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FARGO, N.D. - Senior Alex Young scored a game-high 21 points and led four Jaguars in double-figures as IUPUI claimed a 74-68 win at North Dakota State inside the Bison Sports Arena on Thursday (Feb. 23) night. Fellow senior Stephen Thomas added 14 points and five assists and Christian Siakam notched his ninth career double-double with 10 points and 11 boards (six offensive).

IUPUI (14-16, 7-10 Summit) won for the sixth time in seven games and for the third straight time away from home. The win was IUPUI's fourth straight overall and also avenged an earlier loss to the Bison as the two teams split the regular season series.

Sophomore Marshall Bjorklund led NDSU (17-11, 9-8 Summit) with 17 points and freshman guard Lawrence Alexander finished with 16.

"I couldn't be more proud of the seniors," IUPUI head coach Todd Howard said. "From Alex (Young) coming out hot and getting us out to a great start to Christian battling and getting 11 big rebounds and Stephen (Thomas) finishing it off. Those guys did a good job of being in control of the game.

"It was a very physical game, but we played through it. We knew they'd make runs, but that's how you win on the road in February and March. You defend and get stops and you need shots to go down."

Young hit 8-of-14 from the floor and grabbed six boards in his 109th career double-digit scoring game.

"We're finally starting to get how to play on the road," Young said. "It's about confidence. We believe in one another and we've been sticking to the game plan as much as possible."

Young's hot play and IUPUI's stingy defense helped the Jaguars build an 18-7 lead, capped by a steal and dunk from the league's Preseason Player of the Year. However, IUPUI had to endure a quick 8-0 NDSU run before sophomore Ian Chiles scored 10 straight to push the Jags back in front by 12. The high flying sophomore splashed a pull-up 16-footer, followed by a pair of free throws on IUPUI's next possession. He then stroked a three to put the Jags in front by 10 and later tipped in a Siakam miss to make it 33-21. The Jaguars led 35-25 at the break as Mike Felt capped the first half scoring on a 10-foot jumper.

NDSU crept back within six early in the second half after Alexander splashed an open trey, but IUPUI responded with a Thomas drive and a Siakam hook to push the lead back to 10. That would prove to be the theme for the majority of the second half as IUPUI always had an answer, albeit from multiple different sources.

"We knew they'd make a run at us," Young said, echoing Howard's sentiments. "We just tried to sustain (the lead) as much as we could."

Midway through the second half, it was Donovan Gibbs who provided a spark off the bench, scoring six straight points to help offset NDSU baskets at the other end. The 6-foot-7 sophomore finished with six points on 2-of-4 shooting in just seven minutes action.

"Don came in and got six quick points, but he did it within the flow of the offense," Howard said. "We executed really well - maybe as best as we have all year."

Freshman Marcellus Barksdale pushed the lead back to 57-47 with a high banking layup from the right side with 7:33 left. Even after the lead swelled to 12, the Bison had another run in them. This time, a 9-2 rally made it a five-point game with 3:02 left, but Young had a late answer. The lefty got around his defender and dropped in a layup and drew a foul with 2:47 to play, making it a seven-point contest. He capped the three-point play to claim his 52nd career 20+ scoring game.

NDSU again clawed within three on an Eric Carlson layup and Felt three, but Thomas landed the knockout blow late. First he hit a pair of free throws with 1:55 to play to make it a 66-61 lead. Then after a defensive stand, the fifth-year senior banked in a runner on the ensuing possession to give the Jaguars a 68-61 advantage with just more than a minute to play. The Jaguars hit 6-of-8 foul shots down the stretch to seal the win, finishing the game having made 19-of-22 (85.7 percent) at the charity stripe. Conversely, NDSU hit just 39 percent overall and 68 percent at the foul line.

Taylor Braun, NDSU's top scorer and rebounder, finished with 15 points and eight boards, but was silent in the first half after picking up two personals in the game's first four minutes and sitting until halftime. Carlson, who missed the first meeting between the two schools, closed with 11 points and eight boards.

Chiles rounded out IUPUI's double-digit scorers with 12 points, all coming in the first half. IUPUI shot 47 percent overall and 5-of-11 (45.5 percent) from three. Young improved his career point total to 2,260 and climbed to No. 5 on The Summit League's career scoring list. The two-time First Team All-Summit Leaguer is just 25 shy of tying Tony Bennett for fourth all-time and continues to lead all of Division I college hoops in career points.

"Alex scored 21 points on just 14 shots and only got to the free throw line four times when it felt like he should be there 44 times," Howard said. "I can't say enough about him. He was unselfish, but took over when we needed him to.

"I like our balance right now though. We've got a lot of guys contributing."

IUPUI's win, coupled with IPFW and UMKC losses, assured that the Jaguars will finish no lower than the No. 7 spot in The Summit League standings. The Jaguars could climb as high as No. 5 depending on Saturday's results.

Howard's squad will cap the regular season at South Dakota State inside Frost Arena on Saturday (Feb. 25) night. That game is slated to tip at 8:30 p.m. Eastern. The broadcast can be heard on WNDE.com or via the free iHeartRadio app available for smartphones as Scott McCauley (pxp) calls the action from courtside.