Box Score

CEDAR CITY, Utah - Junior George Hill continued his torrid play of late, posting 30 points, 10 rebounds and six assists as the Jaguars rolled past Southern Utah, 78-61. As a team, IUPUI shot a season-best 62.5 percent, including hitting 9-of-16 (56.3 percent) from three-point range. 

It was Hill's fourth double-double of the 11th of his career.

IUPUI's (11-3, 3-0) efficient offense and pesky defense combined to build an early 21-9 lead, as the Jags hit four treys in the opening seven minutes. Southern Utah (4-11, 2-2) got back within seven with 5:31 left in the first half when Rick Roberts split a pair of free throws. 

Hill countered with a three at the other end and the Jaguars led by double-digits virtually the rest of the way. Sophomore Jon Avery sparked a late run to close the first half with a two-handed dunk and layup on consecutive possessions.

"George played smart tonight. He's really playing like the best player in the league right now, and I hope people are realizing it," IUPUI head coach Ron Hunter said. "I thought Jon Avery came out of his slump a little bit too. He's been struggling to get going offensively, but he gave us a huge spark tonight. A lot of kids did some good things.

"We played a complete basketball game tonight. You don't just come into Southern Utah and get a 17-point win."

IUPUI pushed its lead to 57-36 with just under 14 minutes to play as Southern got no closer than 13 the rest of the night.

Avery hit 6-of-8 shots to finish with 12 points as IUPUI put just two players in double-figures. Gary Patterson and Billy Pettiford scored eight each while Austin Montgomery was held to six. It marked the first time this season Montgomery, the reigning league Newcomer of the Year, has been held to single-digits.

Senior Drew Conner hit all three of his field goal attempts to post a season-high six.

Geoff Payne was the lone Thunderbird in double-figures with 20 points and nine rebounds. Roberts added seven points and five rebounds off the bench. 

IUPUI limited Southern Utah to just 42 percent shooting from the floor and 3-of-19 (15.8 percent) from three-point range. 

"Coach (Hunter) told us that if we got after them defensively, it'd be a hard night for them and a good night for us," Hill said. "The offense will come. If we defend like we did tonight, we're hard to beat."

IUPUI collected nine steals and forced 14 total turnovers in the victory. 

The win was IUPUI's tenth in 11 games while all three of the conference wins have come on the road.

"We're looking forward to getting back home and getting back to business," Hunter said. "This is a hard road trip to sweep - we just told our kids that. But we have to continue to take care of business."

IUPUI will continue Summit League play this week by hosting two of the conference's three first-year members. On Thursday night, North Dakota State will pay its first-ever visit to The Jungle with tipoff slated for 7:00 p.m.. South Dakota State will make the trip to Indianapolis on Saturday for a men's and women's doubleheader. 

The men's game will tip at approximately 7:00 p.m.. Both men's games can be heard on Freedom 95.9 FM with pregame coverage beginning at 6:30.