INDIANAPOLIS –IUPUI lost its fourth-straight game, dropping its Horizon League opener against Wright State in an overtime battle, 78-75 on Friday (Dec. 28). It was a battle between the Preseason Horizon League No. 2 (IUPUI) and No. 3 (Wright State) teams and the matchup did not disappoint.
In a back and forth contest that featured 12 ties and 19 lead changes, IUPUI lost its second consecutive overtime game.
IUPUI (6-6, 0-1 Horizon) had one of its most balanced attacks of the season on the offensive end with five players finishing in double figures.
Macee Williams led the team with 16 points despite having just five points after the first quarter after being hampered by foul trouble.
Katelyn O'Reilly finished second on the team with 12, followed by
Holly Hoopingarner and
Tamya Sims who both added 11.
Sydney Hall was the last Jag in double figures with 10.
"The good thing was we looked like IUPUI tonight," said head coach
Austin Parkinson. "I thought for a couple games in a row we seemed out of sorts and tonight we played pretty well...I liked our lineup and our rotation tonight. We got more people involved which was important. There were a lot of encouraging things tonight."
After the Jags took a two-point lead in to the fourth quarter, Wright State (9-3, 1-0 Horizon) blitzed IUPUI to pull ahead by seven with just over five minutes left. IUPUI responded with a 7-0 run featuring a three by
Sydney Roule and two layups by Williams. Later in the quarter, with Wright State up by four, Roule ripped off five-straight points, capping her run with a three to give the Jags the lead.
Wright State would miss a go-ahead jumper and Williams pulled down one of her team-high eight rebounds and was fouled but hit only one of two free throws. Wright State drew up a play for Michal Miller, who finished the night with 17 points but her shot did not fall, but an offensive rebound and putback by Symone Simmons sent the game to overtime.
Both teams were coming off of overtime losses and IUPUI was looking for its first win in three tries in extra time. Sims started the scoring but Wright State scored four-straight to jump ahead. Williams tied the game for IUPUI but was quickly answered by a Miller jumper. IUPUI had a chance at the lead but Hall's three was off the mark.
After Mackenzie Taylor (17 pts) hit two free throws to give the Raiders a four-point lead, Taylor fouled Hoopingarner on the a three-point attempt. Hoopingarner missed the first but made the second. The third was missed and IUPUI had a hand on the rebound but Emily Vogelpohl came away with the ball. Looking to seal the game, Vogelpohl missed both free throws but stripped Sims of the ball after the rebound and made a layup to ice the game.
Wright State came in to the game leading the Horizon League in rebounds but IUPUI outrebounded the Raiders 47-42. After Williams, Sims pulled down seven rebounds and O'Reilly pulled down six, each grabbing five offensive boards. Hoopingarner also pulled down six rebounds to go along with a tam high six assists.
The Jags had a decided advantage at the free throw line getting there 22 times to Wright State's seven but IUPUI hit just 15 of its attempts. The turnover but also bit the Jags again as IUPUI finished the game with 17 giveaways.
"Tonight was about who executes and who is tougher and tonight they went and got the loose ball, they went and got the rebound they needed," said Parkinson. "We are missing free throws and weren't strong with the ball and at the end of the day those plays mean the difference between winning and losing."
The first quarter saw teams trade points until Hall's three capped a 5-0 run to give the Jags a 12-7 lead. A Wright State bucket was matched by free throws from O'Reilly and Hoopingarner ended the quarter with a three-point play to put IUPUI up 17-9 after 10 minutes.
After shooting 43 percent from the field in the first quarter, IUPUI went ice cold to begin the second. The Jags missed their first six shots of the quarter and Wright State used a 9-0 run to take an 18-17 lead. Hoopingarner hit a three at the top of the key to give the Jags their first points over five minutes in to the quarter but Wright State answered with a three for a 21-20 lead. For the rest of the quarter the teams traded baskets with O'Reilly hitting the last basket of the half, a three with 25 seconds left, to tie the game at 30.
The third quarter began with the Jags and Raiders matching each other bucket for bucket and Wright State pulled within one after a Vogelpohl three. IUPUI responded with a jumper by Hall and a Hoopingarner layup to go back up five. After a layup from the Raiders, a three-point play by Sims and a layup by
Morgan Allen gave the Jags an eight-point advantage.
That advantage was short lived with Wright State scoring seven points in just over a minute to cut the lead to one.
Agatha Beier answered with a three but the Raiders cut the lead to two with a buzzer-beating jumper.
The Jags have lost three-straight games to Wright State since joining the Horizon League.
IUPUI continues Horizon League play with a game against Northern Kentucky on Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Jungle.
