INDIANAPOLIS - The IUPUI women's basketball team defeated the Butler Bulldogs in the Jags' home opener on Sunday, 80-47. The Jags made 16 three-pointers to tie the school record previously recorded on Nov. 26, 2016, against Georgia Southern. Sophomore transfer Rachel Kent led the Jags with 16 points, all from behind the arc. Red-shirt senior Destiny Perkins followed with 12 points and four assists.
 
"Really proud of our players being so sharp after a long layoff because of the shutdown," said head coach Austin Parkinson. "Our kids defended with purpose and consistently made the extra pass with 24 assists." 

IUPUI, finally back on the court after three games were canceled due to Covid-19, started the game off strong and took the lead early scoring 24 points in the first quarter and held the Bulldogs to only 8 points. Butler never took the lead as the Jags held a dominating lead throughout all four quarters. IUPUI took their largest lead of 43 in the third quarter.
 
"It felt really good to just be out there with each other again," said Perkins. "It was really hard for us to go on a break after being around each other for so long and trying to get prepared in two days was really tough but it felt really good to be back."
 
Starters, Natalie Andersen added 11 points with three three-pointers and Madison Wise scored three points with six assists. Macee Williams added eight points and three assists.

"We have a really good shooting team and today they took what the defense gave them, which led to a school record-tying three's." said Parkinson. The Jags starting five, Perkins, Wise, Kent, Andersen and Williams, accounted for 11 of the 16 three's and sat out the entire fourth quarter to let some fresh Jags on the court.

Junior Alli Berg and sophomore Anna Mortag came off the bench for the Jags to add a total of 17 points, Berg with nine and Mortag with eight. Jaci Jones added five points and three assists and freshman Jacquel Bronaugh scored six points with two rebounds.
 
Even though the Lady Jaguars had not played since Nov. 14, they finished the game at 52.7 percent from the floor and 50.0 percent (16-for-32) at the three-point line while holding the Bulldogs to 9.5 percent (2-for-21) beyond the arc. The Jags totaled 37 rebounds with 24 assists.
 
"It shows what kind of team we are. It shows that even though we were in quarantine we still shot on our own and a lot of teams might not do that. We were making sure we were focusing on getting back and being prepared for when the time came."
 
IUPUI will travel to Detroit, Michigan to take on Horizon League foe Detroit Mercy on Thursday, Dec. 2 at 7:00 PM ET. Game coverage with be on ESPN+.