Box Score | Photo Gallery | Austin Parkinson Postgame Interview

INDIANAPOLIS – A 12-0 Butler run midway through the second half reversed a two-point deficit into a ten-point lead, which proved to be the difference as the Bulldogs held off the IUPUI women’s basketball team, 67-58, Tuesday evening inside The Jungle.

Three players scored in double figures for IUPUI led by Katie Comello’s 12 points, but 26 costly turnovers resulted in 23 Butler points giving the Bulldogs their fourth straight win in the all-time series between the two programs separated by just six miles.

“Butler is a good basketball team and you have to give them credit as their better players stepped up,” said head coach Austin Parkinson. “They played some zone and mixed things up a little bit, but they really didn’t pressure a whole lot. For a team like us that is pressuring and forcing turnovers, a lot of our turnovers are unforced. Unfortunately, they were able to take advantage of some of those unforced turnovers. Anytime we got any kind of momentum, we kind of shot ourselves in the foot and made it hard to get over the hump.”

Akilah Sims and Comello combined to score IUPUI’s first seven points as it jumped in front 7-2, but a 9-0 Butler response placed the Bulldogs in front, 11-7, with 14:17 to play in the first half.

A Dawn Luster triple from the left baseline trimmed the Jags deficit to 11-10, but Butler maintained a lead until three triples by DeAirra Goss during an 11-3 run placed IUPUI on top, 26-24, at the under-four-minute media timeout.

Daress McClung buried a three from the top of the key to catapult Butler back in front, 29-28, with 1:45 remaining in the half, but a Jordan Barton put-back off her own miss and a pair of Comello free throws offset two Hannah Douglas free throws in the final minutes sending IUPUI into the half with a 32-31 lead.

Out of the break, Alex Thompson came off the bench and scored four points helping the Jags keep a 40-38 lead with 13:35 on the clock. However, Thompson’s bucket that put IUPUI in front with 13:35 to go was IUPUI’s last bucket before going scoreless for the next 5:37. Butler took advantage by putting together a 12-0 run that gave the Bulldogs their biggest lead of the evening, 52-42.

A Sims lay-up with 7:58 to play snapped the run, but just as IUPUI cut its deficit to four on a Dee-Dee Bellamy jumper with 6:00 on the clock, the Bulldogs quickly pushed their lead back to 10 points, 58-48, with just under five minutes to go.

Down the stretch, the Jags managed to close within six and had a handful of good opportunities to trim their deficit further, but none of those looks fell and Butler managed to hit its free throws on the other end of the floor to earn the 67-58 victory.

Goss and Sims also finished in double figures for the Jags with 11 points and 10 points, respectively.

After hitting 46.2 percent of its shots from the field in the first half, including 62.5 percent of its three’s, IUPUI connected on just 34.3 percent of its attempts from the floor in the final 20 minutes including going 0-for-6 from behind-the-arc.

Butler, meanwhile, also saw its shooting percentage dip from the first half to the second half, but the Bulldogs outscored IUPUI 14-2 from the charity stripe in the second half alone.

The Jags are back in action on Friday, Dec. 21, when it travels north to West Lafayette, Ind., to take on the No. 12 Purdue Boilermakers. Tip is set for Noon on Friday and Greg Rakestraw will have the call on IUPUIJags.com. Additionally, the game will be aired on the Big Ten Digital Network.