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INDIANAPOLIS - The IUPUI basketball team will open the final three-game homestand of the season on Thursday (Feb. 13) when the Jaguars host Summit League newcomer Denver (12-11, 5-3 Summit) inside the Jungle for a 7:00 p.m. tip. The game can be heard in Central Indiana on WNDE 1260 AM as Will Flemming (pxp) and Manny Randhawa (analyst) call the action from courtside. Pregame coverage will begin at approximately 6:45 p.m., immediately after the live remote broadcast of Query & Schultz from City BBQ, just off the IUPUI campus. 

Fans in attendance will receive free rally towels, courtesy of Indiana Members Credit Union. In addition, the IUPUI Athletics Department will recognize selected professors from across campus as part of Favorite Professor Night. 

IUPUI (5-21, 0-9) is seeking to snap a nine-game skid, dating back to near the start of the calendar year. Despite the woes, senior center Mitch Patton has performed well in Summit League play, averaging 13.6 points and 5.2 boards per game, while shooting nearly 54 percent from the floor in nine league games. Junior Khufu Najee is coming off a 19-point effort in Saturday's 83-59 loss at South Dakota State and Patton tallied 12 in just 19 minutes work. Redshirt freshman Elijah Ray continued his solid play of late, pumping in nine points and a season-high six boards in 25 minutes off the bench. The 6-foot-6 Ray is averaging 10.0 points and 3.7 boards per game over the past three games. 

The Jaguars have also remained among the nation's leaders in free throw shooting, hitting 76.7 percent for the year. With back-to-back strong efforts, IUPUI climbed to No. 9 nationally. Najee shoots a team-high 82 percent while sophomore Marcellus Barksdale has connected on a team-high 91 freebies at a 75.2 percent clip. IUPUI has been without the services of top scorer Ian Chiles for much of Summit League play. The 6-foot-1 junior was averaging just under 16 points per game before suffering an injury in practice on Jan. 20. Since Chiles went down with the injury, the Jaguars have used four different starting lineups in five games. 

Denver has won six of its past seven games and three straight coming into play on Thursday, including a 75-67 home win over South Dakota on Saturday. Junior guard Brett Olson scored a career-high 30 points in that victory, later earning Summit League Player of the Week honors. Cam Griffin contributed 14 points and nine caroms and Marcus Byrd tallied 11 points off the bench. The Pioneers hit 13 treys in the win, including eight in the first half as they built a 38-26 halftime advantage. 

Denver is shooting better than 43 percent from beyond the arc in Summit League play, having connected on 66 triples in eight games. Olson is the team's top sniper, hitting 55.9 percent from deep and averaging 17.5 points per game in eight games. Udofia checks in at 12.5 points per game and Jalen Love averages 9.3 points per contest. 

Denver won the earlier meeting between the two schools, 66-45 on Jan. 18 in the Mile High City. Patton paced the Jaguars with 19 points in that loss and Barksdale chipped in nine points and 11 boards. Udofia had 16 points, eight boards, six assists and three blocked shots in the win and Olson contributed 15 points and four steals. The Pios hit 9-of-19 from three and held the Jaguars to just 36.4 percent from the floor.