luster (T-10th, 2.8)

3-Point FG Made................................. Shea Collins (5th, 2.0)

Blocks................................................. Clara Mitchell (T-9th, 1.0)

Defensive Rebounds........................... Kerah Nelson (5th, 4.8)

·         On Monday, Feb. 21, IUPUI’s two seniors, Gretchen Gaskin and Laura Blaydes, will be playing their final game in front of the home fans at The Jungle on Senior Night.

·         Prior to the game, both Gaskin and Blaydes will be recognized for their hard work and contributions to the program during their careers.

·         In addition to Senior Night, the Feb. 21 game will also be IUPUI’s WBCA Pink Zone Game as IUPUI will be raising awareness for Breast Cancer Research.

·         Since returning to the lineup on Jan. 8 at IPFW, Clara Mitchell has been a steady player for the Jags in the post.

·         On the season, Mitchell is averaging 5.8 ppg and 3.8 rpg, while shooting 49.5 percent from the floor.

·         In Summit League play, those numbers have slightly risen as Mitchell is averaging 6.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg, while shooting 54.0 percent from the field.

·         In the last nine games, Mitchell has not played more than 24 minutes, but she has still pulled down five or more rebounds and scored seven or more points in five of those nine games.

·         During this recent nine-game stretch, Mitchell is averaging 6.2 ppg and 4.4 rpg.

·         Following a one-game absence against Oakland on Jan. 10, sophomore Kerah Nelson has been a bright spot for the Jaguars.

·         Starting with a Jan. 15 decision against South Dakota State, Nelson has scored in double figures in six of her last seven games.

·         Against the Jackrabbits on Jan. 15, Nelson scored 17 points, and followed that performance with a 19-point, six-rebound outing against North Dakota State just two days later.

·         The offensive improvements continued at Southern Utah, when Nelson erupted for a career-high 29 points, surpassing her previous career high of 27 points set earlier this season against IU-Southeast on Nov. 23, 2010.

·         For the fourth straight game, Nelson hit at least seven field goals as she went 7-of-9 from the floor against UMKC on Jan. 24 to score a team-high 15 points.

·         Following her scoreless output on Jan. 29 at Western Illinois, Nelson responded in a big way scoring 20 points and grabbing nine rebounds vs. Oakland on Feb. 15, her fourth 20-point scoring effort of the season.

·         In her last outing on Feb. 7 vs. in-state rival IPFW, Nelson scored 17 points and grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds, her first double-double of the season and the fourth of her career.

·         Despite not making a field goal against Western Illinois, Nelson’s field goal percentage over her last six games is .556 (50-of-90), resulting in her scoring 16.7 ppg.

·         On the season, Nelson is seventh in all games in field goal percentage (.486), while ranking third in field goal percentage (.565) in conference-only play.

·         When the Jaguars head to Fargo, N.D, to take on North Dakota State on Feb. 12, IUPUI will be looking to erase its road losing skid.

·         The Jags are 0-9 on the road this season.

·         IUPUI’s last road win came on Feb. 28, 2009, when the Jaguars closed out the 2008-09 regular season with a win over Western Illinois.

·         After going 0-14 away from home last season and dropping its nine road games this season, the Jaguars will look to end their 23-game road losing streak.