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MACOMB, Ill. - After trailing by 12 midway through the second half, the IUPUI basketball team made a feverish comeback over the final 10 minutes, but was unable to come all the way back in a 75-70 loss at Western Illinois on Saturday (Mar. 1) night.

WIU senior Michael Ochereobia led the Leathernecks with a career-high 23 points and 10 boards and rookie guard Garret Covington scored 18 points in the win. Junior Ian Chiles paced IUPUI with 27 points, one shy of matching his career-high, and both Khufu Najee and Elijah Ray tallied 14 each.

"It was certainly a hard fought game," IUPUI Head Coach Todd Howard said. "We had three starters with two fouls early and that set a very inconsistent tone. We battled and really played super for long stretches.

"Ian, Khufu and Elijah were really engaged. Marcellus was outstanding defensively and on the glass. We battled and overcame a lot - guys were hungry."

IUPUI (6-25, 1-13 Summit) made it a one-possession game with 11.7 seconds left, but WIU (10-19, 4-10) opted to foul and the strategy worked. Sophomore Marcellus Barksdale missed a pair of free throws with 7.7 seconds to play and the rebound sailed out of bounds to the Leathernecks, immediately in front of the Jaguars' bench. WIU freshman Jabari Sandifer capped the win with a pair of free throws with 5.4 seconds remaining to set the final margin.

IUPUI led 44-43 after Chiles collected a steal near midcourt and raced to the other end for a three-point play. However, Western answered with a 13-0 run, punctuated by a pair of Ochereobia dunks, putting the Leathernecks ahead 56-44. Rather than go away easily, the Jaguars clawed back, including using a 7-0 run to make it 59-58 with 4:26 to play. Mitch Patton scored the first three points with a left-handed layup and a free throw, followed by a Ray drive and Chiles 12-footer. Patton missed a go-ahead 16-footer with 3:47 to play and Western responded with a 7-2 burst.

Ochereobia pumped in a three-point play with 1:59 to play, putting the hosts ahead by six.

In need of a spark, Najee answered the bell with a steal and transition bucket with 1:17 left. Najee and Chiles hit late threes to keep the Jaguars in the game and WIU's Mike Miklusak kept the door open when he split a pair of free throws with 11.7 seconds left. However, WIU Head Coach Jim Molinari called timeout and employed his troops to foul Barksdale as he crossed midcourt.

It was the second time an IUPUI opponent fouled the Jaguars in the closing seconds with a three-point lead, both times working in their favor.

IUPUI was proficient from the floor at 46.4 percent and deft from three-point range, hitting 7-of-12 attempts. The Jaguars also committed a season-low six turnovers, giving the Jaguars a 13-9 advantage in points off turnovers. However, WIU hit 54 percent overall and enjoyed a 40-26 edge in points in the paint.

Ochereobia was 10-of-11 from the floor inside and hit all three of his free throw attempts.

IUPUI struggled to get in a flow in the first half, especially after Patton and Donovan Gibbs were sidelined after picking up their second personal fouls on consecutive possessions and both coming on three-point play opportunities. The Jaguars fell behind by as many as 11 in the first half before closing the first 20 minutes trailing 35-28.

The Jaguars came out more aggressive to start the second half, largely behind Najee and Ray. Chiles, who scored 15 of his 27 in the first half, got going late and finished 4-of-5 from three-point range. Western offset the three-point discrepancy by outscoring the Jaguars 21-11 at the foul line.

"They really benefited at the (free throw) line," Howard said.

Western hit 21-of-26 (80.8 percent) attempts, including a 9-of-10 night for Sandifer. Sandifer finished with 15 points and four assists. WIU snapped a seven-game skid with the victory, while IUPUI lost for the fourth straight time to close the regular season. It was also IUPUI's fourth consecutive loss to Western Illinois.

IUPUI will enter The Summit League Tournament as the No. 7 seed and face No. 2 Fort Wayne on Saturday (Mar. 8) at 7:00 p.m. Eastern inside Sioux Falls Arena. The game will be televised on Midco Sports Network and Fox College Sports (Pacific). In addition, the game can be heard in Central Indiana on WNDE 1260 AM and worldwide on the free iHeartRadio app as Will Flemming (pxp) will call the action. IPFW swept the regular season home-and-home series against the Jaguars and has won three straight over IUPUI.