HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – IUPUI's five game winning streak came to an end with a 60-57 loss at Northern Kentucky on Thursday (Jan. 31). Holly Hoopingarner's last second three to tie the game looked good but went in and out.

IUPUI (13-8, 7-3 Horizon) was led by Tamya Sims with 14 points and Hoopingarner and Williams each added 11. The Jags struggled on the offensive end all night scoring just 19 points in the first half, the lowest for IUPUI in the first half all season. For the game the Jags shot just 36.2 percent from the field but picked up on the offensive end in the final quarter, scoring 22 points on 46 percent shooting as the game came down to the wire.

After trailing by as much as 11 earlier in the game, IUPUI managed to take a four-point lead with 3:35 left in the game after two Hoopingarner free throws. From there IUPUI struggled to find a way to get the ball in basket, going scoreless for almost three minutes as Northern Kentucky (6-14, 5-5 Horizon) went on an 8-0 run to take a 58-54 lead with nine seconds left.

Head coach Austin Parkinson drew up an inbounds play that got Hoopingarner a quick look at a three and drilled the shot to pull the Jags within one. After NKU hit two free throws, Hoopingarner drove the length of the court and got an open look five feet beyond the arc but the shot didn't fall.

The Jags could not stop the Northern Kentucky duo of Ally Niece and Grayson Rose who finished with 16 and 14 points, respectively. Rose went 4-for-7 from the three point line and Niece shot 7-for-12 from the field while dissing out six assists. Northern Kentucky shot 44.9 percent from the field, the highest percentage the Jags have allowed since their last loss at Youngstown State.

The game got off to a very cold start with the teams going scoreless for more than four minutes to start the game before Northern Kentucky scored the first basket. The Jags managed just eight first quarter points and trailed 13-8 after ten minutes.

Trailing 23-12 halfway through the second, IUPUI pulled back in to the game thanks to a 15-2 run that spanned the second and third quarter. O'Reilly began the run with a three and Beier's layup pulled the Jags to within six at the half. To begin the third quarter, IUPUI started with a three from Hall and got back-to-back baskets from Sims and Williams to take their first lead of the game at 26-25. O'Reilly capped the run with a free throw before NKU tied the game on a basket.

QUOTABLE
Credit Northern Kentucky for their toughness down the stretch and how they defended," said Parkinson. "We talked all week about handling success the right way and obviously we still have a lot to learn as a team on what that looks like."

QUICK NOTES

• IUPUI was held to just 19 first half points, the lowest in the first half by IUPUI all season. It also ties the low for points in a half when the Jags scored 19 in the second half against Northern Iowa on Nov. 30.
• Macee Williams finished with 11 points after being held to just two points in the first half.
• Agatha Beier scored eight points for the Jags in the first half, a season high for the sophomore.
• The Jags last three games have been decided by an average of 2.7 points. In the three games previous, IUPUI had won by an average of 30. 7 points.
• IUPUI won the rebounding battle 30-29 but the 30 rebounds for IUPUI were the lowest pulled down by the Jags since grabbing 29 in a win over Indiana State (Dec. 3).
• IUPUI went 7-for-16 from three-point range. The 16 attempts were the lowest since also attempting 16 against Northern Kentucky in the first matchup with the Norse on Dec. 30. The 43 percent effort from deep is the second best mark of the season, behind a 47 percent day against VCU over Thanksgiving.

UP NEXT
IUPUI will head to Dayton to meet Horizon League leading Wright State on Saturday (Feb. 2) with tip off at 2 p.m.