INDIANAPOLIS - The scene was set and the script was in place, but visiting Omaha had other plans as the Mavs outlasted IUPUI 87-80 in double overtime inside Indiana Farmers Coliseum on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 28). Omaha senior CJ Carter scored a game-high 29 points and freshmen Tre'Shawn Thurman added 14 points and 11 boards as the Mavs eventually outscored IUPUI 14-7 in the second overtime period. 

Junior Marcellus Barksdale led four Jaguars in double-digits with 18 points and five assists and freshman Aaron Brennan contributed 14 points and six boards off the bench. Junior P.J. Boutte added 13 points and eight rebounds and classmate Mason Archie, II hit for 11 points in the loss. 

"At the start of the year, I don't think we even get this game to overtime," IUPUI Head Coach Jason Gardner said. "That shows you how much these guys have grown and matured. We're a much better basketball team than we were in November. It's been a lot of hard work and a lot of time, but we've improved a lot.

"Give Omaha credit. They made plays down the stretch when they had to and they made more plays than we did today."

IUPUI (10-20, 6-10 Summit) had three opportunities to walkoff victorious at the end of the first overtime, but misfired on all three chances. Barksdale had put the Jaguars ahead 73-71 early in overtime and the hosts pitched a shutout until Carter tied the game with 1:23 to play. The Jaguars drained the shot clock before Archie missed a jumper, only for Josh James to snatch the rebound. Given another life, Archie missed a trey and James missed a putback attempt, but James grabbed his third straight offensive rebound, giving the Jags one last possession. However, Barksdale missed a contested 12-footer and Omaha collected the board before missing a half court attempt at the horn.

In the second overtime, IUPUI took an early three-point lead on an Archie trey, but Omaha rallied with a 7-0 run and never looked back. Thurman hit a key trey to fuel the run and moments later, Carter got loose for a fast break dunk to make it a two-possession game. 

IUPUI clawed back with two Barksdale free throws with 55 seconds left and the Jaguars appeared to get a defensive stop when he later blocked a Thurman three. The rebound came to D.J. McCall, but the IUPUI freshman was called for a walk when he got tangled with an Omaha player and went to the floor. Forced to foul with 20 seconds to play, Omaha made 5-of-6 free throws to seal the victory. 

Omaha (11-17, 5-11) had built a 15-point lead early in the second half after having led 39-34 at the break. The Mavs opened the second half with a 10-0 run, beginning with back-to-back threes from Tim Smallwood and Carter. An IUPUI timeout didn't slow the guests as Mike Rostampour followed with a layup and Carter capped the run with two free throws. 

IUPUI fired back with a 9-0 burst as the Jaguars closed within 57-52 with 12:22 to play. Even after Omaha pushed the lead back to 10, the Jaguars refused to go away. A late 6-0 run gave the Jaguars their first lead of the second half, capped by a Brennan 15-footer on the baseline. UNO's Devin Patterson answered with a trey with 3:50 left, but that would be their last score in regulation.

James trimmed a point off the lead by splitting a pair of free throws with 1;10 left and Brennan tied the game with a freebie with 11 seconds to play. Carter missed a challenged three at the end of regulation and Thurman had a tip-in go in after the horn. 

"We showed a lot of fight today," Gardner said. "To get down like that and be able to come back and get to overtime shows a lot of heart. We obviously would've liked to have gotten the win, but we've got some more basketball in us.

"Now the goal is to go out to Sioux Falls and make a run in the tournament. That's what is all comes down to."

James made a major impact with a career-high 10 rebounds and two blocked shots in 30 minutes as DavRon Williams was limited to just 23 minutes in his final home game before fouling out. IUPUI's other senior, Khufu Najee, was allowed to start the game but immediately came off the court as he's continued to battle an injury of late. 

Williams told the crowd afterwards, "We're not done yet. We're going to get Khufu back and we're going to get going."

Among Saturday's crowd were many former ABA stars making a return appearance inside the Coliseum. Included in that group was George McGinnis, Mel Daniels, Darnell Hillman, Bob Netolicky and Steve Green. In addition, members of IUPUI's 1985 and 1990 teams were in the crowd and recognized during the contest. 

IUPUI will have to wait and see what the seeding will hold. A Denver loss at Oral Roberts tonight would give the Jaguars the No. 6 seed and a Sunday night game while a Denver win would put the Jaguars at the No. 7 seed and a Saturday night game. There will be more to come on IUPUIJags.com throughout the week.  

News and Notes: Before the game, Najee was recognized as the 2014-15 recipient of the Mel Garland Men's Basketball Award, given annually to an IUPUI player... this year's award was presented on the floor by former Ben Davis and IUPUI standout Kayle Funkhouser, who was recruited to play at IUPUI by Garland in 1982.