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INDIANAPOLIS - Coming off a three-game road swing, the IUPUI basketball team are back in Indy for some much needed home cooking as the Jaguars will host Western Illinois (8-12, 2-3 Summit) on Thursday (Jan. 30) night inside the Jungle. Tip-off is slated for 7:05 p.m.. Thursday's game will be broadcast on Hometown Sports & News (HTSN) and ESPN3 as Greg Rakestraw (pxp) and Bob Lovell (analyst) call the action from courtside. In addition, the game can be heard in Central Indiana on WNDE 1260 AM and worldwide on the iHeartRadio app as Will Flemming (pxp) is on the call.
IUPUI (5-17, 0-5 Summit) is looking to snap a five-game skid to open Summit League play, while Western Illinois has (8-12, 2-3) has dropped three-out-of-four coming in. The Jaguars got off to a rough start at Fort Wayne on Saturday, falling behind by double-digits in the first half before eventually being upended, 90-75. The host shooting Mastodons hit 13 threes and shot nearly 57 percent from the floor, while putting five players in double-digits.
Junior
Khufu Najee led IUPUI with 20 points and both
Ja'Rob McCallum and
Mitch Patton tossed in 18 each. Sophomore
Marcellus Barksdale added 13 points, five boards and five assists in the loss. For Patton, it was his 40th career double-digit scoring effort and the 6-foot-9 center also climbed to seventh on IUPUI's all-time blocked shot list, swatting the 72nd of his career. Najee finished two points shy of tying his career-high of 22 points in a full 40 minutes of work.
The Jaguars turned it over just nine times total and outscored IPFW 18-6 off turnovers. However, IPFW outscored IUPUI 39-15 from beyond the three-point line and 42-24 in the paint.
IUPUI was playing without top scorer
Ian Chiles for the first time this season on Saturday. The 6-foot-1 Chiles ranks third in The Summit in scoring at 15.9 points per game and has eight 20+ scoring games to his credit this season. However, Summit League foes had limited the Louisville-native to just 9.5 points per game in four league contests. Patton is the team's top scorer in league play, pumping in 14 points per contest.
Western is led by freshman swingman Garret Covington (14.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg) and senior forward Adam Link (9.0 ppg, 58.7 FG%). Covington has hit a team-high 43 treys and makes better than 81 percent of his free throw attempts. The Leathernecks remain among the league's top defensive squads under Head Coach Jim Molinari, holding foes to just 60.8 points per game and 40.7 percent field goal shooting.
IUPUI leads the all-time series with WIU, 28-11 overall, despite having lost three straight to the Leathernecks. IUPUI won 26 of 27 meetings between the two schools between 2000 and 2011, including 19 straight at one point.
Thursday promises to be a busy and entertaining night for IUPUI fans, beginning with a pregame live remote of Query & Schultz at the nearby City BBQ location. Query & Schultz will host their show from 3-7 p.m. and fans are invited live on location for a chance to win tickets and other prizes, while also getting the opportunity to meet Howard, Flemming and others. During the game, the IUPUI Athletics Department will be recognizing the 2013 Summit League champion volleyball team and the softball program as the department's top academic performers during the Spring 2013 semester. In addition, Rachael Bazzell will be performing a her energetic solo twirling act at halftime as part of the night's entertainment.
