Box Score I Box Score (.pdf)

 
MACOMB, Ill. – Junior Christian Siakam scored a game-high 18 points and senior Leroy Nobles added 17 as IUPUI rolled to a 56-45 win over Western Illinois inside Western Hall on Saturday night. The Jaguars raced out to a 20-0 lead to start the contest and never trailed in the victory.

 

Junior Alex Young added 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds for his sixth career double-double in the win.

 

“We haven’t had a big lead like that on someone all year, so it was nice to jump out on someone for a change,” IUPUI Head Coach Ron Hunter said. “I thought we kind of coasted from there, but we did what we needed to do to get the win.

 

“Defensively, I thought we were really good. Going back to the second half of the Southern Utah game, we’ve now given up 17, 22 and 23 points in three halves. That’s going to win a lot of ballgames.”

 

The Jaguars limited Western to just 36.7 percent from the floor and 2-of-20 (10 percent) from beyond the arc. IUPUI also outrebounded WIU 38-28 and limited the Leathernecks to just two offensive caroms. The 45 points allowed were the fewest by an IUPUI foe this season and was the Jaguars’ 21^st win in the last 22 meetings against WIU.

 

IUPUI (13-10, 7-3 Summit) exploded out of the gates, holding Western Illinois (7-14, 2-8) scoreless until Matt Lander completed a three-point play with 10:34 to go before halftime. During the 20-0 run, Siakam scored eight points from in close and Stephen Thomas arced in a trey from the top of the key. Young capped the rally with a twisting three-point play by drawing a bump from Mael Amenyedzi and hitting from 10 feet out.

 

The Leathernecks chipped away throughout the remainder of the half, cutting the Jaguars’ edge back to 30-22 by the break. Indiana-native Jack Houpt ended the first half with a three in front of the Jaguars’ bench to cut the IUPUI lead back to single-digits for the first time since IUPUI led 9-0.

 

After WIU’s Jelani Johnson made it 30-24 with a steal and layup with 19:28 to play, IUPUI countered with back-to-back Siakam layups to led by double-digits for virtually the remainder of the evening. Five consecutive WIU turnovers helped push the Jaguars’ lead from nine to 16 over a two-minute stretch that included a Nobles fast break dunk and Siakam dunking over Emeka Okafor, Jr. on the baseline for a three-point play.

 

Siakam hit 7-of-13 shots, finishing two points shy of his career-high, and grabbed six boards on Saturday. He upped his scoring average to nearly eight points per game after scoring just five points total in the season’s first five games.

 

“Aside from (Keith) Benson, he’s becoming one of the best big men in our league,” Hunter said. “He commands a double-team and he’s starting to figure out how to stay out of foul trouble. When he’s going, we don’t have to depend on hitting from the outside because we can score both inside and out.”

 

Nobles hit 7-of-11 shots in 33 minutes work while Young attempts just six shots to tally 10 points.

 

“He’s really matured and is playing good basketball,” Hunter said. “I pulled him aside and told him that I thought this was one of the best basketball games he’s played here. He didn’t force things and just let the game come to him. Even though he only scored 10 points, he took over the game in different ways.”

 

Thomas finished with six points and sophomore Sean Esposito contributed five boards and three assists, but hit just 1-of-8 from the floor.

 

“Sean’s not scoring right now, but he’s spacing teams out with his shooting ability and that’s opening things up for us offensively.”

Lander led three Leathernecks in double-digits with 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting and Johnson added 13 on 6-of-9 shooting. Kaimarr Price added 11 points, but scored just two in the second half. The junior college-transfer also grabbed a team-high seven boards in 26 minutes.

 

IUPUI will now return home on for back-to-back games at Conseco Fieldhouse, the downtown home of the Indiana Pacers. First up, the Jaguars will host IPFW at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday night with tickets going for just $10 in advance of game day by clicking here. Tickets purchased on the night of the game will be $15.

 

In addition, IUPUI students can pick-up free tickets inside the Office of Student Involvement (3^rd floor of the Campus Center) or in the library at the Athletics Academic Services offices.

 

Thursday’s game can be watched live via the internet at IUPUIJags.com or heard on 88.3 FM / The Walk as Scott McCauley (play-by-play) and Angelo Smith (analyst) begin coverage at approximately 6:55.