Postgame Press Conference

DETROIT -  IUPUI was denied a bid for the championship game of the Horizon League Women's Basketball Championship as Wright State beat the Jags 60-52 in the semifinals. No different than the other two meetings, the game was close until the very end.
 
Wright State finished the last five minutes of the game on a 12-3 run and a 19-5 run overall to erase a six point Jaguar lead and put the Raiders in championship game against Green Bay.
 
IUPUI held Horizon League Player of the Year Chelsea Welch in check for the first three quarters, only allowed her nine points through the first three periods and just two free throw attempts. Welch took over the last five minutes though, getting to the free throw line six times in the final few minutes and finishing the game off with a layup.
 
#Danielle Lawrence# did all she could for the Jags, leading IUPUI with 17 points including a three with just over a minute left that pulled the Jags within two. Turnovers proved costly as IUPUI committed 19, including two with under a minute left to play to deny any chance for a comeback.
 
#Macee Williams# posted her seventh double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds.  #Holly Hoopingarner# scored nine points off the bench to finish third on the team in scoring and hit three of the Jags eight made free throws.
 
Lawrence pushed the Jags lead to eight after scoring IUPUI's first five points of the fourth quarter and Williams hit two buckets but the Jags hit just 5-of-14 shots in the final frame while Wright State was hot from the floor, hitting 50 percent of its shots.
 
Overall, IUPUI outshot Wright State, hitting 39 percent to 36 percent but the Raiders got to the free throw line 18 times, hitting 16 of them and went 14-for-16 in the second half from the line.
 
Throughout the majority of the game, IUPUI answered Wright State's runs. In the third quarter, after two free throws cut the Jaguar lead to two, IUPUI responded with layups from Williams, Lawrence and Hoopingarner to push the lead back to eight.
 
The Jags took a four-point lead in to the second quarter and midway through the frame got four-straight points from Williams to push the lead to eight. A three by Wright State's Emily Vogelpohl, who finished with 11 points, cut the lead to five but was match by three free throws by Hoopingarner.
 
Wright State saw Simone Simmons score 12 points and hit two threes, kick-starting the Raiders' run with nine of her points coming during a 13-4 run that gave Wright State a 50-49 lead.
 
IUPUI will now look to see if they will earn a bid in the 2018 Women's NIT. The 64-team field of the NIT will be announced on Monday, March 12.