INDIANAPOLIS – The IUPUI women's basketball team suffered a rare defeat at home on Sunday (Jan. 3) to Oral Roberts, 52-47. An unfortunate shooting night for IUPUI, the Jags found themselves in a tight game despite their poorest shooting performance of the season (29.3 percent). IUPUI moves to 10-5 (1-1) on the season while Oral Roberts improves to 4-10 (1-1). 

Senior Shaquira Scott led the way for IUPUI with 13 points and six rebounds in the game, most of her points coming in the second half. Fellow senior Akilah Sims added 10 points and nine boards while freshman Sydney Hall tallied nine points and three boards. 

"Give credit to Oral Roberts," Head Coach Austin Parkinson said. "They played with urgency and toughness tonight."

The first quarter was sluggish on both sides as neither team seemed dangerous offensively. ORU got the go-ahead bucket in the paint (8-7) with less than ten seconds in the quarter. IUPUI's Martha Burse pushed it up the floor and found Sims at the top of the key for a banked 3-point bucket at the horn to give the Jags a 10-8 lead after quarter one. Sims had seven points in the first. 

Mikale Rogers' first quarter struggles continued into the second quarter as she missed a pair of close range attempts early in the period. The ORU defense swarmed Rogers every time she touched the ball, causing the junior to start the game 0-of-7 through the first 15 minutes.  

The Jags found themselves locked in a back-and-forth game throughout the second. The game had seen nine lead changes and three ties in the first half of play. The Golden Eagles used a large rebounding advantage in the first half (26-14) to frustrate IUPUI on the glass. The Jags shot just 31 percent in the first half. There wasn't an issue with shot selection but numerous Jaguar attempts rimmed out down the stretch in the second period. Despite the unfortunate bounces, IUPUI was right there within four at halftime, 22-26. 

The Jags had a slow start to open the second half as ORU opened with a 8-3 run before Shaquira Scott put together a string of baskets and junior Kelsi Byrd knocked down a huge three to bring the deficit back to just six points (36-30). IUPUI entered the fourth trailing just 40-32 despite all of their misfortune shooting the ball. 

Byrd continued to make hustle plays in the fourth quarter, grabbing a few important rebounds and getting defensive stops. Hall knocked down her second 3-point shot of the game to bring the Jags back to five (37-42). 

Shaquira Scott added another jumper to bring it to just three (44-41) and an immediate steal and dish from Lawrence to Sims ended up with a pair of free throws (44-43) as IUPUI trailed by just one with two minutes to play. A lightning quick Sydney Hall raced coast to coast for a left-handed layup to keep IUPUI within one at the 40 second mark. A back-and-forth of ORU free throws and IUPUI buckets ensued before two missed IUPUI threes gave ORU the win, 52-47. 

"Some games you shoot poorly as a team and that means you have to make up for it in other areas," Parkinson said. "We gave up 18 offensive rebounds and had several careless turnovers which was too much to overcome."

IUPUI suffered just their second home loss of the season (5-2 at home) and fifth overall. The Jags travel to Macomb, Ill. to face Western Illinois next Saturday (Jan. 9) in a 5:30 p.m. contest.