INDIANAPOLIS – Trailing by as many as 12 points in the second half, the IUPUI women's basketball team rallied to take a one-point lead but it couldn't hold on late as its game-winning shot attempt rattled in and out resulting in Indiana State pulling out the 61-60 win Thursday evening at The Jungle.
 
The win upped the Sycamores record to 6-1, while IUPUI fell to 2-5.
 
"In the second half, in that last stretch, we started buying into defense. We're a mediocre defensive team at best and I wish we would play a lot like Indiana State does. Joey (Wells) does a good job. He's got a good team, they play hard, they defend - that's where they hang their hat - and our kids did that for about 10 minutes but until they do it daily we're going to have tough times trying to beat very good basketball teams," head coach Austin Parkinson said. 

Akilah Sims led the way offensively with nine points, but Caitlyn Tolen and Jenna Gunn provided a spark for the Jags during their second-half comeback. They finished with four points and three steals, and eight points and six rebounds, respectively.

"Really proud of Jenna and Caitlyn. Both of them I felt like competed the way that you should in that type of game," Parkinson said. "To have Jenna come off the bench and play with the intensity she played with, and Caitlyn did some nice things to really get us going there in the second half to give us a chance."
 
Coming into the contest, turnovers were a concern for the Jags and eight miscues in the first eight minutes helped Indiana State seize a 16-7 cushion a little more than eight minutes in. During that stretch, all seven points came off the bench with four coming from Nevena Markovic and three from Gunn.
 
Four quick points from Danielle Lawrence inched the Jags within five, 16-11, but by the 6:48 mark the Sycamores were able to extend their lead to 25-15.
 
Two Nicole Rogers three's and a pair of free throws from Markovic keyed an 8-2 run that closed IUPUI within four at 27-23, with four minutes to play, but another Indiana State run opened up an 11-point lead, 34-23 – its biggest of the half – with just over a minute to play.
 
A Shaquira Scott three from the right corner with 48 seconds to go would be the final bucket of the half sending the Jags into the intermission trailing 34-26.
 
A quick turnover forced by Tolen led to a Markovic jumper 12 seconds in to the second half bringing IUPUI within six, but four turnovers and a few missed lay-ups aided a Sycamores run that escalated their lead back to double-figures, 43-30, four and a half minutes in.
 
Two Travecia Franklin free throws with 13:23 to play gave Indiana State its biggest lead of the night at 12, but two Mikale Rogers free throws, an easy lay-up from Martha Burse, a free throw from Lawrence, and a jumper from Burse with the shot clock winding down kept the Jags within striking distance at 47-42 with 11:08 on the clock.
 
Following that Burse jumper, the Sycamores did what they had done a majority of the night and went on another run to again move their lead to 12. However, a 13-0 response put IUPUI in front, 57-56, with 2:42 to go giving it its first lead of the night.
 
The next two trips down the floor, Indiana State managed to hit 3-of-4 free throws to take a 59-57 lead, but after Sims split a pair of free throws, she got a runner to go with the shot clock winding down to put IUPUI on top, 60-59, with 38 seconds to play.
 
Two Racheal Mahan free throws with 23 seconds remaining catapulted the Sycamores back in front, 61-60, but the Jags called timeout with 17 seconds left looking to get off the final shot. After working the ball from side to side, Kelsi Byrd got off a fade-away jumper from the right baseline just before the buzzer went of that looked good and was half-way down before popping out giving Indiana State the 61-60 win.
 
Up next for IUPUI is a trip to Bloomington, Ind., where they will take on Indiana on Sunday, Dec. 7. Tip is set for 2 p.m.