MACOMB, Ill. – Akilah Sims matched a career-high with 20 points and Nevena Markovic recorded a double-double, but it wasn't enough to dig the IUPUI women's basketball team out of an early deficit as the Jaguars dropped a 73-62 decision to Western Illinois at Western Hall Thursday night.
 
Poor shooting put the Jags in an 18-point hole 12 minutes in, but they rallied to make it a six-point game at the half. The IUPUI deficit dwindled to five a minute into the second half and despite runs by both teams the Jags only trailed by six with 3:37 to go. But the Leathernecks made the plays down the stretch to improve to 13-8 overall and 5-3 in the Summit League, while the Jags fell to 9-12 overall and 4-4 in the league.
 
IUPUI won the turnover battle and the battle of the boards thanks in part to 18 offensive caroms, but it came down to field goal shooting and despite getting up 20 more shots, the Jags made four fewer field goals than WIU as IUPUI finished the game shooting 29.9 percent while the Leathernecks shot at a 51.1-percent clip.
 
"Some nights shots don't fall for you and tonight was one of those nights," head coach Austin Parkinson said. "I thought our offensive hurt our defense tonight in that we stood around and took guarded shots which led to transition at the other end. Defensively, we have been playing well but multiple scouting report errors caused us to be out of position."
 
Sims' 20 points marked her third-straight double-digit scoring performance since coming back from an injury, while Kelsi Byrd, Markovic and Danielle Lawrence also reached double figures with 13, 12 and 10 points, respectively. Ashley Luke led Western Illinois with 23 points and 10 boards.
 
The score was tied at seven three and a half minutes in, but the Jaguars defense, which had been exceptional over the past two games, disappeared for the next nine minutes.
 
During that stretch, the Leathernecks went on a 21-3 run to open a 28-10 cushion, and through the first 12-plus minutes Western Illinois appeared like it would run away with the game shooting 70 percent from the floor compared to just 15 percent for the Jags.
 
Despite the deficit, the Jags got an old-fashioned three-point play from Lawrence with 6:39 on the clock and that kick-started the IUPUI offense.
 
Two Leathernecks free throws following the Lawrence three-point play put them up 30-13, but an 11-0 Jags run over a three-minute stretch brought them within six, 30-24, with 2:48 to go. The run featured six points from Sims and five from Markovic.
 
In the final minutes of the first half, the teams alternated baskets and that six-point lead held for Western Illinois as it took a 36-30 lead into the break.
 
A Sims bucket a minute into the second half inched the Jags within five, but five points from Luke during an 13-point Leathernecks surge opened up a 49-32 lead by the first media timeout.
 
By the 12:15 mark the Jags had again trimmed their deficit to single-digits, 51-42, following a Byrd three-point play, and two minutes later a Sims triple followed a WIU bucket shrinking the Leathernecks lead to 53-45.
 
Western Illinois retaliated with an 8-0 run, only to have IUPUI go on a 12-2 run that was capped off by a Markovic three to make the deficit six, 63-57, with 3:37 remaining. However, Michelle Maher scored the next four points and the Jags couldn't muster another rally before eventually falling, 73-62.
 
Up next for the Jaguars is a return to Indianapolis on Saturday, Jan. 31, when it welcomes Omaha to The Jungle for a 3 p.m. tip.