HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - IUPUI cannot be stopped right now.
 
The Jaguar juggernaut has ripped off 13 straight wins, including Saturday afternoon's 78-53 road drubbing of the Northern Kentucky Norse. Northern Kentucky was the last team to beat IUPUI, doing so 54-53 on December 31 last year. Today, they were decimated by an efficient Jaguar attack that scored 57.7 percent from the floor, 47 percent from beyond the arc, and dished out 17 assists on 30 made field goals. IUPUI (18-5, 15-3 HL) cements its position atop Horizon League rankings for the moment, while the Norse (17-6, 11-5 HL) drop into fifth.
 
Graduate transfer Madison Wise (7.0 PPG, 5.3 RPG) had her best game in an IUPUI jersey. The former Iowa State Cyclone notched a season-high 18 points and seven rebounds—only Macee Williams was better with 19 points and nine boards.

"Maddie Wise was terrific, having her best game in an IUPUI uniform," said head coach Austin Parkinson.

Rachel McLimore added 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting and led all players with five assists—a far cry from that December 31 meeting where McLimore had just two points going 1-of-11 from the floor. McLimore also played a key role in shutting down Norse star Lindsey Duvall (17.3 PPG, 7.2 RPG). Duvall, the conference's third-leading scorer, managed just four points on 2-of-9 shooting. Junior guard Ivy Turner paced Northern Kentucky with 17 points while Emmy Souder and Kailee Davis added nine each.
 
"Our players were locked in from the tip-off today and played hard at both ends of the floor," said Parkinson. "Rachel McLimore in my opinion is the best defensive player in the league and she showed that today."
 
The Jaguars got off to a fast start. McLimore scored eight points in the opening quarter, determined to find her own shot as IUPUI took an early 14-8 lead. Northern Kentucky's defense stiffened briefly, holding the Jaguars to four points in the last four minutes of the period. Kennedy Igo took a charge on Destiny Perkins, negating a made transition layup, and Grayson Rose hit a deep ball with 17 seconds to go. That made it 18-14 for IUPUI after one.
 
Northern Kentucky tried to close the gap, and the Jaguars had only a three-point lead with four minutes left in the second quarter. Yet IUPUI turned up the heat from there as Norse defenders began to fatigue. Wise kicked off an 11-0 Jaguar run with a layup and capped it with a late deep ball, helping IUPUI to a 41-27 edge at halftime.
 
The Jaguars kept rolling. A Perkins 3-pointer and a Wise layup forced Northern Kentucky coach Camryn Whittaker to call timeout just 64 seconds into the third period. IUPUI outscored the Norse 20-11 in the period, and effective play from Morgan Allen allowed Parkinson to rest Williams for extended stretches. Meanwhile, Northern Kentucky's reserves scored just five points through three quarters of action. Most of their bench contributions came in garbage time with the contest already out of reach.
 
Ultimately, IUPUI's active and disciplined defense held the Norse to 35.6 percent from the floor, achieving eight blocks and a 37-27 rebounding edge in the process. Northern Kentucky struggled in particular to score down low as Williams and Allen shut down the post.
 
The Jaguars will go on a Wisconsin road trip next week, visiting Milwaukee (11-13, 10-7 HL) Thursday night and Green Bay (15-5, 11-3 HL) Saturday afternoon. Both games will stream on ESPN+.