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BROOKINGS, S.D. – DeAirra Goss scored 21 points and Akilah Sims added 12, but South Dakota State held on for a 63-57 win in the Summit League opener for both teams Thursday evening at Frost Arena.

IUPUI (10-6; 0-1 Summit) hit just 22.2 percent (6-of-27) of its field goal attempts in the first half as South Dakota State (10-7; 1-0 Summit) took a nine-point lead into the break, but the Jags managed to rally back and seize a two-point lead with 7:56 to go. However, a 10-2 SDSU response re-established a six-point advantage proving to be the difference.

"As a team, we didn't do the little things it takes to win that kind of game," head coach Austin Parkinson said. "We missed free throw box outs, we had unforced turnovers and silly fouls on our part made it tough for us to come out with a win."

Goss scored 16 of her 21 points in the second half and finished the game 5-of-11 from the floor and 11-of-12 from the line helping IUPUI outscore SDSU 20-14 from the charity stripe. Tara Heiser led the Jackrabbits with 11 points and hit three of South Dakota State's five three's that offset just three triples for the Jags.

"DeAirra had the right mindset tonight and really attacked the rim," Parkinson said. "Her effort alone kept us in the game."

Five different players scored in the first 5:36 helping IUPUI take an early 10-6 advantage, but an 11-2 South Dakota State response, including six points off two triples from Heiser, put the Jackrabbits in front 17-12 as the midway point of the first half neared.

Uncharacteristically, however, the Jaguars went cold from the floor failing to hit on a basket from the 12:25 mark to the 1:39 mark and the Jackrabbits took advantage moving their lead to double figures, 30-20.

A Clarissa Ober lay-up moved the SDSU cushion to 12, but with the clock winding down in the first half, Nevena Markovic hit a spot-up three from the right wing with five seconds remaining to trim IUPUI's deficit to single digits, 32-23, entering halftime.

Out of the half, the SDSU lead flip-flopped between six and nine until the Jackrabbits were able to move their lead to double figures, 40-30, with a little more than 12 minutes to play.

Beginning with an old-fashioned three-point play from Goss with 11:54 on the clock, IUPUI seized the momentum by going on a 14-2 run over the next 4:03 to catapult in front, 44-42. During the run, Goss scored half of IUPUI's points to give the Jags their first lead since the 14:05 mark of the first half.

With the score knotted at 46, a quick 6-0 spurt from SDSU gave it a 52-46 advantage with a little less than four minutes to play. IUPUI closed within three off two Goss free throws with 1:09 left and had a chance to climb within one or even tie the game following a Megan Waytashek missed three, but a missed lay-up in transition for the Jaguars followed by an IUPUI foul put SDSU at the line. The Jackrabbits hit 3-of-4 at the charity stripe before IUPUI got the ball back pushing their cushion to six, and that margin held as South Dakota State earned a 63-57 win.

The Jags close out their first league road trip of the season on Saturday, Jan. 11, when they take on North Dakota State in Fargo, N.D. Tip is set for 3 p.m. ET.