MACOMB, Ill. - With junior guard George Hill sidelined once again, IUPUI used an extremely balanced attack to win at Western Illinois on Thursday night, 68-55. The win was IUPUI's 16th straight over Western Illinois, dating back to the 1999-00 season.
Junior Austin Montgomery paced four Jaguars in double-digits with 18 points, while sophomore Gary Patterson added a career-high 15 points and seven assists. Senior David Barlow chipped in 14 points, six rebounds and four steals while Angelo Smith added 10 points and six caroms.
As a team, IUPUI (7-8, 1-1 Mid-Con) matched its season-high by hitting 10 treys at a 43.5 percent clip, led by Montgomery's 4-of-7 effort.
"This was a gutty, gutty win for us," IUPUI head coach Ron Hunter said. "We fought through so much adversity and really needed this win.
"(Western Illinois) has played nothing but close games, so for us to come in here and win like this was huge."
Entering play, seven of Western Illinois' 12 losses had come by a combined 14 points.
The Jaguars led the entire second half, but Western Illinois (4-13, 0-3 Mid-Con) closed within six with 7:14 left when Louis Johnson converted a three-point play. WIU had a chance to close within three on their next possession, but David Jackson missed an open three and IUPUI responded with a 7-0 run.
Montgomery ignited the run by swishing an open trey, while Smith added a pair of free throws with 5:17 left. Barlow capped the burst at the foul line, sinking a pair with 4:38 to go, making it 59-46.
WIU could get no closer than 10 the rest of the way as the Jags hit 5-of-6 at the free throw line in the final 1:26.
For the game, IUPUI shot 76.2 percent at the free throw line and outscored the Leathernecks 16-10 at the charity stripe. IUPUI also took advantage of a 17-12 turnover discrepancy by attempting six more field goals than the hosts.
"Before the game, I challenged guys like Austin, Gary, Burks and even Craig Swoope," Hunter said. "For us to win without George in the lineup, we have to get production out of them."
After returning for three games, Hill missed his tenth game of the season on Thursday and will probably miss Saturday's game at Valparaiso.
"We've talked about sitting George out, but we may not have that luxury," Hunter said. "But to be honest, our guys are probably tired of hearing about George's injury.
"He's a phenomenal player that you don't get very often at our level, but the other guys want to show that they're pretty good too."
IUPUI's already thin roster took a hit early in the second half when Matt Burks left the game. He finished with six points, all on threes, to go along with three rebounds in 18 minutes.
Troy Okeson led four WIU players in double-digits with 13 points, while Morris Smith added 11. David Jackson and Sammy Hunter, WIU's top two scorers for the season, finished with 10 each.
IUPUI shot a blistering 7-of-13 from three-point range in the first half, en route to a 37-29 halftime advantage. The first half featured 11 lead changes, before both teams put on late runs.
Trailing 18-17, IUPUI reeled off eight straight points on a Montgomery 15-footer and back-to-back threes from Barlow and Burks. Just as quickly as they took the lead, they relinquished it.
WIU responded with a three from Okeson, a Johnson jumper and a Smith three to make it 26-25. IUPUI closed the half with a 12-3 burst, capped by back-to-back jumpers from Montgomery.
Both teams came out sluggish in the second half, although the Jags couldn't take advantage of five straight WIU turnovers to begin the period. IUPUI collected two steals, drew two offensive fouls and forced a five-second violation on the Leathernecks first five possessions, but could muster just three points on the other end.
The Jags next game will be at Valparaiso on Saturday, January 13 at the Athletics-Recreation Center in Valparaiso, Ind.. Tip time is slated for 7 p.m. CST as that game can be heard in the Indianapolis-area on 95.9 FM or online via IUPUIJags.com. Pregame coverage with Greg Rakestraw (play-by-play) and Scott McCauley (color) begins at 6:30.
