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MACOMB, Ill. – The IUPUI’s women’s basketball team endured a 36-game road losing skid dating back to the 2008-09 season, but behind an overall team effort that came to a screeching halt as the Jaguars fought off Western Illinois for a 68-64 overtime win Saturday evening at Western Hall.

The win was the Jags first road win since Feb. 28, 2009, when IUPUI ironically closed out its regular season with a win over the Leathernecks on the same floor.

“I’m about as excited as I’ve been about a game since I’ve been a coach outside the Oral Roberts game because it has been a long time since we won on the road,” said head coach Austin Parkinson. “But what I really liked was the way we won. We found a way when it was close, in overtime, to get a win.”

Kerah Nelson led all players with 20 points, while Nevena Markovic added 17 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, the second double-double of her career.

Dawn Luster made several big plays throughout the game en route to her 11-point, six –rebound performance, but in the end, #Del’Niqua Bellamy’s# career-high 12 rebounds coupled with Markovic’s work on the glass helped the Jaguars win the battle of the boards, 55-32, proving to be one of the keys in the victory.

“Dee-Dee was huge – I said to her before the game that she needed to get 10 rebounds and she did it. [Nevena] rebounded a lot better, Kerah played through an injury at the end and was able to fight through it, and there at the end Emily makes two big free throws.”

Missing her first four triples of the game, Markovic knocked down her first and only three of the game taking a one-point deficit and turning it into a two-point lead with under a minute to play in regulation. During the next possession, Western Illinois converted two free throws to tie the game at 60, which would be the score at the end of the second half as both Nelson and Janna Eichelberger missed on game-winning attempts.

In overtime, Luster and Markovic got the Jags out to a four-point lead and IUPUI’s lead fluctuated between two and four points into the final moments. Emily Phillips had a chance to put IUPUI up four points with 16 seconds to play but missed the front end of a one-and-one.

Off the miss, Bellamy tight roped the sideline to grab the offensive rebound allowing Parkinson to call timeout to preserve the possession. Unfortunately for IUPUI, on the inbounds, Nelson was whistled for a foul sending her out of the game with her fifth foul and giving WIU the ball.

On the other end, the Leathernecks went for the three and came up empty and were forced to foul Phillips. This time, the junior guard buried both free throws with six seconds to play ending the team’s 36-game road losing streak as IUPUI completed the 68-64 overtime win.

The overtime game was IUPUI’s first since Jan. 5, 2009 at UMKC, and was its first overtime win since Feb. 25, 2008, against IPFW.

Out of the gates, IUPUI struggled shooting missing on its first eight attempts until a Clara Mitchell lay-up nearly four minutes in got the Jags on the board. Despite IUPUI’s shooting woes, its defense kept it in the game trailing by only four points, 6-2, at the first media timeout.

By the 11:07 mark, the shooting did not get much better, but the Jaguars were aggressive and drew six fouls on Western Illinois. Their aggressiveness resulted in converting 5-of-6 free throws helping the Jags close within 10-9.

From that point, the Jags began to run on almost every opportunity and a coast-to-coast lay-up by Nelson, a pull-up jumper from Phillips, and an old-fashioned three-point play by Nelson in transition helped IUPUI take a 17-12 lead with 8:15 to play.

Still holding on to a three-point lead, 26-23, at the under-four media timeout, the Jags went on an 8-0 run behind three buckets from Markovic forcing WIU to burn a timeout as their lead widened to 34-23 with 1:10 to play.

In the final minute, the Leathernecks used a slashing lay-up from Jackie Rieger to break the run and trim their deficit to 34-25 entering halftime.

Out of the half, the Jags pounded the ball inside going to Nelson and Markovic for a combined three baskets in the paint, before Luster connected on a floater in the lane to keep its lead at nine at the opening media timeout of the second half.

Just after the Jags pushed their lead back to 11 points, 46-35, a quick 7-0 run by Western Illinois brought it within four points, 46-42, forcing an IUPUI timeout.

The see-saw affair continued with Nelson burying a six-footer from the left block, before Mitchell hit the back end of two free throws moving the Jags lead to 49-42. Two Karis Phillips lay-ups followed, pulling WIU back within three points, 49-46, with 7:30 to play.

The lead kept dwindling for IUPUI and a Karis Phillips trey with 1:38 to play gave WIU its first lead since leading 10-9.

That’s when Markovic stepped in and buried the three that ultimately helped the Jaguars reach overtime. From that point, they never trailed in OT and pulled out the victory.

IUPUI returns to the court on Saturday, Feb. 4, when it welcomes IPFW to The Jungle for the second game of a men’s and women’s doubleheader. The men will take on the Mastodons at 1 p.m., while the women’s game is set to start at 3:30 p.m.

Because of festivities surrounding Super Bowl XLVI, please check IUPUIJags.com for updates throughout the week on parking and other game day information.