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INDIANAPOLIS – In their IUPUI debuts, Shaquira Scott and Martha Burse scored 16 and 10 points, respectively, but No. 12 Louisville used an early second-half run to propel it to an 89-69 win Friday evening in the season-opener for both teams at the newly renovated Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum.
 
Scott and Burse were two of four players that scored in double figures for the Jags as Akilah Sims and Mikale Rogers added 12 and 11 points. IUPUI outscored Louisville 49-48 in the second half and shot 57.1 percent in the second 20 minutes, but it couldn't overcome a sloppy first half.
 
For the Cardinals, freshman Mariya Moore led the way with 22 points on 8-of-9 shooting.
 
The pressure defense from the nationally-ranked Cardinals rattled the Jags early as Louisville jumped out a 13-2 lead two and a half minutes in. Beginning with a put-back from Nevena Markovic at the 15:50 mark, IUPUI was able to score on four of its next five possessions on a three from Sims, a lay-up from Rogers and a free throw from Scott to get into a bit of an offensive rhythm.
 
A Megan Deines lay-up with 13:07 to play put the Cards in front, 23-10, but the Jags defense held strong over the next three and a half minutes holding Louisville to just one point during that stretch. Offensively, however, all the Jags could manage was a pair of free throws from Scott to climb within 12, 24-12.
 
An 11-2 Louisville run opened a 35-14 lead with 3:30 to go before a Rogers lay-up ended the spurt, and baskets in the final two minutes from Rogers and Sims helped keep the deficit at 21 as the Jaguars went into the half trailing 41-20.
 
The frontcourt tandem of Sims and Rogers paced the Jaguars in the opening half scoring 13 of the team's 20 points.
 
Six quick points to start the second half from Scott helped the Jags match the Cards scoring output early, but as the 15-minute mark neared Louisville was able to slightly up its cushion to 55-32.
 
The UofL lead reached 30 with 12:37 to go, but a 9-0 IUPUI spurt fueled by six points from Jenna Gunn brought the Jags back within 21 at 64-43 with just under 10:30 to play.
 
A Nicole Rogers three from the right corner with just under 10 minutes to play inched the Jags within 20, 66-46, and a Scott runner with 7:09 to go brought IUPUI within 19 points, 69-50.
 
IUPUI continued to chip away at their deficit when another brief run highlighted by five points from Burse, including three from the charity stripe, cut the deficit to 15, 70-55, with 6:05 to go.
 
Unfortunately for the Jags, that would be as close as they would get as Louisville finished off an 89-69 victory.
 
Up next for the Jaguars is a match-up with Eastern Illinois on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. Tuesday's meeting will take place at The Jungle.