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INDIANAPOLIS – Trailing by as many as 12 points early in the second half, the IUPUI women’s basketball team battled back and had two opportunities to tie the game in the final five seconds, but both attempts fell off the rim allowing UMKC to hold on to a 58-56 win over the Jaguars in their final home game of the 2011-12 season Monday evening inside The Jungle.

The loss dropped IUPUI to 12-16 overall and 7-9 in the Summit League, while UMKC improved to 18-10 overall and 9-7 in league play.

Kerah Nelson led the Jaguars with 19 points and scored 12 of her game-high point total in the final 5:55 to lead a late Jaguars rally. However, Ashli Hill and Eilise O’Connor combined to score 27 points, 22 of which came in the second half including the ‘Roos last nine points of the game.

“Tonight was a really disappointing loss for us. I thought we showed some heart late in the game, but [UMKC] deserved to win,” said head coach Austin Parkinson. “They played harder, they got to loose balls and did everything you need to do to win a game. Unfortunately – and I’m not sure why – but we weren’t tough enough tonight to win the game.”

UMKC’s length was a problem for the Jags as it outrebounded IUPUI, 44-34, and managed to outscore the Jags 13-8 in second-chance points proving to be the difference.

“They dominated us on the glass and the two keys for us were defense and rebounding. We played good defense, but our rebounding wasn’t very good,” Parkinson added. “Their post players wanted it more than ours. As a collective unit, we have to rebound and box out better for us to win games.”

Dayon Hall-Jones hit a triple 30 seconds in to get UMKC out to the quick lead, but the Kangaroos could not shake the Jags over the first 20 minutes. That triple by Jones, who entered as UMKC’s leading scorer averaging over 17.0 ppg, would be her only points of the night.

The Kangaroos lead reached as many as five points twice in the first half, but both sides continued to exchange buckets for a majority of the first 20 minutes until a late Jaguars spurt evened things up entering halftime.

Trailing 25-20 at the under-four media timeout, three points from Dawn Luster, an easy lay-up from Nevena Markovic, and two Katie Comello free throws with 1.7 seconds remaining in the half capped off a 7-2 Jags run in the final minutes tying things up at 27.

Despite shooting 30.0 percent in the first half, IUPUI outscored UMKC 8-2 at the charity stripe in the opening 20 minutes to off-set its shooting woes.

Out of the half, the Jags went cold from the field missing their first four shots while committing five turnovers. On the other end, UMKC, got the ball inside to Hill, who scored eight of the ‘Roos first 12 points as they took a 39-27 lead with 15:42 to play.

A 9-2 response from IUPUI over the next 5:46 brought the Jags within five, 41-36, but a Kim Nezianya triple kick started a 6-0 run pushing the Kangaroos lead back to 11, 47-36, with 8:15 to go.

Still trailing by 11 with 5:03 to play, the Jags made a last ditch effort and went on a 12-3 run to close within a bucket, 54-52, with 1:49 to go.

The team’s traded baskets before each team hit a pair of free throws keeping the UMKC lead at two, 58-56, with 46 seconds to play.

Following an offensive rebound by UMKC, the Jags had to foul O’Connor with 11 seconds left and she proceeded to miss the front end of the one-and-one to give IUPUI a chance.

After Parkinson called a timeout with five seconds to go to set up IUPUI’s final play, Janna Eichelberger inbounded the ball to Comello, who got around her defender at the elbow. Comello got off a runner in the lane that was too strong off the glass and fell into the hands of Markovic, but Markovic’s jumper from eight feet grazed the front iron as time expired allowing the Kangaroos to escape with a two-point win.

Despite UMKC outscoring IUPUI from the field and three-point line, the Jags hit 17-of-18 attempts compared to 8-of-11 for UMKC to stay in the contest.

Comello was the other Jaguars to score in double figures chipping in 12 points.

IUPUI concludes its regular season this weekend when it travels to South Dakota State on Saturday, Feb. 25, and North Dakota State on Monday, Feb. 27. The contest between the Jaguars and the Jackrabbits on Saturday begins at 6 p.m. ET and Scott McCauley will have the call on IUPUIJags.com.