DENVER - It wasn't easy, but behind Nevena Markovic and Shaquira Scott the IUPUI women's basketball team pulled out a 68-64 victory over Denver Wednesday evening at Magness Arena to pick up its first road win of the season.

Markovic had a huge night going for 18 points and 11 rebounds, her third double-double of the season and the 15th of her career, while Scott also added 18 points and nine rebounds. But it was a special night for Markovic as her three-pointer a minute and a half into the second half made her the 21st player in IUPUI history to reach 1,000 career points.

"It means a lot because it shows that all my hard work has paid off and I couldn't have done this without my teammates and my coaches," Markovic said about reaching 1,000 career points. "Then for us to come in here and get a great road win was icing on the cake."

"[Nevena Markovic] has had such a positive impact on our program, and for her to get her 1,000th point where she played well is special," head coach Austin Parkinson said. "Shaquira also really stepped up tonight rebounding the ball and finishing in traffic. To get our first road win by being mentally tough down the stretch is important for our confidence going forward."

Wednesday's contest was the second meeting between IUPUI and Denver in a 13-day span, and in that first contest the Jaguars dominated the glass en route to a 17-point win. The roles were reversed on Wednesday with the Pioneers winning the battle of the boards, 40-38, but the Jags took care of the ball committing just eight turnovers and outscored DU 28-16 in the paint leading to the victory.

Poor starts on the road have been the norm for the Jags and the same held true against the Pioneers as they trailed 8-2 a little more than three minutes in, but an Akilah Sims three quickly snapped IUPUI out of its offensive woes and by the 11:34 mark the Jaguars were shooting 75.0 percent from the floor resulting in a 19-14 lead.

As the eight-minute mark neared, a Markovic lay-up capped an 11-0 surge that put the Jags in front, 22-14. IUPUI had multiple opportunities to extend the cushion to double figures, but Denver remained within striking distance before making a push that brought it within two with 49 seconds to play.

A Kelsi Byrd jumper from the right elbow with 23 seconds on the clock would be the final points of the half and that sent IUPUI into the break with a 35-31 lead.

Out of the half, Denver scored three points in the first possession to close within a point, but IUPUI was able to move its lead back to six three minutes in. However, by the 14-minute mark a quick Pioneers spurt placed them in front, 43-42.

Right after the Pioneers took the lead, Scott converted an old-fashioned three-point play to catapult the Jags back in front, before assisting on a Byrd three the following possession to slide the advantage to 48-43.

The Pioneers again took the lead at 59-58 with 4:57 to go, but IUPUI remained composed and made the plays it needed to make to earn the win. Down the stretch, Markovic and Scott scored the final 10 points and defensively the Jags made enough stops to close out the win.

In addition to Markovic and Scott scoring in double figures, Byrd scored 12, which included two big three's in the second half, and Sims scored 10, marking her fifth straight game scoring in double figures.

IUPUI will have a week off before heading north on Interstate 69 to take on Fort Wayne on Wednesday, Feb. 11. Tip between the Jags and Mastodons is set for 7 p.m.