Box Score I Photo Gallery

INDIANAPOLIS - IUPUI's bench unleashed a season-high 48 points and junior George Hill posted 23 points and 10 rebounds as the Jaguars rolled past Centenary, 89-61. The win was IUPUI's seventh-in-a-row and gave the Jags their first 20-win season since 2003-04.

The victory also avenged an earlier loss to the Gents in the Gold Dome on Jan. 19. 

"We wanted to pay them back," IUPUI head coach Ron Hunter said. "We had a chip on our shoulder going into tonight."

Hill added six assists and three steals to accompany his seventh double-double of the season. Sophomore Jon Avery came off the bench to score 20 on 8-of-10 shooting and freshman John Ashworth scored a career-high 12 points.

"Even though I didn't like our intensity for all 40 minutes, I can't complain with the outcome," Hunter said. 'We took care of business tonight on a night when some of our key guys didn't have big games.

"Our bench gave us a huge lift tonight. I thought Jon Avery was outstanding at both ends, John Ashworth just continues to play better and I thought LeRoy Nobles gave us a lot of energy."

After leading 42-31 at hafltime, IUPUI (20-5, 12-2 Summit) opened the second half with a 9-2 run to essentially end all doubt. Sophomore Billy Pettiford opened the run with a short jumper and a dunk in transition and senior Austin Montgomery added a three moments later. 

Centenary (9-16, 3-10) got within 15 on a Jamere King trey with 15:23 to play, but the hosts saw their lead swell beyond 20 for much of the second half. 

IUPUI opened the game well, surging out to a 15-5 lead less than six minutes in, forcing Centenary head coach Rob Flaska to burn two early 30-second timeouts. Centenary's Tyrone Hamilton came off the bench and shot the Gents back into the game, cutting IUPUI's lead to 20-17 midway through the half. The Jags regained momentum as Hill later scored seven straight points, making it a 32-20 score. 

The Gents got within five on two separate occasions, but IUPUI closed the first half with a 7-1 rally. 

For the game, IUPUI shot a red hot 56.1 percent from the floor and 42.1 percent from three-point range. Centenary's offense stumbled to a 41.5 percent shooting night and 20 turnovers. 

Hamilton led Centenary with 14 points, but was harassed into a 4-of-15 shooting effort. King added 11, hitting 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. 

Avery had seven rebounds and matched his career-high with three rejections. Ashworth, coming off hitting the game-winner at North Dakota State, continued to impress, hitting 3-of-5 from beyond the arc and handing out three assists in 23 minutes. Nobles pumped in 10 points in just 11 minutes and junior Brandon Ray chipped in six points in four minutes of mop-up duty. 

IUPUI's duo of Montgomery and Gary Patterson combined to score just eight points on 3-of-12 shooting. 

"We were able to rest some guys tonight and get a good look at some of our younger guys," Hunter said. "Only George and GP played 30 minutes, so they should be a little fresher on Saturday."

The Jags will host Oral Roberts in The Jungle on Saturday night in the back end of a Summit League doubleheader. The Golden Eagles enter Saturday atop the Summit League standings with an unblemished 12-0 conference mark.

Pregame coverage begins on Freedom 95.9 FM at 6:30 p.m. EST as Greg Rakestraw calls the action. The game is also available as part of the SummitTV package as Scott McCauley (pbp) and former Jag Angelo Smith (color) are on the call.