Box Score

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Junior Gary Patterson delivered a right-handed dagger, a three from the left baseline corner with 52 seconds left to help IUPUI survive an 88-81 overtime thriller against IPFW inside Memorial Coliseum on Saturday afternoon. IUPUI's preseason all-conference trio of George Hill, Austin Montgomery and Patterson combined to score 74 of IUPUI's 88 points as Hill finished with 30 points and 11 rebounds. Patterson netted 27 and Montgomery added 17.

IUPUI (22-6, 14-3 Summit) won it's Division I record 22nd game and school record 14th conference game in the process, with two regular season contests still remaining. The 22 wins are the program's most since the 1995-96 season and just two shy of matching IUPUI's all-time record of 24 set in 1987-88.

"This was a serious gut check for us," IUPUI head coach Ron Hunter said. "I thought GP was absolutely awesome. He came up with big shots at big times tonight, and really carried us in the second half. 

"This is a tough place to play - we're just happy to get out of here with a win."

Memorial Coliseum didn't seem so tough when IUPUI rattled off an 8-0 second half run to make it 56-44 with 12:24 left. IPFW (12-15, 9-7) head coach Dane Fife adjusted, going to a 1-3-1 zone defense that helped his Mastodons climb back within two at 58-56.

But Patterson promptly shot IPFW out of the zone, hitting back-to-back threes to make it 64-56 with 6:31 left. The 'Dons came back with a modest 9-2 spurt, making it 66-65 with 3:56 left, but the Jags refused to relinquish the lead.

That is, until David Carson converted a conventional three-point play with 68 seconds left. The Oakland-transfer worked the right wing, drew contact from Drew Conner and dropped in the bank shot to tie the score at 71 all.

Both teams missed opportunities to end the game in regulation. 

After Patterson traveled with the ball with 47 seconds left, IPFW's DeWitt Scott gave IUPUI a defensive stop when he missed a long three with 13 ticks remaining. Hill rebounded the errant attempt, but dribbled the ball off his knee in transition, giving IPFW possession with under three seconds left. After four timeouts between the two teams, the hosts were unable to get a look in the final 2.7 seconds. 

The overtime session included five ties, including when sophomore Jon Avery tipped in his own miss with 2:56 left to play, making it 77 all. It marked the only IUPUI field goal not scored by the Jaguars' big three over the final 28 minutes of the game.

After Patterson's final three made it 84-81 with 52 seconds left, the Jags' defense came up with three straight steals and hit four free throws to ice the victory.

IUPUI shot nearly 54 percent from the field in the win and 45 percent from beyond the arc. Patterson was an efficient 10-of-15 from the floor, including five second half triples. Hill did the bulk of his second half damage at the charity stripe, finishing the game 13-of-14. Both Hill and Patterson delivered a team-high four assists. 

Montgomery hit 6-of-12 from the field and 3-of-5 from deep. Hill eclipsed both the 1,500 career point mark and 300 assist mark on Saturday as well and becomes the first player in IUPUI history to collect 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 300 helpers.

David Carson led five 'Dons in double-digits with a career-high 23 points and DeWitt Scott finished with 19, despite shooting just 5-of-15 from the floor. Johnson added 12 points and a game-high seven assists as a reserve. 

The win gave IUPUI a season sweep over IPFW and spoiled the Mastodons' Senior Day. 

"They're a talented bunch," Hunter said of Fife's squad. "Their seniors played their butts off today - they played with a lot of emotion."

IPFW shot 49.2 percent from the floor, but hit just 5-of-25 from downtown.

"We need to get back to where we were earlier in the year defensively," Hunter said. "We aren't playing our best defensive basketball. We have two games to get it fixed before the (Summit League) tournament.

"But a win is a win and we're happy for that."

IUPUI returns to action on Wednesday night when the Jags head to the Windy City to take on Chicago State in a non-conference showdown. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. from the newly opened Emil and Patricia Jones Convocation Center.