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FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Host IPFW hit 13 triples in 26 tries and put five players in double-digits as the Mastodons knocked off the Jaguars, 90-75 in Summit League action inside Gates Center on Saturday (Jan. 25) night. Luis Jacobo led IPFW (16-6, 4-1 Summit) with 19 points and Pierre Bland added 16 points, nine boards and eight assists in the win.

Junior Khufu Najee led four Jaguars in double-digits with 20 points and both Mitch Patton and Ja'Rob McCallum added 18 points in the loss. IUPUI was playing without the Summit League's third-leading scorer, Ian Chiles, who suffered an injury earlier in the week.

Despite playing sans Chiles, IUPUI (5-17, 0-5 Summit) went in front 10-8 on a Patton layup at the 14:34 mark of the first half, but the Mastodons countered by hitting four straight shots en route to a quick 9-0 run to take a 17-10 lead. Jacobo fueled the run with a three and capped it with a fast break layup, prompting an IUPUI timeout.

"It was a tough environment and the game got away early," IUPUI Head Coach Todd Howard said. "I thought we fought and did a lot. They shot it unreal and it certainly didn't surprise us. 

"We needed shots to fall early. Our movement and execution was good enough, but they answered every challenge."

The IPFW lead grew to 12 at 26-14 when Mo Evans stroked a wing three, but Patton temporarily stopped the bleeding at the foul line. However, IPFW kept firing, getting a Steve Forbes tip-in to make it a 14-point game and Jacobo swished a quick three on the Mastodons' next possession. The 'Dons lead grew to 17 late in the first half on a Michael Kibiloski trey before IUPUI closed within 15 at the break. 

IUPUI tried to make a move early in the second half, getting an 8-0 run on six points from McCallum sandwiched around a Patton layup, but IPFW immediately answered with back-to-back Jacobo and Kibiloski treys to extend back out to a 68-51 advantage. IPFW led by as many as 22 points before eventually winning by 15.

"The second half was even; their spurts early cushioned them," Howard said.

The 'Dons' 13 treys made were the most by an IUPUI opponent this season. 

Fort Wayne entered play hitting better than 40 percent from three-point range as a team, but upped the ante on Saturday night. Jacobo and Kibiloski teamed to hit 9-of-16 attempts, while Evans was 2-of-5 from deep. Forbes was 7-of-8 on the inside and finished with 16 points and seven boards, while Kibiloski finished with 14 points. Evans tallied 10 points and three assists off the bench. 

Overall, IPFW shot 56.5 percent while holding the Jaguars to just 42.6 percent. The 'Dons also won the glass 37-28 and outscored the Jags 42-24 inside the paint. 

Najee was the primary beneficiary of Chiles' absence, hitting 9-of-18 shots in a full 40 minute effort. Patton was 7-of-13 on the inside and grabbed a team-high six boards, while McCallum came off the bench to hit 6-of-14 shots in 36 minutes. Sophomore Marcellus Barksdale closed with 13 points, five boards and five assists in 39 minutes work.

IUPUI will return home to begin a two-game homestand on Thursday when they host Western Illinois at 7:00 p.m. inside The Jungle. The game will be broadcast on HTSN and ESPN3 as Greg Rakestraw (pxp) and Bob Lovell (analyst) call the game from courtside. In addition, fans can listen in Central Indiana on WNDE 1260 AM and on the free iHeartRadio app as Will Flemming (pxp) calls the action. The IUPUI Athletics Department will be hosting a live remote of Query & Schultz from 3-7 p.m. at the nearby City Barbecue.