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INDIANAPOLIS – An intense game that lived up to the hype of two of the top mid-majors in the country doing battle, the IUPUI women's basketball team (7-2) came up just short in a hard-fought battle with Ohio (7-0), falling late 65-71.  The Jags led by double-digits at the end of the first quarter and held a halftime lead before a big third-quarter surge put the Bobcats up.

"It was a fun game," Head Coach Austin Parkinson said.  "They're a really good team, and they were really well coached."
 
The Jags shot .375 (18-for-48) from the field in the game, and .364 (4-for-11) from three-point range.  The team consistently applied the pressure in the lane, drawing 25 Ohio fouls and going 25-for-35 (.714) at the free-throw line.  The Jags committed 17 turnovers to just eight for Ohio, as the Bobcats picked up 27 points off of turnovers and owned the paint, scoring 44 points to just 26 for IUPUI in the lane. 
 
Mikale Rogers and Danielle Lawrence each tallied 18 points in the contest, while Rogers came up just a rebound shy of a double-double with nine.  Caitlyn Tolen went 3-for-3 from long range, picking up nine points.  Holly Hoopingarner did most of her damage at the free-throw line, going 5-for-6 and tallying nine points.  Sydney Hall had six points, Jenna Gunn had three, and Kelsi Byrd added two. 

"We knew it was going to be a challenge," Coach Parkinson added.  "We came out early and really stuck to our gameplan... honestly, we lost the game as we got out-toughed.  They went and got rebounds down the stretch that might've swung the game in the other direction."

Rogers kicked off the game with a layup 46 seconds into the action, pulling in a Gunn pass to put the Jags on top.  The Bobcats picked up an and-one play, followed by a three-pointer to jump out to a lead.  They'd tack on another triple about two and a half minutes in, pushing the Jags to a 2-9 deficit.  Lawrence converted 1-of-2 free throws at the 7:14 mark, followed by a fast-break layup on the ensuing possession.  Hall pressured the lane on her next trip, earning a trip to the line and knocking down both free-throws.  Hall then found Rogers in transition, as the big post player was able to toss up a layup and tie the game, 9-9.  Lawrence made it three straight scoring trips on a cutting layup, putting the Jags up by a pair.  Out of a media timeout, the Bobcats would land a triple on their first shot to reclaim the lead.  IUPUI answered right back, as Tolen connected from long-range on a pass from Rogers to make it 14-12.  Hoopingarner made good on a trip to the charity stripe with a pair of tosses, followed by one from Rogers, as IUPUI expanded its lead.  Hoopingarner found the nylon again, this time on a jumper from the top of the key, as the Jags made it a five-point spread.  Tolen added one, Hoopingarner put up a free-throw, then Tolen added a triple to make it a 10-point lead for the Jags.  They'd take that lead into the break, 24-14.
 
The Jags shot .636 (7-for-11) in the first quarter, limiting the Bobcats to a .313 (5-for-16) clip.  IUPUI coughed up five turnovers, but applied the pressure at the basket, going 8-for-14 from the free-throw line.  The Bobcats committed 11 fouls.
 
After a pair of empty possessions to begin the quarter, Rogers answered back-to-back buckets by the Bobcats with a cutting layup.  She'd hit again on a second chance after an offensive rebound, growing the lead to 10 once again.  The Jags were forced to burn a timeout with 6:54 to play, as Ohio made good on two-straight trips to cut it to six points.  Taking a page out of the IUPUI playbook, the Bobcats began to pressure the hoop in the second, earning six-straight points on layups and pushing the Jags to four early fouls.  Rogers ended a brief scoring drought for IUPUI, picking up an offensive board and dropping it in to make it 30-25.  She'd hit again on a quick pass from Hoopingarner in transition to make it a seven-point lead.  Hoopingarner went back to the first quarter strategy, pressuring the basket and earning a trip to the line.  She dropped in both, as IUPUI led 34-25 with 2:56 left to play.  An Ohio timeout seemed to make all the difference, as the Bobcats went on a 5-0 run to make it a two score game with under a minute to play.   They'd head to the half with a lead, 34-30.
 
