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INDIANAPOLIS – Katie Comello and Kerah Nelson both scored 13 points and the IUPUI women’s basketball team held Omaha to 13.3 percent shooting (2-of-15) from three leading the Jags to a 60-49 win over the Mavericks Thursday evening at The Jungle.

The win upped IUPUI’s overall record to 9-7 and its Summit League record to 3-1, while Omaha dropped to 11-4 overall and 3-2 in the conference. Additionally, the 3-1 start in conference play equals the Jaguars best start since the 2005-06 campaign.

“Omaha is a good team. I think Chance does a really nice job with his team and they have a senior group. We got off to a hot start – really played well early – but we kind of faded late (in the first half)” head coach Austin Parkinson said. “After we regrouped at halftime, we were able to play good defense in the second half and I’m really proud of our kids for grinding out a win.”

Comello got IUPUI off to a fast start hitting her first three shots, including two three’s, helping the Jags jump out to a 12-2 lead a little more than four and a half minutes into the game.

Just as Comello went to the bench for a breather, Nicole Rogers game into the game and picked up where Comello left hitting two triples of her own to keep the Jags in front by double-digits, 21-10, with 9:26 remaining in the opening half.

Despite IUPUI’s hot shooting, especially from behind-the-arc, costly turnovers and fouls built up and allowed Omaha to stay within striking distance. The Mavericks were able to reach the bonus by the 6:08 mark and scored seven of their next 12 points at the charity stripe from that mark to close within five, 33-28, with 1:45 to play.

Unfortunately for the Jags, they turned the ball over twice and only got one shot up in the final 1:45, while Omaha’s Casse Vaughn managed to put in a lay-up off a Jamie Nash feed with four seconds left to bring the Mavericks within three, 33-30, entering halftime.

Out of the break, the Jags hit only one of their first 11 shots, while Omaha managed to hit 5-of-8 on the other end to switch a three-point halftime deficit into a 41-35 lead with 14:57 on the clock.

Nelson broke the Omaha run with an old-fashioned three-point play with 14:05 to play, which spurred an 11-2 IUPUI response over the next 2:11 placing the Jaguars back in front, 46-43.

With the Jags lead still at three, 52-49, with 3:29 to play, Akilah Sims hit one of two at the free throw line just prior to DeAirra Goss adding a bucket on a fast-break lay-up to move the lead to six, 55-49, with 3:00 to go.

For the remainder of the game, IUPUI clamped down defensively and did not allow another point while hitting 5-of-6 from the line to finish off the 11-point win.

By scoring 13 points, Nelson moved into the fifth spot on IUPUI’s career scoring list and now has 1,387 points in her career. The senior from St. Petersburg, Fla., also grabbed a game-high eight boards.

The Jags will have six days off before beginning a two-game conference road trip on Thursday, Jan. 17, at North Dakota State. Tip between the Bison and Jaguars is set for 8 p.m. ET.