Game Notes (.pdf) I Live Audio I Live Video I Live Stats

OMAHA, Neb. - The IUPUI basketball team will travel to Summit League newcomer Omaha (4-14, 1-5 Summit League) for the first-time in school history on Thursday (Jan. 10) night when the Jaguars take on the Mavs at 8:00 p.m. Eastern inside Ralston Arena. Will Flemming (pxp) will have the call from courtside on WNDE 1260 AM, WNDE.com and on the free iHeartRadio app.

The Jaguars are looking to snap a three-game slide following last Saturday's 57-53 loss to Summit League leader Western Illinois. Senior John Hart scored a team-high 14 points and classmate Sean Esposito added 11, including a perfect 3-of-3 night behind the arc. IUPUI (6-13, 1-4 Summit) led by as many as 12, but surrendered the lead midway through the second half before using a Lyonell Gaines layup with :03 seconds left to force overtime. IUPUI never led in overtime as Western won its ninth straight game and improved to 7-0 at home this season.

Already thin on the interior coming into the contest, the Jaguars were forced to play almost exclusively guards for stretches of the second half as junior Donovan Gibbs battled foul trouble and Mitchell Patton was limited by an injury. IUPUI connected on nine treys in the loss and have 16 assists on 20 field goals. Six different players had at least two assists and Gaines snagged a team-high eight boards.

Western was led by Ceola Clark III's 16 points and Terell Parks added 14 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots and was later pegged Summit League Co-Player of the Week.

Omaha has dropped two-in-a-row including a 96-78 loss at Fort Wayne last Saturday. Justin Simmons leads the Mavs in scoring (14.6 ppg), free throws made (40) and steals (24) while John Karhoff is averaging 11.4 points per game. Alex Welhouse is the team's top rebounder at 4.8 caroms per contest to go along with 7.6 points per game.

Simmons scored 24 points on 11-of-18 shooting and Marcus Tyus added 20 points off the bench in the loss at Fort Wayne. Sophomore point guard C.J. Carter, who leads the team in assists, added 12 points, three boards and three assists in the defeat.

Hart continues to lead IUPUI in scoring at 14.2 points per game and is joined in double-digits by Patton (13.1 ppg) and junior Ian Chiles (10.3 ppg). However, Chiles is among six scholarship players currently sidelined due to injury. He and sophomore swingman Marcellus Barksdale are both likely out the remainder of the year, while none of the team's three freshmen have competed this season. In addition, junior sharpshooter #P.J. Hubert# has missed extended action as he's been hampered by an injury.