TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Junior Darell Combs scored 12 of his team-high 16 points in the second half and freshman Evan Hall added 13 in his collegiate debut as IUPUI (1-0) held off Indiana State, 72-70 inside Hulman Center in both team's opener on Friday night (Nov. 13). Combs was critical down the stretch as IUPUI capitalized on an off shooting night by the host Sycamores. ISU (0-1) shot just 41.1 percent from the floor and 20-of-35 (57.1 percent) from the foul line while IUPUI closed at an efficient 48 percent overall.

"I'm really proud of our guys," IUPUI Head Coach Jason Gardner said. "This is a game we probably would've lost last year. We made some changes as coaches and we have some experienced guys out there who know how to close out games. That made a difference. Guys like Mason (Archie) and O'Leary and (Combs) know how to finish games and they showed that tonight. This is a big win for us."

IUPUI led virtually the entire first half and built a 10-point first half advantage when Hall made it 38-28 in the closing minutes. ISU scored the final four points of the first half to cut the lead to 38-32 at the break. The Jaguars seemingly started the second half in a fog as Indiana State outscored the guests 14-2 to start the second half and take a 46-40 lead with 13:02 to play. Rather than cower, the Jaguars rose to the occasion and fired back with a 12-0 run to take the lead for good. Hall started the run with a tough bucket inside and sophomore Leo Svete followed by swishing a corner three. Senior Marcellus Barksdale gave the Jaguars the lead for good by swishing a pair of freebies in front of the ISU student section with 11:19 remaining. The Jaguars held ISU scoreless for more than three-and-a-half minutes and without a field goal for more than five minutes.

During that span, Combs made back-to-back key plays by drilling his only trey of the night and then following by setting up an Aaron Brennan layup to push the lead to six.

ISU repeatedly closed within striking distance, but the Jaguars refused to relinquish the lead. A Brenton Scott drive made it 66-64 with 1:26 left and IUPUI gave the ball away on a Combs turnover, giving the hosts a chance to tie the game or take the lead. However, Scott missed a wild attempt and Brennan secured the board before Gardner opted to burn his final timeout to settle his squad. After the timeout, ISU opted to foul Combs, who calmly sank both free throws.

On the ensuing ISU possession, Devonte Brown split a pair of foul shots to make it a three-point game. ISU was forced to foul to extend the game, but the combination of Combs and Archie hit 4-of-6 free throws in the closing seconds to secure the program's first season opener since 2012.

Brown carried ISU with 25 points on 8-fo-15 shooting, but hit just 8-of-13 from the charity stripe. Indianapolis-native Khristian Smith was a one-man wrecking ball in the second half and finished with 19 points and 10 boards, while Scott added 12 points on 4-of-18 shooting.

Gardner played nine players and all nine responded with at least four points. Junior Nick Osborne had nine points and eight boards in his IUPUI debut while both Matt O'Leary and Marcellus Barksdale finished with seven apiece. Brennan had a quiet six points and six boards off the bench and Svete knocked down a pair of treys to account for his six points. Newcomers accounted for IUPUI's first 17 points of the game before Svete drilled a trey at the 11:33 mark of the first half.

"We've got a lot of new faces and a lot of guys who are hungry to play," Gardner said. "I think you saw that tonight. There's a lot of guys who have been working hard and now it's just a matter of seeing how they come together in game situations. Tonight they responded well."

The Jaguars will continue the season opening three-game road gauntlet on Monday night (Nov. 16) when they trek north to take on Marquette inside the BMO Harris Bradley Center at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. That contest will be televised on FS1 and can be heard on IUPUIJags.com as Morgan Adcock (pxp) is on the call.