Box Score

MACOMB, Ill. - Freshman Alex Young led four IUPUI players in double-figures with 17 points as the Jaguars outlasted Western Illinois in a see-saw affair, 71-66 on Saturday night at Western Hall. The game featured seven ties and 14 lead changes, but IUPUI (16-13, 9-9 Summit) got the last laugh, outscoring Western Illinois (9-20, 6-12) 7-2 over the final 90 seconds to seal the road win and avenge an earlier loss to the Leathernecks. 

IUPUI will now enter The Summit League Tournament as the No. 4 seed and face Southern Utah in the opening round on Sunday. Western finishes on the outside looking in, falling one win shy of a postseason berth. 

"This was a must win game for them, but we wanted this game just as much, just from a confidence standpoint," IUPUI Head Coach Ron Hunter said. "You want to be playing your best basketball at this time of the year and I thought we played well in stretches tonight. 

"I really like that we had a lot of guys contribute tonight. Alex Young looked like the Alex from earlier this season and it was good to see Gary (Patterson) hit some shots."

WIU's David Nurse swished a three, his fourth of the half, from the right baseline corner with 1:39 left to tie the score at 64 all after IUPUI missed an opportunity to take a two possession lead on the previous trip. The Jaguars quickly responded when Robert Glenn drew a double team and slipped a pass to Jon Avery, who slammed home a two-hander. 

After Hunter called a timeout to organize his defense, his troops came up with their biggest stop of the evening. WIU's perimeter based attack was unable to get a free look, setting for a Ceola Clark 30-footer as the shot clock was winding down. The attempt missed everything and resulted in a shot clock violation, giving IUPUI the ball with 33 seconds left. 

The Jags inbounded to Leroy Nobles, who split a pair of free throws after drawing a foul. 

IUPUI came up with a second defensive hold when Quenton Kirby penetrated the Jaguars' zone, but saw his pitchout fly into the third row. Senior Gary Patterson made four free throws over the final 14 seconds to cap his 15-point night. 

The Jaguars shot a season-high 85 percent (17-of-20) from the charity stripe to accompany a 54 percent shooting effort from the floor. Young hit 6-of-9 shots, including 2-of-3 from three, and grabbed six boards in a return to the starting lineup. 

Glenn and Patterson scored 15 each with the former also ripping down nine rebounds and hitting all five of his freebies. Patterson was 6-of-6 at the line and handed out a team-high four assists. 

Avery finished with 10 points, hitting 4-of-6 shots in 27 minutes. 

WIU's Josh Rivers scored a game-high 21 points in his final home game, but was limited to just two second half points. The 6-foot-2 guard hit 6-of-7 from three in the first half including an open look at the final horn to give the hosts a 33-32 halftime advantage. 

Saturday's win was the first time this season the Jaguars had overcome a halftime deficit for a victory. It also extended IUPUI's winning streak to nine straight over WIU inside Western Hall.

"Western's got a good team, despite their record - I really like what Coach Molinari's done with this group," Hunter said. "They really get after you defensively and they make sure you're disciplined on defense, or they burn you."

The Jaguars fell behind 14-7 in the opening eight minutes as Rivers hit his first four threes of the game. WIU pushed the lead to nine on a Kirby left-handed layup with 8:46 left in the opening half, but IUPUI outscored the hosts 20-9 from there, capped by Patterson's runner with 33 ticks before halftime. 

After sweeping Southern Utah during the regular season, the Jags will take on the fifth-seeded Thunderbirds in round three on Sunday, March 8 at 7:00 p.m. EST (6 CST) from the Sioux Falls Arena in Sioux Falls, S.D.. That contest can be heard on XL 950 with pregame coverage beginning at 6:30 or seen on SummitTV.