INDIANAPOLIS - The last time IUPUI was scheduled to play Purdue Fort Wayne, it was November 20 and the latter won by forfeit due to COVID-19 cases among IUPUI team personnel. This Thursday night was a different story, as the Jaguars bested the Mastodons 74-55 in a home game where they never trailed.
 
Macee Williams led IUPUI with an efficient 9-of-12 shooting for 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Rachel Kent and Anna Mortag scored 13 points apiece. Redshirt senior point guard Destiny Perkins returned to action after missing five games with an injury—she failed to score but dished out four assists. Perkins' return marked the first time IUPUI has fielded a complete roster since December 21 at Iowa.
 
The Jaguars also contained Purdue Fort Wayne's top players. Sylare Starks went just 1-of-10 for two points, a far cry from her season scoring average of 11.0 PPG. Fellow junior Shayla Sellers (10.0 PPG) managed eight points but was not efficient, going 3-of-9 from the floor. Sophomore guard Aubrey Stupp ultimately led all players with 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting, but it wasn't enough for the Mastodons.
 
"We played really good defense for three quarters," head coach Austin Parkinson said. "I thought we played really hard. The other part is, we had [17 assists]. We shared the basketball, which is big for our team."
 
Natalie Andersen started fast for the Jaguars, scoring a layup and a three-pointer in the opening frame. Ali Berg made an early impact off the bench, notching five points of her own (her season average is 2.5 PPG). Kent, Madison Wise and Morgan Allen joined the offense as well, scoring four points each as IUPUI jumped to an early 24-12 lead.
 
Williams opened the second quarter with seven quick points, fueling a 9-0 run by the Jaguars. Purdue Fort Wayne responded with a zone defense that temporarily slowed IUPUI's attack, enabling them to go on a 14-7 run. With 3:30 to go until halftime, Andersen got tied up with an opponent and collapsed, holding her arm and shoulder in clear pain. She returned to the game minutes later but did not see much action in the second half.
 
"Nat's been on fire," said Wise about Andersen. "Nat's a really good defender, a really good scorer. When someone goes down like that, obviously you hope that they'll be able to bounce back, and she's really, really tough."
 
Purdue Fort Wayne experienced its own injury scare at 2:35 when Sellers collided with Mortag on an inbounds play. Sellers, like Andersen, was able to return to the game. Kent drained two three-pointers at the end of the first half, shooting the Mastodons out of their zone defense as IUPUI went to the locker room up 50-26.
 
With Sellers banged up and Starks floundering on offense, Stupp took over for Purdue Fort Wayne in the third stanza. She erupted for 10 of the Mastodons' 12 points in the quarter as the Jaguars collectively only managed 12 of their own. Purdue Fort Wayne managed to outscore IUPUI 17-12 in the final frame, but by then the Jaguar lead was too much to overcome.
 
IUPUI received offensive contributions from up and down the lineup. Wise produced six points and seven rebounds, while Allen notched six more points and six boards of her own. Berg and Andersen finished with five points each, and Fort Wayne native Jaci Jones closed out the game with two made free throws.
 
Although the Jaguars dominated most of the night and outrebounded the Mastodons 49-24, they also committed 21 turnovers as opposed to just 12 for the Mastodons. Ball security will be vital in their next game against the Cleveland State Vikings, who boast the Horizon League's best offense at 73.6 PPG. Cleveland State also deploys a lot of zone, so Parkinson is happy his team faced that type of defense tonight.
 
"[The Vikings] are a talented basketball team and they're playing well, so it'll be a fun challenge," he said. IUPUI takes on Cleveland State Saturday at 2 PM in the Jungle on ESPN+.