INDIANAPOLIS - In a precursor to this weekend's Super Bowl XLI, a team from Indianapolis outlasted a squad from Chicago on Thursday night, as IUPUI defeated Chicago State, 79-77. The Jaguars shot a season-best 51.1 percent from the floor and doubled up the guests at the foul line in the win.
The game featured nine ties and 10 lead changes as neither team led by more than nine points the whole night.
Junior Austin Montgomery led the way with 23 points, while senior Angelo Smith added 16 points and six rebounds. IUPUI led by eight at 76-68 with 24 seconds left, but had to cling for dear life in the final moments.
Aaron Williams was fouled on a three-point attempt and swished all three ensuing freebies. After a turnover on the inbounds pass, CSU's David Holston stroked a running trey to make it 76-74 with 10.2 seconds left. Sophomore Gary Patterson hit two foul shots for the Jags, but CSU's John Cantrell answered with a three from the baseline corner with 2.1 seconds left.
IUPUI (10-11) got the inbounds pass to Smith, who was fouled with 0.1 seconds remaining to seal the game. For the game, IUPUI outscored the Cougars 22-11 at the free throw line, while CSU (8-18) was a perfect 11-of-11.
"This was a gritty win for us," IUPUI head coach Ron Hunter said. "We haven't been winning pretty, but a win is a win and we'll take it. I thought we could have been a little more composed down the stretch, but that's a young team for you.
"Now we have to get some rest and get ready to come back and play a tough Oakland team on Saturday."
CSU guard Royce Parran tied the score for the eighth time in the opening 15 minutes when he drilled a long trey from the right wing, making it 27-27. IUPUI then built a 36-29 lead as Montgomery scored nine straight points over a three minute stretch. CSU closed the half with a 6-0 burst, making it 36-35 at the break.
IUPUI pushed the lead to 41-35 with 18:47 to play, but Chicago State reeled off an 11-1 run fueled by seven points from 7-foot-1 junior Chidozie Chukwumah. CSU held the lead for over six minutes in the second half, but IUPUI seemingly stole the momentum with 8:30 to play.
Senior David Barlow gave IUPUI back the lead by driving the lane and dropping in a layup before being fouled by Kourtney Calvin. Although he missed the free throw, IUPUI led the rest of the way. Moments later, Craig Swoope cut through the defense and splashed a 10-foot floater, making it 61-58. After getting a defensive stop, Barlow set up Montgomery for an open trey with 6:05 remaining.
"Austin came up with big shots every time we needed them," Hunter said. "He's really in a groove right now. And he's so creative, that he's really hard to stop when he gets going."
Montgomery hit 4-of-7 from three-point range and added four assists. Patterson added 14 points, while Barlow finished with 11 points and five assists in 39 minutes. As a team, IUPUI hit 9-of-19 (47.4 percent) from three-point range.
Freshman Billy Pettiford had a terrific floor game, contributing six rebounds, a team-high six assists, two blocked shots and a steal in 31 minutes.
Parran led five Cougars in double-digits with 19 points, while Williams added 14. Holston and Calvin had 12 each, while Chukwumah added 11 off the bench.
IUPUI returns to Mid-Continent Conference play on Saturday when they host Oakland in a doubleheader. The men's game will tip off at approximately 7:00 p.m. with pregame coverage on Gold 95.9 FM beginning at 6:30. The first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a complimentary Mini-Jinx Calendar, while IUPUI's four Hall of Fame inductees will be recognized at halftime of both games.
