INDIANAPOLIS – The IUPUI women's basketball cut a 10-point deficit before falling short late in the fourth quarter to Oakland on Sunday afternoon, 65-59. Katie Davidson lead all scorers with 18 points while Abby Wolterman recorded her first career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Wolterman propelled IUPUI (4-15, 2-8 HL) to a great start, recording the teams first six points while also grabbing five rebounds—leading all players in both categories at the first media timeout. IUPUI leading scorer Davidson added two points while Jaci Jones contributed another two as the hosts took a 10-8 lead into the first break.
 
Oakland (9-10, 5-6 HL) quickly tied the contest after Maddy Skorupski forced a turnover and went the length of the floor for a contested layup. The visitors took the lead on the game's first three-pointer, made by Kennedie Montue.
 
After the low-scoring first quarter, Oakland put up eight quick points to stretch the lead to double digits, 22-12, after two minutes of play, forcing head coach Kate Bruce to call a timeout. Markyia McCormick was the catalyst to the Golden Grizzlies' 8-0 run, scoring five points.
 
Freshman Alexa Hocevar provided a spark off the bench for the Jaguars, recording back-to-back steals with the second leading to a basket by Wolterman that ended the scoring drought. Shortly after, Hocevar again swiped the ball and pushed it forward to Wolterman who notched her tenth point following another fast break layup.
 
Despite being plagued by turnovers in the second quarter (seven after having just two in the first ten minutes), Oakland's success at the free throw line (8-13) allowed them to hold onto its lead. The visitors stingy defense held IUPUI to just 27 percent shooting (3-for-11). Oakland also dominated the glass, outrebounding the hosts 19-6, including eight offensive rebounds compared to zero for the hosts. Miriam Ibezim pulled down a game-high eight boards after the first 20 minutes, including five on the offensive end.
 
Nevertheless, the Jags went into the break only down six points, 33-27, after knocking down nine free throws in the second quarter. Wolterman led all players with 10 points while Davidson added eight.
 
IUPUI quickly cut the deficit to two following six combined points from Davidson and Wolterman. Oakland, however, connected from deep the next time down the court to push the lead to five. After trading baskets for most of the quarter, four points in the final minute of the third cut the Oakland lead to one heading into the fourth.
 
After swapping scores the first three-plus minutes of the final quarter, a Hocevar free throw tied the game at 50 with just over six minutes of play remaining. However, the Grizzlies regained the advantage the next time down the court after Madison Royal-Davis finished through contact.
 
Oakland knocked down four straight attempts from the charity stripe, stretching the lead to six with just over a minute remaining in the contest. Faith Stinson's two free throws made it a four-point contest with 48 seconds left. Following an Oakland timeout, Stinson forced a turnover and after the ball ended up in Jaela Johnson's hands she was quickly fouled. Two more free throws cut the lead to two with just over 30 seconds remaining. After another timeout by the visitors, Brooke Quarles-Daniels drove to the basket and scored near the end of the shot clock, making it a two-possession game with 7.8 seconds on the clock. Coach Bruce called a timeout to advance the ball but turned it over on the ensuing inbound, leading to a foul and two more Oakland free throws before the clock hit zero.
 
Davidson finished with a game-high 18 points on 40 percent shooting, while Wolterman added 14 points and a career-high 10 rebounds for her first career double-double. Hocevar added five points, four steals, three rebounds and an assist.
 
The Jaguars remain at home, taking on Youngstown State on Wednesday (Jan. 31) in The Jungle. Tip off is set for 11:00 a.m. and you can follow along with the action on ESPN+.