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INDIANAPOLIS - Playing in their final home game, IUPUI's senior class of Drew Conner, Austin Montgomery and Bill Van Senus shouldered the load as the Jags won their 19th straight over Western Illinois, 72-54. With junior George Hill watching from the sidelines due to a minor injury, Montgomery fired off a game-high 18 points and sophomore Billy Pettiford turned in his third career double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

The win capped a perfect 15-0 home slate and was the Jaguars' 16th straight home win dating back to last season. 

IUPUI (24-6, 15-3 Summit) stifled Western, limiting them to under 40 percent shooting and outrebounding the Leathernecks 40-26. The Jags held WIU to just 19 first half points and less than 35 percent from the floor in the first half, building a 29-19 halftime lead. 

"Not many teams in the country are going to get to 24 wins," IUPUI head coach Ron Hunter said. "I'm proud of our guys for how they came out tonight with George out of the lineup. We really got after them and took care of home court.

"I'm really proud of my team. Now we need to rest up and get ready for the conference tournament."

The Jaguars opened the game with a 9-0 run and quickly built a 13-2 lead, forcing WIU (12-17, 7-11) head coach Derek Thomas to call an early timeout. WIU got within seven but Montgomery capped the first half with a rainbow three from the right wing as time expired to set the early 10 point margin. 

David DuBois cut the lead to 33-28 with 16:45 left on a pull-up jumper but the Jaguars rattled off seven straight points capped by a Gary Patterson three with 12:42 left. The 'Necks got within six before Patterson wielded a dagger, rattling home his third three with 8:44 left. The lead swelled to 21 in the closing minutes when senior Bill Van Senus capped his home career with two free throws before giving Hunter a huge bear hug after he came off the court. 

Montgomery hit 4-of-10 from the field and 7-of-8 from the line for his game-high 18. Pettiford hit 6-of-11 from the floor and Jon Avery turned in 10 points and six rebounds off the bench. Conner showcased his intangible value, finishing with nine points, a career-high eight rebounds and four assists in 29 minutes work. The 6-foot-5 bruiser also drew three charges, blocked a pair of shots and collected a steal. 

DuBois was the lone WIU player in double-digits with 11 points and six assists while James Washington added nine. 

Western hit just 19-of-48 from the field and 6-of-18 from beyond the arc. 

"I thought we did a good job on them defensively - we never really let them get in a rhythm," Hunter said. "We're a good defensive team here at home and it showed tonight."

IUPUI matched the program's all-time record with 24 wins entering the postseason. The Jags are slated to take on seventh seeded UMKC on Saturday night at 9:30 p.m. EST at John Q. Hammons Arena in Tulsa, Okla.. Pregame coverage will begin on Freedom 95.9 FM at 9:00 p.m..