INDIANAPOLIS – The most difficult two-game road trip on the IUPUI women's basketball schedule is behind them. The Jags didn't get a win in South Dakota last week, but they may have gotten two moral victories in back-to-back showdowns with the conference's toughest teams. Now, IUPUI eyes Denver in Thursday's (Jan. 28) Homecoming game at 7 p.m. inside The Jungle.
IUPUI suffered back-to-back losses last week for the first time in the 2015-16 season. The two-game road test consisted of games at South Dakota State and South Dakota in a three-day span. The Jags took South Dakota State into double overtime before losing to the Jacks, 68-66. Two days later, IUPUI climbed out of a double-digit first half deficit to take a seven-point lead over South Dakota in the second half. A 6-0 run by the Coyotes in the final minutes was the difference as the Jags fell, 65-59.
Despite the results, IUPUI (13-7, 4-3) went toe-to-toe with the Summit League's top two teams on the road. As the Jags return to Indianapolis for Homecoming week, they welcome the Denver Pioneers (4-16, 2-5) on Thursday night.
IUPUI is 7-2 at home this season with one of those losses coming to ACC opponent Georgia Tech. The other was a frustrating battle with conference foe Oral Roberts.
The Jags have had dominating performances from junior center
Mikale Rogers in recent memory. The Lawrence North product has scored 17 points or more in the Jags' last four games. She's averaging a team-high 12.5 points per game while leading the squad in rebounding at 7.1 rebounds per contest.
Sydney Hall has found her stroke since the Jags entered conference play. The freshman point guard is 13-for-29 (45 percent) shooting the three since the beginning of Summit League action. During that span, she registered four consecutive games shooting 40 percent or better from behind the arc as well as an 18-point performance against South Dakota State to lead IUPUI in scoring.
The Jags are 9-1 this season when they commit less turnovers than opposing teams. Head Coach Austin Parkinson's squad has a higher turnover rate than any other team in the Summit League, but the Jags also force more turnovers than any Summit League defense. Winning the turnover battle will be a key for the conference's best defensive unit to stifle the Denver squad.
The Jags also boast the best three-point defense in the conference and a top-20 defense against the three in NCAA Division I. They're holding opponents to just 25.9 percent shooting from deep. The Pioneers already struggle shooting the deep ball (27.2 percent) at the worst rate in the Summit League.
Thursday's (Jan. 28) Homecoming game is slated for 7 p.m. at The Jungle on the campus of IUPUI. IUPUI's Scott Agness will have the call on IUPUIJags.com just prior to tip. Celebrate homecoming with discounted tickets for alumni and hear about the Jags' involvement in the 2016 NCAA Women's Final Four festivities.
