INDIANAPOLIS – The IUPUI women's basketball team rallied for a late win in The Jungle on Friday night (Dec. 18) as the Jags bested Belmont 62-59.  

"We got down five with five minutes to go and our kids came out of a timeout and they were tough," Head Coach Austin Parkinson said. "They got stops down the stretch. That last defensive possession was great communication, so really proud of our kids. That's a good team."

Senior Akilah Sims led the way for IUPUI with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Sophomore Danielle Lawrence added 12 while Mikale Rogers chipped in 10. Freshman Sydney Hall added eight, including four on IUPUI's last two made field goals. The double-double for Sims was her third of the season. 

"It was a really good win for us," Sims said. "Kind of like a lot of teams in our conference, Belmont drives the ball well, they're really good shooters and they're smart. We just had to do a good job of staying composed and on top of our game and it was a good win for us."

IUPUI and Belmont both got off to hot starts offensively as IUPUI held a 10-9 lead just over two minutes into the game. Both units started 4-of-6 shooting in the first twelve possessions to set the tone for a high pressure, up-tempo game. 

The Jags clung to a 20-19 advantage at the end of the first quarter behind Sims' eight first quarter points. Sims, Rogers and Lawrence combined for 19 of the Jags' 20 first quarter points. 

Sophomore Martha Burse opened the second quarter with a pair of free throws and a suffocating defensive play to force a Belmont five-second call. IUPUI continued to scrap hanging onto a small edge through the second stanza. The Jags started the contest 5-of-6 from the three-point line in the first 15 minutes of play, but Belmont reeled off eight unanswered to end the half with a 37-32 lead. 

IUPUI responded with their own 8-0 run to open the second half before Belmont settled in. Rogers buried a pair of jump hooks in the third frame to join Sims and Lawrence in double figures and keep IUPUI on the better end of the score. Sims grabbed a trio of key rebounds and upped her scoring total throughout the quarter, aiding the Jags to a 48-45 lead heading to the fourth.  

Another run for the Bruins spurred a hot fourth quarter start as Belmont jumped back in front with a 55-50 edge. A pair of huge defensive stops by Sims and Hall–coupled with a Kelsi Byrd triple and a Sims drive–brought IUPUI right back in it with 3:20 left to play. 

A fast-break runner from Hall put IUPUI up 57-55, but the Bruins evened things up with 1:30 on the clock. 

With a 60-59 edge, Sims stepped up to the line and buried a pair of free throws to give the Jags the 62-59 advantage with just 11 seconds to play. Belmont's last attempt at a game-tying three was a good look but great IUPUI defense forced an airball and The Jungle erupted in celebration.

"I thought Akilah was big for us," Parkinson said. "She really went and got the rebounds, got the basketball for us and made some tough plays. Shaquira Scott made some nice plays around the basket. Sydney Hall down the stretch made two huge drives."

IUPUI committed just nine turnovers in the contest compared to 17 from the Bruins. The Jags were outrebounded 40-31 in the contest but made up for it with the turnover margin and some lights out three-point shooting in the first half. IUPUI finished the game 6-of-10 from deep.  

"They're a very good rebounding team and we knew that was going to be one of the keys," Parkinson added. "We've got to correct that. We've got to get more people on the glass for us to be successful, especially against teams with size."

IUPUI moves to 8-3 on the season while sending Belmont down to 8-3 as well. The Jags have a quick turnaround before hosting Georgia Tech in a Sunday afternoon (Dec. 20) game at 2 p.m.