Box Score I Box Score (.pdf) I Alex Young Postgame

INDIANAPOLIS - Summit League Preseason Player of the Year Alex Young scored a game-high 23 points and fellow senior Stephen Thomas tallied 19 as IUPUI escaped with an 87-77 exhibition opening win over IU East inside the Jungle on Tuesday (Nov. 1) night. Marcus Isaac scored 19 off the bench for the Red Wolves and Matt Trimnell tallied 18 in the defeat.

The Jaguars needed all 40 minutes to secure the win, using a late 13-2 run to finally seize control down the stretch.

IUPUI was on the wrong side of a 57-51 score with just under 12 minutes to play when Trimnell hit a wide open jumper after an IUPUI defensive lapse. However, at that point, you could see the tides turn as Young shifted into overdrive and put the team on his back. Out of the media timeout, the 6-foot-6 lefty hit a pair of free throws, then scored again on a drive after Sean Esposito rebounded a missed IUPUI trey.

On the next possession, Young tied the game at 57 with a layup after IU East's Josh Cook had missed a pair of free throws at the other end. Freshman Marcellus Barksdale put the Jags up 59-57 with a left-handed layup with 9:46 left, but IU East matched it at the other end with an Isaac drive.

The Jaguars weren't done though as Thomas swished a three from the top of the key and then a Lyonell Gaines steal turned into a Barksdale basket on the next trip. IU East pulled back within two before a late 11-0 run buried the Red Wolves. Sophomore Greg Rice, who finished with 10 points off the bench, punctuated the run with back-to-back threes.

IUPUI shot 62.5 percent from the floor in the second half and outrebounded the smaller Red Wolves 45-29 on the night, leading to 24-2 advantage in second chance points in the win.

"I liked a lot of things we did tonight. We did enough to win the game," IUPUI Head Coach Todd Howard said. "We're still a work in progess and we're aware of that, but that's why we play exhibition games. This is our opportunity to work out some of the kinks and to figure out who we are. But I liked our energy, I liked our enthusiasm and I liked that we were able to gut it out when we weren't playing our best basketball."

The first half included seven lead changes and five ties as neither team looked altogether comfortable at the offensive end. The Jaguars found themselves down six midway through the first half with senior Christian Siakam on the bench resting and Young sidelined with two early fouls. The offense looked ragged as the Jaguars missed 14 of their first 20 shots and turned the ball over nine times in the first 13 minutes. Even the typically dependable free throw line betrayed the hosts as they missed five of their first eight freebies.
 
However, defense triggered the Jaguars' mini-runs, beginning with Young getting loose on the break for a two-handed dunk after a defensive stand. Later, a Young blocked shot led to a pair of Donovan Gibbs free throws, cutting the IUE lead to 20-19 with under seven minutes left before halftime. Eventually, Thomas scored the final five points of the half including a pair of free throws after an ill advised IU East foul with 2.3 seconds left, giving the Jags a 34-33 halftime lead.

Young finished with seven boards, four blocked shots and three steals while Siakam added nine boards in just 21 minutes work. Sophomore Ian Chiles added eight points and Gibbs finished with six points and five caroms.

"I pride myself on being an all around player. Tonight, I had to step it up defensively because it starts with the seniors," Young said. "My role is to do whatever it takes. These are my last games and I just wanted to play hard for the team."

IUPUI finished the game hitting 49 percent from the floor, but just 5-of-18 (27.8 percent) from three.

"We're a better shooting team than that. We've got a number of guys who are capable of stepping out and shooting the ball from three, so I think you'll see more of that going forward," Howard said.

IU East hit 9-of-22 (40.9 percent) from three, including 7-of-13 in the second half. Isaac was 4-of-5 from deep after having hit five threes in the Red Wolves' first game of the season.

"I thought we did okay identifying shooters and closing out on them," Howard said. "We'll get better at it. Give credit to them though, they had some guys that stepped up and made shots."

IUPUI will close the exhibition slate on Monday, Nov. 7 when it hosts Marian University in The Jungle at 7:00 p.m.. That game will be heard on WNDE 1260 as Scott McCauley (play-by-play) and former Jag Angelo Smith (analyst) call the action from courtside in the Jungle.

As always, IUPUI students will be admitted for free with a valid JagTag, while adult reserved seats are just $10. Children 12-and-under are admitted for $7 and kids 4-and-under are admitted for free.