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INDIANAPOLIS - The IUPUI basketball team kicked off the Jason Gardner-era and re-opened the Fairgrounds Coliseum on Friday night (Nov. 14) as the Jaguars dropped a 79-66 overtime affair to Indiana State. Junior Marcellus Barksdale forced overtime by swishing a pair of free throws with 0.3 seconds left in regulation, but Indiana State responded by outscoring the Jaguars 15-2 in the extra period en route to the 13-point victory.

Indianapolis-native Khristian Smith led all players with 27 points and Devonte Brown added 19 for the Sycamores. Barkdale led the Jaguars with 12 points and three assists while junior Mason Archie added 11 points, including 3-of-5 from downtown.

"I liked our effort and I liked our energy tonight," Gardner said. "The atmosphere was awesome. I thought our fans were great and the environment was outstanding."

The game was a see-saw affair throughout, including 14 ties and seven lead changes in regulation. ISU (1-0) led by four with under a minute to go when Smith hit on a tough drive, but IUPUI (0-1) immediately responded with an Archie corner three with 28.1 left.

After the two teams traded two makes at the foul line, ISU left the door cracked when Brown missed the second of two foul shots with 7.2 seconds left. Barksdale corralled the rebound and raced the other way, opting to drive to the cup and drawing a foul in the process. The Lexington, Ky.-native calmly swished both attempts, despite ISU's attempt to ice him between free throws.

In overtime, the two teams traded empty possessions on the first trip before Brown put the Sycamores in front for good with a layup. ISU scored the first 11 points in overtime and limited IUPUI to just a Barksdale drive with 51 seconds to play to seal the win.

Brown scored eight points in overtime to help bury the Jaguars.

"Credit (Indiana State), they made plays and they made shots when they needed them," Gardner said. "They made plays down the stretch and that was the difference in the ballgame."

The two teams played to eight ties in the first half alone, but IUPUI got the last laugh as Elijah Ray deposited a corner three in the waning moments to put the Jags in front 34-32 at the break.

The Jaguars showed a balanced attack with eight players scoring between six and 12 points on Friday. Senior DavRon Williams grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds to accompany his six points while P.J. Boutte added nine points and six assists off the bench.

IUPUI finished the game hitting 35 percent from the field, including just 10-of-35 after halftime. Indiana State made 40 percent of its attempts, but outscored the Jaguars 36-17 at the foul line.

Friday's opener in the newly refurbished Coliseum drew 3,159 fans, eclipsing the program's previous Division I mark. 

The Jags will return to action on Sunday when they head north to take on Big Ten foe Purdue for the first time in school history. Tipoff is slated for 3:00 p.m. from Mackey Arena and the game will be carried on the Big Ten Network as Chris Denari (pxp) and Shon Morris (analyst) call the action. The game can also be heard on iHeartRadio as Morgan Adcock (pxp) is on the call.