Box Score I Box Score (.pdf)

SHREVEPORT, La. - The IUPUI basketball team's typically potent offense took its output to a whole new level on its way to a lopsided 88-77 win over Centenary inside the Gold Dome on Thursday night. The Jaguars, which came in ranked sixth in the country in field goal percentage, made a school Division I record 69.8 percent of its field goal attempts and missed just three second half tries, shooting 84 percent over the final 20 minutes. 

Sophomore Alex Young hit 10-of-14 shots to finish with a career-high 30 points while senior Robert Glenn went 9-of-10 to tally 23 as the Jags won for the eighth time in nine games. 

"This is the best team I've ever coached in terms of shot selection - I can't think of more than five times all year that they've taken a bad shot. They just don't take bad shots," IUPUI Head Coach Ron Hunter said. "To have 20 assists on 30 baskets is pretty good basketball. I thought our guys did a good job of looking to make the extra pass and really just playing unselfishly."

After eight lead changes in the first eight minutes, IUPUI (18-8, 11-2 Summit) got six straight points from Young to break a 15 all tie and force Centenary (8-17, 3-11) to call timeout at the 8:57 mark. CC's Daman Starring temporarily stopped the bleeding with a 12-footer but IUPUI scored six more consecutively, beginning with a Jon Avery three-point play. 

The lead grew to 38-25 at halftime as senior Billy Pettiford completed a three-point play with 1.8 seconds left before the break. However, the best was yet to come offensively for the Jags. 

IUPUI hit threes on three of its first four trips after the break and didn't miss a second half shot until Pettiford misfired on a 17-footer at the 12:56 mark. By then, Hunter's team had a commanding 57-35 lead. The IUPUI advantage remained in double-figures the rest of the night, although Centenary trimmed the final margin significantly, primarily by hitting 53 percent of its second half shots. 

"We only play one way and that's fast," Hunter said. "I thought our press really gave them troubles and helped us get some easy baskets off turnovers tonight. We struggled when we called off the press, but that's what we had to do. 

"Tonight, it was about getting the win and getting some guys some rest because we've got a big game on Saturday."

IUPUI hit 6-of-9 (66.7 percent) from three and 22-of-29 (75.9 percent) from the charity stripe while five Jags had at least two assists. Avery had 13 points and four boards off the bench and Pettiford finished with seven points, six rebounds, a game-high five assists and three blocked shots. Glenn and John Ashworth had four assists each and Young had three assists, three rebounds and three rejections.

David Perez led five Gents in double-digits with 16 points off the bench, all coming in the second half. Matt Marseille added 14 and Maxx Nakwaasah finished with 13 points and a game-high nine boards. 

IUPUI had a season-low 23 rebounds, primarily because there were few caroms to be had based on the hot shooting. Centenary finished the game making exactly 50 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from three. 

The Jaguars will wrap up the two-game road trip on Saturday when it takes on Oral Roberts inside the Mabee Center at 8:00 p.m. EST. Pregame coverage with Scott McCauley (play-by-play) will begin at approximately 7:50 while the game can be viewed via SummitTV and ESPN 360.