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VERMILLION, S.D. – Three players scored in double figures, including a career-high 24 points from Dawn Luster, but Amber Hegge went off for 30 points and South Dakota hit 32-of-35 from the line to hold on for a 73-65 win over the IUPUI women’s basketball team Monday evening at the Dakota Dome.

Kerah Nelson, who entered the contest with a team-leading 16.2 ppg, scored nine points after fouling out in just 14 minutes of action. With Nelson off the floor, Luster kept the Jags within striking distance on 7-of-17 shooting, including 3-of-4 shooting from three.

“For Dawn to be able to come in and give us that type of production and step up was big” said head coach Austin Parkinson. “She not only carried us in the first half, but pretty much the whole game and allowed us to open things up.”

Nevena Markovic and Emily Phillips added 11 points and 10 points, respectively, but the duo struggled shooting combining to hit just 5-of-24 from the floor. In the absence of Nelson, Janna Eichelberger came off the bench and did a great job controlling the glass grabbing a season-high 10 rebounds in addition to scoring five points.

“Janna’s effort off the bench was extremely positive for us. Early on we didn’t have anybody who could guard their best player and Janna came in and defended well,” Parkinson said. “She chased down some rebounds and because of that we said if we get shots up instead of turning the ball over, we would have a chance.”

However, the difference was South Dakota’s ability to convert at the charity stripe hitting 32-of-35 attempts, while the Jags managed to hit 18-of-25.

IUPUI and South Dakota each got the ball inside to their playmakers early as Nelson and Markovic knocked down the Jaguars first three attempts, while Hegge scored eight of USD’s first 10 points to give her squad a 10-6 lead at the first media timeout.

By that opening media timeout, Nelson had picked up her second foul and had to go to the bench at the 15:39 mark. However, without Nelson on the floor, the Jaguars managed to go on a 9-2 run over a 6:35 stretch to take their first lead of the game, 15-12.

Following a pair of Luster free throws that equaled the score at 17, three consecutive triples by USD opened up 26-17 lead with 3:20 to play, forcing Parkinson to burn a timeout.

A pair of Markovic free throws broke the surge and Luster proceeded to catch fire hitting her next three shots, including two treys, to bring Jags within three, 30-27, with just over a minute to play.

Luster’s scoring was offset in the final minute as four points by Annie Roche widened the Coyotes lead to 34-27 entering the half.

Out of the break, IUPUI hit three of its first four field goal attempts to trim its deficit to five points, 38-33, but an 8-1 Coyotes response from the 17:22 mark to the 14:19 mark moved their lead to double figures, 46-34.

After the South Dakota lead reached as many as 13 points, Phillips started to use her speed to her advantage allowing her to get to the line and help shrink IUPUI’s deficit to seven points with 7:52 to play. Unfortunately, 13 seconds later, Nelson picked up her fifth foul leaving the Jags without their go-to scoring option.

Without Nelson, IUPUI slowly chipped away at its deficit and eventually closed within three points, 62-59, with just over 4:00 to play.

Hegge had a response converting an old-fashioned three-point play, while Tempestt Wilson tacked on a pair of free throws the next time down the floor to quickly move USD’s lead back to eight points, 67-59.

Thanks to free throws by Clara Mitchell and Markovic, the Jags closed within four points, 67-63, with under a minute to go, but the Coyotes hit all four of their free throws down the stretch to close out the victory.

The Jaguars close out their three-game road trip on Saturday, Jan. 28, when they travel to Western Illinois University to take on the Leathernecks at 5:30 p.m. ET. Scott McCauley will have the call on IUPUIJags.com beginning just before tipoff.