Box Score

INDIANAPOLIS - Sophomore Billy Pettiford scored a career-high 17 points to lead four Jaguars in double-digits as IUPUI rolled past South Dakota State, 72-44. For the second straight game, the Jags' defense stifled the opposition as the 44 points were the fewest by an IUPUI foe since the 1999-00 season. 

SDSU (6-11, 1-5 Summit) was held to 15 first half points as IUPUI roared out to a 34-15 halftime lead. No Jackrabbits finished in double-digits as Anthony Cordova led the Jacks with nine points on 4-of-7 shooting. As a team, South Dakota State shot 34 percent from the floor and turned the ball over 18 times.

IUPUI (13-3, 5-0 Summit) hit nearly 43 percent from the field and committed a season-low eight turnovers.

"Our defense is really carrying us right now," IUPUI head coach Ron Hunter said. "I think we exerted a lot of energy at the defensive end tonight. We're hard to beat when we keep you in the forties and fifties.

"I thought SDSU did a good job against us defensively though. Of all the teams we've played so far, they probably defended the ball screen the best. Scott (Nagy) does a good job with his guys."

Pettiford scored IUPUI's first seven of the game to stake the Jags to an early 7-2 lead. SDSU settled down and scored six straight to take a brief 8-7 lead with 12:37 left in the first half, but IUPUI scored six-in-a-row to take the lead for good. After the Jackrabbits pulled within 13-11 with 8:20 left in the half, IUPUI outscored the guests 21-4 to close the half.

IUPUI utilized a 12-0 run early in the second half to put the game away. Senior Austin Montgomery scored five points during the spurt and assisted on two more layups. Gary Patterson and Jon Avery finished the game with 14 points each while junior George Hill, the Summit League's top scorer, finished with 11.

Hill also had five assists, matching the total of the entire SDSU squad. Montgomery had nine points, five rebounds and a season-high four assists while Pettiford added five rebounds and two helpers.

"We're not a one man team," Hunter said. "George is a phenomenal player, but we can win when he has an off night. We're a mature basketball team - we know how to make plays when George isn't going well."

Hill hit just 3-of-9 from the floor and all four of his free throw attempts. Kai Williams grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds, but hit just 1-of-6 from the floor for the guests.

Saturday's win sets up a meeting between the Summit League's two remaining undefeated squads next Thursday night when IUPUI travels to Tulsa to take on Oral Roberts. Tip time is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. EST from the Mabee Center as Greg Rakestraw (pbp) calls the action on Freedom 95.9 FM. Pregame coverage begins at 7:35 p.m..