Box Score | Highlights | Austin Parkinson Postgame Interview I Photo Gallery

INDIANAPOLIS – Behind a season-high tying 14 points, six rebounds and career-high tying five blocks from Nevena Markovic, the IUPUI women’s basketball team defeated Oakland, 59-37, Thursday evening at The Jungle to clinch the second overall seed in the upcoming Summit League Championships held March 9-12 in Sioux Falls, S.D.

The win not only set a Division-I era program record for wins in a season with 18, but the Jaguars moved to 11-4 in the Summit League, equaling the most conference wins for the Jaguars since joining the Division-I ranks during the 1998-99 season.

“It’s obviously a big win for us to give us some breathing room going into Saturday’s game,” head coach Austin Parkinson said. “For our program, it obviously shows how far we’ve come. When I first took over, we were picked 10th and finished ninth and then last year we moved up to fifth. For us to come all the way up to the two seed – that’s kind of what you shoot for is that one or two seed. We’re fortunate to be able to have that.”

IUPUI shot 42.1-percent from the floor for the game thanks in part to Markovic’s 7-of-12 shooting, but the difference came on the defense end of the floor as the Jags held Oakland to 21.1-percent shooting.

“We defend and rebound and those are the two areas we focus the most on. There are times when our offense suffers a little bit because of it, but any time you defend and rebound you are going to be in most games,” Parkinson added. “If we can continue to do those things, I think we can make a nice run. At the same time, offensively we have to be more efficient.”

IUPUI got off to a strong thanks to that defense. The Jags started just 1-of-5 from the floor but got some good looks to go after the rough start to take a 14-2 lead 8:04 into the game. During the run, Shawnece Teague scored five points off the bench to pace the Jags.

IUPUI kept the Golden Grizzlies without a field goal for the first 10:50 of the game, but Oakland received six points from the free throw line prior to that bucket allowing them to close with six, 14-8, with 9:10 to play.

With the Jags leading by seven, 22-15, with four minutes to play, lay-ups by Markovic and Kerah Nelson on consecutive possessions pushed the lead back to double figures, 26-15. Oakland closed within seven with a little more than a minute on the clock, but another Markovic lay-up sent the Jaguars into the half with a 28-19 lead.

Out of the half, IUPUI scored the first four points to up its lead to 13 points, 32-19, and the Jags lead fluctuated between nine and 13 up to the midway point of the second half. Two Markovic lay-ups book-ended a pair of Goss buckets during an 8-2 run to give the Jags a 46-28 advantage with 8:07 on the clock.

The Jags lead reached 20, 50-30, on a Teague bucket with 6:52 to play, and from that point, Oakland never really threatened as the Jags earned the 59-37 victory.

In addition to Markovic scoring in double figures, Goss added 10 points and Nelson tacked on eight points and eight rebounds.

The Jaguars are back in action on Saturday, March 2, when they host in-state rival Fort Wayne at 5 p.m., in the opener of a men’s and women’s doubleheader. Saturday will also be Senior Day as Nelson and Clara Mitchell will recognized prior to the game for their accomplishments throughout their careers.