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CHARLESTON, Ill. - After snapping its six-game road losing skid on Tuesday, Nov. 27 at Belmont, the IUPUI women’s basketball team looks for its second straight road win when it heads to Charleston, Ill., to take on Eastern Illinois on Thursday, Nov. 29, at 8 p.m. ET.
 
GAMEDAY INFORMATION

• The game will be played at Lantz Arena on the Eastern Illinois campus on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.
• Greg Rakestraw will have the call on IUPUIJags.com beginning five minutes prior to tip.
• Live stats and video will be available at EIUPanthers.com.

 
ABOUT EASTERN ILLINOIS

• The Panthers enter Thursday’s contest with a 2-3 record after dropping its last contest at Dayton, 105-42, on Nov. 25.
• EIU has two double-figure scorers and they are led offensively by Mariah King, who averages 13.6 ppg. Ta’Kenya Nixon is the other double-figure scorer averaging 12.4 ppg.
• Nixon also leads the team in assists distributing 27 over five games.
• Through five games, Eastern Illinois is shooting 37.1 percent from the floor compared to 48.8 percent for its opponents.
• Additionally, the Panthers have struggled from the free throw line shooting just 59.7 percent (46-of-77), compared to 71.6 percent (53-of-74) for their opponents.

 
THE SERIES WITH THE PANTHERS

• Thursday will be the sixth meeting between the two schools with EIU owning a 3-2 edge in the all-time series.
• When playing in Charleston, Ill., the series is tied at 1-1.
• EIU defeated the Jaguars, 60-57, on Dec. 4, 2004, in the last meeting inside Lantz Arena.

 
LAST TIME OUT ...

• In a game that featured 49 personal fouls, the IUPUI women’s basketball team managed to put together an impressive defensive stand when it counted most leading the Jaguars to a 61-53 road win at Belmont Tuesday (Nov. 27) evening at the Curb Event Center.
• With the score tied with less than four minutes to play, IUPUI (4-2) turned up their defensive intensity and relinquished just two points down the stretch to break their six-game road losing streak and earn their first road win of the season.
• Katie Comello led all scorers with a season-high 19 points, and she was joined in double figures by DeAirra Goss and Akilah Sims, who scored 13 and 11 points, respectively. That trio combined to score 21 of the team’s 27 second-half points.
• The game got off to a slow start as Belmont held a 13-12 lead midway through the opening half, but the Jags were balanced with seven different players combining to score those points.
• Still trailing by two, 24-22 with 3:51 to play, Goss and Comello picked up the scoring pace combining to score 10 of the Jags next 12 points over a 2:45 stretch to give IUPUI a 34-29 lead with 1:06 on the clock.  During that scoring spurt, Goss scored three of her five points on an old-fashioned three-point play, while Comello buried a triple from the top of the key to give the Jaguars the five-point cushion.
• However, two missed shots in the final minute from IUPUI combined with the Bruins connecting on 3-of-4 at the line trimmed the Jags lead to two, 34-32, entering halftime.
• Out of the break, the Jags committed two turnovers, missed four shots and were called for three fouls as Belmont sprinted in front, 37-34, forcing Parkinson to take a timeout just 2:22 into the half.
• The scoring drought continued until Comello scored on a fast-break opportunity with 15:29 on the clock, and a Kerah Nelson fast-break bucket followed on the next possession to get the Jags back in a rhythm.
• Nevena Markovic later connected on back-to-back buckets to put the Jags back in front, 42-41, at the under-12-minute media timeout.
• With the Jags still holding on to a one-point lead, 44-43, consecutive buckets from Belmont’s leading scorer, Jordan Coleman, moved the Bruins lead to three with 8:40 to go forcing Parkinson to burn another timeout. After the Jags missed a shot out of the timeout, Comello drew an offensive foul on Coleman on the other end of the floor, her third foul. Coinciding with Coleman’s third foul was a technical foul immediately following the charge that placed her on the bench with four fouls.
• With Coleman on the bench, IUPUI was able to slowly chip away at its deficit and a three-point play from Sims off an offensive rebound tied things up at 51-51 with 3:58 to go.
• From that point, the Jags used four points from Goss, and a pair of free throws each from Comello and Sims to open up a 59-53 lead with under a minute to play. In the final minute, Comello hit two more free throws to finish off the 61-53 win.
• The Jags dominated the offensive glass grabbing 17 offensive boards that ultimately led to a 15-6 edge in second-chance points.
• IUPUI also turned 26 Belmont turnovers into 27 points, while the Bruins netted just five points off 15 Jaguars turnovers proving to be a decisive factor in the outcome.

 
COMELLO SPARKS JAGS

• While DeAirra Goss has been the Jaguars leading scorer so far this season, Katie Comello has served as an offensive spark when Goss has been hampered by foul trouble.
• In the Jags win over Indiana State, Comello scored 16 points off the bench, 13 of which came in the second half on 4-of-5 shooting.
• In the Jags come-from-behind win at Belmont on Nov. 27, Comello scored 19 points on the game leading IUPUI to its first road win of the season.
• Of her 19 points against Belmont, 10 came in the second half.
• Comello currently is second on the team averaging 9.7 ppg and she is shooting 90.5 percent (19-of-21) from the free throw line.

 
CHARGING BACK

• Prior to IUPUI’s game against Valparaiso on Nov. 17, the Jaguars were 0-38 under head coach Austin Parkinson in games when they trailed with five minutes to play.
• However, in IUPUI’s win over Valparaiso, the Jaguars trailed by two points at the five-minute mark before rallying to pick up the victory. It was the team’s first victory under Parkinson when trailing with five minutes to play.
• The Jaguars were able to earn the victory by using a 10-3 run from the 4:44 mark to the 1:33 mark.
• During that run, both DeAirra Goss and Nevena Markovic scored four points, while Dee-Dee Bellamy added a fast-break lay-up off a steal from Markovic.
• Since that win over Valparaiso, the Jags have rallied back for wins twice when trailing with five minutes to go.
• IUPUI trailed by seven at the five minute mark against Indiana State before closing the game on a 23-12 run to earn the four-point win.
• Katie Comello ignited the run scoring 11 of her game-high tying 16 points in a two-minute stretch.
• Behind Comello, DeAirra Goss, and Akilah Sims, the Jaguars managed to overcome a three-point deficit in the final five minutes to defeat Belmont, 61-53.
• Against Belmont, the Jags last 19 points came from Comello, Sims and Goss and IUPUI managed to close the game.