Game Notes (.pdf) I Live Audio I Live Video I Live Stats
 
FARGO, N.D. – Winners of five of its past six games, the IUPUI basketball team will look to cap the regular season on a high note when the Jaguars open up a two-game road trip at North Dakota State on Thursday (Feb. 23) night. That game will tip-off at 8:00 p.m. inside the Bison Sports Arena with pregame coverage on WNDE 1260 beginning at approximately 7:50 p.m.. Scott McCauley’s (pxp) call can also be heard on WNDE.com or via the free iHeartRadio app available on smartphones.
 
IUPUI (13-16, 6-10 Summit) is coming off an 84-80 win at Nicholls State as part of the Sears BracketBuster X event on Saturday, led by Alex Young’s 25-point effort. IUPUI led virtually the entire game as the Jaguars hit 60 percent from the floor and 50 percent from three-point range. The Colonels made things interesting down the stretch, but Young came up with key buckets on multiple occasions. Seniors Christian Siakam and Stephen Thomas scored 14 points each and sophomore guard Ian Chiles closed with 13 points and five boards.
 
Chris Talkington led five Colonels in double-digits with 16 points off the bench and Shane Rillieux contributed 15 points and seven assists. NSU’s top scorer, freshman Trevon Lewis, was held to 10 points and played just 20 minutes due to foul trouble. The hosts hit 52 percent from the floor and turned the ball over just six times, but were outrebounded by the Jaguars 29-21.
 
IUPUI has hit 60 percent or better from the floor in consecutive games for the first time in the program’s Division I era after hitting 60.3 percent in the 88-70 win over South Dakota followed by the 60 percent effort at Nicholls State. The Jaguars have also hit 55.6 percent from three the past two games and outrebounded the two foes by seven caroms per game.
 
With the recent hot shooting, IUPUI is now connecting on better than 44 percent overall and 35.4 percent from three this season. Siakam has been especially proficient of late, upping his percentage to 56.0 for the year and freshman Lyonell Gaines has climbed to 53.8 percent. Young continues to rank among the nation’s top 10 in scoring, upping his scoring average to 20.9 points per game through 29 contests. Thomas (11.1 ppg) and Chiles (10.1 ppg) join him in double-figures with the former leading the team in assists (102) and free throw percentage (85.4).
 
IUPUI is seeking a series split with North Dakota State after the Bison claimed an 84-79 victory in Indianapolis on Dec. 3. Taylor Braun led NDSU with 30 points and eight boards while TrayVonn Wright contributed 16 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots. Young led IUPUI with 20 points on just 6-of-17 shooting and junior Sean Esposito added 14 points and three assists in 20 minutes off the bench. NDSU shot a blistering 62.2 percent from the floor while IUPUI limped to just a 35.5 percent shooting effort.
 
Braun leads NDSU in scoring (15.8 ppg), rebounding (6.6 rpg) and steals (33) and is hitting 46.4 percent from three. Freshman point guard Lawrence Alexander is second on the squad in scoring at 12.9 points per game while delivering nearly five assists per night. Sophomore big man Marshall Bjorklund is netting 11.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game while hitting nearly 68 percent from the floor.