SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Senior
Robert Glenn scored a game-high 30 points and junior
Leroy Nobles added 19 as the Jaguars survived an opening round scare against Western Illinois in The Summit League Tournament quarterfinals on Saturday night, 77-68. Glenn scored 19 of his 30 in the second half as the Jaguars outscored the Leathernecks by 14 points over the final 12+ minutes of the game.
The Jags improved to 9-1 all-time in opening round league tournament games.
IUPUI (23-9) found itself in a dogfight, trailing 31-30 at halftime after both
Billy Pettiford and
Alex Young picked up three first half fouls. The second half sledding got even tougher almost immediately when Young was whistled for a personal on the opening possession, relegating him to spectator duty for much of the second stanza.
"I'm happy with the way the kids played in the second half,” IUPUI Head Coach
Ron Hunter said. “When we drew Western, I was scared to death. I thought they were the hottest team in the league.
“Some guys stepped up and made some big time plays."
If Western was the hottest team in the league, then WIU sophomore Ceola Clark was the hottest player in the building during a stretch in the second half when he hit three threes in four trips, pushing the Leathernecks lead out to 47-42.
Nobles responded with five straight points to tie the game and the IUPUI defense tightened the screws, giving the Jags some breathing room down the stretch. The defensive stops powered a 16-4 run that stretched a 53-52 lead out to 69-56 with just 1:36 to play. Junior
John Ashworth hit two treys during the rally and Nobles capped it with a dagger from in front of his own bench.
Senior
Jon Avery added two key blocks in the final two minutes to help stave off the hard charging Leathernecks.
Ashworth scored all 13 of his points in the second half, hitting 5-of-7 shots and Nobles was 5-of-10 in his 19-point effort. Glenn recorded his third career 30-point game, hitting 13-of-21 field goal attempts to go along with four assists.
“Every time we needed a basket, we looked to Rob,” Hunter said. “He just has the ability to get a basket whenever we need it and that’s why he’s one of the best players in our league.”
“I’d never won a tournament game, so it feels good,” Glenn said. “They play physical, but we just had to keep going at them.”
IUPUI shot 57 percent overall and outrebounded the ‘Necks 32-29. Avery added eight points, four rebounds and three blocked shots off the bench and Pettiford added seven boards and seven assists. Young, who played just 21 minutes before fouling out, had seven points and five boards.
“It was really physical, any time you play Western Illinois in the league tournament; they're going to bring it,” Ashworth said. “They're a great defensive team and the refs let us play. It was really physical, but it came down to making some shots in the end.
“With Alex (Young) in foul trouble the whole game, I knew somebody had to step up. And the way they we're playing defense, I was just getting open shots.”
With Young on the sidelines, IUPUI was out of sorts offensively in the first half and WIU’s Quenton Kirby had little trouble carving up the Jaguars’ zone at the other end. The Jaguars led 14-6 early, but went scoreless for nearly three minutes until Nobles swished a wide open three at the 9:40 mark to push the Jags lead back out to four. For Western, Kirby hit 6-of-9 first half shots, including a layup with 51 seconds left to give the ‘Necks the lead heading into the half.
Clark led Western with 20 points, 18 of which game in the second half, and Kirby closed with 14.
Western made 45 percent from the field and 42 percent from beyond the arc.
IUPUI will now play the winner of Oral Roberts/North Dakota State on Monday night at 9:30 p.m. EST inside the Sioux Falls Arena. That game will be televised on ESPN Full Court, ESPN 360 and Midcontinent Communications. It was also be available in Indianapolis on a tape delay on Hometown Sports Indiana. Live audio with Scott McCauley will begin at approximately 9:20 p.m..
