INDIANAPOLIS - Playing in his 100th career game, junior Marcellus Barksdale pumped in a career-high 25 points as the Jaguars captured a key Summit League win over Western Illinois inside Indiana Farmers Coliseum on Thursday night (Feb. 26). The Lexington, Ky.-native scored 16 of his 25 in the first half and the Jaguars led by as many as 17 in the second half before having to fend off the hot shooting Leathernecks late. 

Garret Covington scored a game-high 30 points for Western Illinois (8-18, 3-12 Summit) and J.C. Fuller added 14 points and six assists in the loss. IUPUI (10-19, 6-9 Summit) needed the victory to keep pace with Denver for the No. 6 spot in the upcoming Summit League Tournament Both Denver and IUPUI have identical 6-9 Summit League marks heading into the regular season's final game, but the Jaguars own the tiebreak having swept the series with the Pioneers. 

"This was a big win for us," IUPUI Head Coach Jason Gardner said. "We've talked about getting hot at the right time and feeling good about the way we're playing heading into the conference tournament. I thought we played pretty well for most of the night, although I didn't really like how we closed out tonight's game. We got the win though and that was the important thing. 

"It was good for us to take care of business on our home floor."

The Jaguars did so with their most famous alum sitting courtside as current Indiana Pacers standout George Hill was front-and-center for Thursday's game. In the game's early going, Barksdale did his best Hill impression, scoring on a bevy drives and pull-ups, before being sidelined with two fouls with just under seven minutes left before halftime. With Barksdale sidelined, Elijah Ray picked up the slack as the Jaguars built a 34-25 halftime lead. 

The lead grew to 17 early in the second half when Mason Archie, II scored in transition off a Barksdale baseball pass at the 15:34 mark. However, rather than bury their foe, the Jaguars left the door open, yielding a quick 9-0 run as WIU pulled within eight.

The Jaguars answered the bell, scoring eight straight, including a pair of tough Josh James finishes, to regain a 17-point lead with 8:44 to play. Such has been the case most all season long, the outcome still wasn't decided until the closing seconds. 

Covington and Fuller combined to hit four treys in the final two minutes and the Jaguars aided the guests' comeback hopes with turnovers and missed free throws late. Senior DavRon Williams hammered home a two-handed slam with 2:04 left to put the Jags ahead 61-51, but Covington immediately answered with a trey. 

After the two teams traded turnovers, Archie looked like he might end the suspense with a three-point play, but Fuller countered with a triple. After Barksdale swished two free throws, Covington made it a six-point game with his fifth three of the night. 

The Jags let WIU get within a single possession when Barksdale missed the frontend of a one-and-one with 42 seconds left and Fuller capitalized with his second triple of the game. The Jags hit enough freebies to hold control of the lead and Covington finally missed a trey with seven seconds left, allowing the Jags to seal the win. 

"We didn't panic," Gardner said. "We definitely didn't end it well, but we didn't panic and give the lead away."

Barksdale topped the 20-point mark for the second straight game and fourth time in his college career, while also grabbing six boards and hitting 10-of-16 field goal attempts. Ray finished with nine points and a career-high eight boards and Archie added nine points. The Jaguars dominated the glass 44-28 and outscored the Leathernecks 36-18 in the paint. James and Ray combined to hit 7-of-10 shots in 34 minutes of work and Williams came off the bench with five points, six rebounds and a blocked shot. 

Covington, who hit the game-winner against the Jags in WIU's win in Macomb, hit for 25 of his 30 in the second half. The sophomore connected on 5-of-9 from three and grabbed a team-high seven boards in defeat. Despite hitting 9-of-15 (60 percent) from three-point range, WIU shot a collective 37 percent from the field and just 14-of-47 (29.8 percent) from inside the arc. 

Thursday's win snapped a six-game losing streak against Western Illinois. 

IUPUI will cap the regular season on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 28) when the Jaguars host Omaha on a 'Day of Champions'. The department will recognize seniors Khufu Najee and Williams prior to the game and have also invited numerous former ABA standouts to attend the game. Among those confirmed to attend are George McGinnis, Mel Daniels, Bob Netolicky, Darnell Hillman and recent Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame inductee Bob "Slick" Leonard. The group will be recognized during halftime festivities. In addition, IUPUI's 1985 and 1990 District 21 Championship teams have been invited to attend Saturday's game and will honored on the scoreboard over the course of the afternoon. 

Those wishing to attend can purchase tickets through Ticketmaster or at the Coliseum box office. Saturday's game will be televised on HTSN and ESPN3 as Greg Rakestraw (pxp) and Hall of Famer Bob Lovell (analyst) are on the call. In addition, the game will be heard on WNDE 1260 AM as Will Flemming (pxp) calls the action from his courtside location.