After an efficient shooting outburst in the first quarter, the Jags fell to .286 (4-for-14) from the floor, and were blank from three-point range (0-for-3).  The Bobcats outscored the Jags 16-10 in the second quarter, and converted 19 points off the Jags 11 turnovers in the first half.  The also had the advantage in the paint, as the Bobcats held the scoring advantage 18-16.  Rogers led her team with 13 points in the half, also picking up seven rebounds. 
 
Rogers picked up a block to start the quarter, but couldn't prevent the Cats from eventually scoring.  Lawrence was blocked on the other end, which led to a Bobcats hoop to tie the game, 34-34.  They'd take the lead on the next possession after picking up an offensive board.  Lawrence broke the lid off the hoop for the Jags just over two minutes in, cutting to the lane and dropping in the layup while picking up the foul.  She'd convert the three-point play to reclaim a lead for her team.  After six-straight from Ohio, the Jaguars were forced to burn a timeout, down 37-42.  It marked a 12-3 run for the Cats to begin the quarter.  Rogers connected on a pair of free-throws to end nearly three minutes of scoreless ball, but Ohio answered right back with a transition layup.  Perhaps a moment of shifting momentum, Gunn picked off a Bobcats' pass and pushed in down the floor, earning a trip to the line and turning it into two points.  After a pair of blank possessions by both teams, the Bobcats dropped in a triple, to which Byrd answered with her first points on a good move in the paint.  At 43-47, Gunn hit a free-throw, Lawrence added two, and the Jags cut it to a one-point game.  After a pair of free-throws and a layup from Ohio with under a minute to play, Rogers earned a trip to the line with just 2.6 left on the clock.  She'd hit one, as the teams headed to the final quarter with the score, 47-51. 
 
The Bobcats outscored IUPUI 21-13 in the frame, as the Jags a stagnant .154 (2-for-13) from the field.  They did most of their damage from the free-throw line, going 9-for-11. 
 
Hall came out firing to start the final quarter, hitting a triple to cut it to a one-point lead.  The Bobcats answered right back with an and-one play, setting the score at 50-54.  Hoopingarner cut to the basket, knocking down a step-back jumper, to trim it to a one-bucket game.  After a lengthy break from the game to review a shot-clock discrepancy, the Cats hit on their first chance to reclaim a four-point lead.  They'd make it six after a three-second violation against the Jags, followed by a triple to grow it to nine.  After a timeout, Lawrence hit at the seven-minute mark, making it 54-61.  She'd hit again, this time with a pair from the free-throw line, trimming the deficit to five.  A huge moment for IUPUI, Tolen hit a clutch three-pointer that went in, then out, then back in to make it 59-61.  After forcing a blank possession by Ohio, Lawrence worked to the basket, drawing the foul and getting Hannah Boesinger of the Bobcats to foul out.  Lawrence would hit 1-of-2 shots, as it came down to a one-point game. 
 
With 4:07 left to play, the Jags got the ball back on a three-second violation, but couldn't capitalize on the opportunity.  After a few blank possessions, the Bobcats got a layup to go back up by three.  With 2:11 to play, Lawrence cut to the hoop, again drawing the fifth foul for a Bobcats' player.  A cruel rim denied her first shot, as she dropped in the second to make it 61-63.  Ohio hit on the next drive, but Lawrence answered right back with a layup.  After a three-point shot by the Bobcats, the action again came to a pause as the officials wanted to review the basket.  After confirmation, Rogers worked her way to the free-throw line, hitting a pair to make it 65-68.  A dagger to the Jags' hopes, Ohio hit a layup with 18.4 seconds to play, beating the double-team to make it a two-possession ballgame.  The Jags would be forced to play the foul-game, as time was slipping away from IUPUI.  In the end, Ohio pulled away when it mattered, winning the game 65-71. 
 
The Jags shot 5-for-10 (.500) in the final quarter, but were outscored 20-18 in the frame. 
 
With the loss, the Jags will now look to Wednesday (Dec. 14) to get back to their winning ways, as the team hosts Tennessee Tech at 7 p.m. EST in the Jungle.
 
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