DURHAM, N.C. - The IUPUI basketball team capped a seven-day, three-state mammoth road trip with a thud, falling 70-49 North Carolina Central inside McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium on Monday night (Dec. 29). Freshman D.J. McCall was the lone Jaguar to score in double-digits with 11 points and senior DavRon Williams added a game-high 13 rebounds in his return to his former school. 

Dante Holmes led four Eagles in double-digits with 15 points and Karamo Jawara and Nimrod Hilliard added 13 points each. Anthony McDonald chimed in with 11 points, all coming after halftime. IUPUI shot just 29.2 percent overall and committed 18 turnovers, leading to 12 NCCU easy points. The Eagles shot 44 percent overall, including hitting 7-of-18 (38.9 percent) from three-point range.

"We've got to put this one behind us and start looking ahead to (Summit) league play. That's what's important now. We didn't execute tonight and we fell behind and never really got back in it," Head Coach Jason Gardner said. "They're a good basketball team and they're even better at home. They threw the first punch and we didn't respond the way we should have."

NCCU (10-5) came in ranked among the national leaders in points allowed and field goal percentage defense and clamped down on the Jags en route to its 27th consecutive home win.

IUPUI (4-10) was slow to find its offense against NCCU as the Eagles soared to a 25-6 lead. NCCU orchestrated an emphatic 20-2 scoring edge to push an early 5-4 lead out to a 19-point advantage. The hosts made three treys during the run, capped by a Rashaun Madison connection, forcing Gardner to call his second first half timeout. Freshman Leo Svete halted the run at the free throw line before McCall and P.J. Boutte combined to score 12 of the Jaguars' final 14 points of the half. 

Boutte stroked a pair of triples as IUPUI closed the half with a 10-2 surge to close within 32-22 at the break. 

Any positive momentum the Jaguars built evaporated at halftime as NCCU opened the second half with the first seven points and a decisive 15-3 run to put the game away. Jawara punctuated the run with a steal and slam in front of his own bench. The second half never gained an offensive flow for either side as IUPUI was whistled for eight fouls in the opening six minutes, leading to 16 second half free throw attempts. IUPUI was awarded 11 second half free throw attempts and finished 17-of-23 (73.9 percent) from the charity stripe. 

Boutte had eight points and two assists on a 3-of-10 shooting night off the bench and Mason Archie, II, Marcellus Barksdale and Jalen McCallum all scored five points in the loss. IUPUI finished with just six assists on 14 baskets while the Eagles delivered 13 helpers and turned it over just 10 times. 

Hilliard had a team-high seven boards and five assists in 32 minutes at the point guard spot. 

NCCU avenged last year's 71-65 loss to the Jaguars as the two teams finished a traditional home-and-home series with Monday's contest. 

IUPUI will open Summit League play when the Jaguars take on preseason favorite Fort Wayne on Sunday night (Jan. 3) at 7:00 p.m. inside the Gates Sports Center. The game will be heard on WNDE 1260 AM as Will Flemming (pxp) calls the action from courtside.