INDIANAPOLIS - A solid weeknight crowd entered The Jungle on Tuesday night (Dec. 1) as the IUPUI women's basketball team beat Indiana State 68-43, due in large part to an explosive third quarter from sophomore Martha Burse. The Jags (5-1) remain the only one-loss team in the Summit League through the first month of the season.

Burse scored a season-high 15 points in the contest that included 13 second half points in an offensive showcase. Burse was red hot as she shredded the Indiana State defense to the tune of 7-of-8 from the field, ending up one point shy of her career-high.

Senior Akilah Sims scored 14 points and added 10 boards while going 7-of-12 from the floor. She netted 10 of her 14 in the first half before handing over the offensive reigns to Burse. Sophomore Danielle Lawrence was once again steady at the two-guard position, adding 10 points. Junior Jenna Gunn and senior Shaquira Scott contributed seven apiece. Gunn snagged eight boards as well. Junior Mikale Rogers was the paint presence with six rebounds and five blocks to go along with five points.

"The first half was up and down," Head Coach Austin Parkinson said. "We got some stops then kind of got careless with the ball. In the second half we got stops and really started attacking the rim with a little more patience and really took advantage of some good opportunities."

The rookie point guard Sydney Hall gave the Jags an early edge with a floater and a nothing-but-net triple as the Jags jumped out to a 9-2 lead just two minutes into the game. The Sycamores closed the early gap and finished the quarter with a buzzer-beating layup to take a 16-15 lead.

Sims stole the lead right back to open the second stanza before an offensive drought from both teams. Neither squad hit a field goal for nearly three minutes in the second period. Sims broke the spell for IUPUI with a nifty cut to the hoop on a Jaguar inbounds play, giving IUPUI a 19-16 lead. The Sycamore drought lasted over four and a half minutes until a fast break layup.

A back-and-forth showdown would follow as IUPUI and Indiana State traded leads five times with three ties in the middle of the second quarter. A Rogers jump hook at the buzzer gave IUPUI a slight four-point edge heading to the half, 32-28.

Sims thrived in the defensive battle with 10 points and seven boards in one half of play. The Jags shot 46.9 percent from the floor in the first half but 11 turnovers allowed the Sycamores to stay within striking distance.

The Jags got a scare early in the second half as Sims turned an ankle. She left the game but would return later in the quarter. In her short absence, Lawrence poured in four quick points. The Jags held Indiana State scoreless in the third until the 4:11 mark as they extended the lead to 40-28.

The rest of the third was shared offensively by Shaquira Scott and Martha Burse. The pair of guards came off the bench to combine for 10 straight points to end the quarter. Scott scored four straight before Burse netted six in the final minute of play for a 53-36 IUPUI advantage.

Burse came out in the fourth and continued her offensive clinic. The route was on as IUPUI pushed the lead to 19 (57-38) on a 29-10 run dating back to the first half (28-28) before the Jags cruised through the fourth and closed out the Sycamores, 68-43. They finished the game shooting 31-of-61 from the floor (50.8 percent). Only five second half turnovers helped the Jags keep the win streak alive. The streak is now at five games as they prepare for a two week road trip.

"We're just worried about the next game and focusing on that," Parkinson said. "It's just about getting better this time of the year. I like our team's chemistry right now and I like our focus level. It's a really fun group and I'm proud of the way they played tonight."

IUPUI will be in action again this weekend as they travel to Denton, Texas to take on Stephen F. Austin in a 6 p.m. game Friday (Dec. 4), before playing North Texas on Saturday (Dec. 5) at 3:30 p.m. IUPUI won't return to The Jungle until a Dec. 18 matchup with Belmont.