MACOMB, Ill. - The IUPUI basketball team closed with a 14-7 run to break the eighth and final tie of the night as the Jaguars skated into Western Illinois to snatch a 67-60 victory. Junior Nick Osborne registered his first career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds and junior Darell Combs matched his career-high with 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting (4-of-5 from three). Garret Covington led Western Illinois with 16 points.

With the win, IUPUI improved to 7-12 overall and 3-1 in Summit League play, matching the program's best start since the 2009-10 season.

"I liked what we did defensively today. In the second half, we played with a lot of energy defensively and did a good job of forcing them off the (three-point) line," IUPUI Head Coach Jason Gardner said. "Our non-conference schedule really prepared us for our conference road games and today, we weren't intimidated. The guys were locked in and on point. In the huddle, they were all engaged and talking and when they're talking in the huddle, I kind of know they're locked in."

IUPUI (7-12, 3-1 Summit) broke a 53 all tie when Marcellus Barksdale stroked a rhythm 17-footer with 3:22 to play to begin the decisive run. The Jaguars kept the momentum going when Osborne tipped-in his own miss on the next possession and Combs made it a six-point difference when he scored on a layup after Matt O'Leary collected a steal, prompting the hosts to call timeout. Tate Stensgaard stopped the bleeding by splitting a pair of free throws, but IUPUI countered with a strong post finish from O'Leary, thanks to a Barksdale assist. After J.C. Fuller missed a contested three, the Jaguars got another transition bucket as Combs leaked out and scored a tough finish going down the left side of the lane.

Western Illinois (7-7, 0-3 Summit) made things interesting by scoring four straight points after the Jaguars turned the ball over in the backcourt, but IUPUI steadied from there to seal a second straight win.

"We're getting better at closing out games," Gardner said. "That's part of the process and we're improving there. Guys are stepping up and making the right decisions and making free throws when we need them. Those are things you have to do to win on the road."

In the first half, the Jags gave Western a bit of their own medicine, draining threes from all angles in the to build a 22-14 lead. Combs connected on all three of his first half attempts and O'Leary stroked one from the top of the key to build the eight-point lead with seven minutes left before the break. However, the Jaguars remained stuck on 22 for nearly five minutes and the hosts rattled off the game's next nine points to take a 23-22 lead. Combs broke the dry spell with a layup and IUPUI eventually closed the half with a 26-25 advantage.

Western came into play ranked among the nation's elite in three-point shooting, hitting better than 42 percent as a team. However, Saturday was a different story as the Jaguars harassed the Leathernecks into a 3-of-19 (15.8 percent) effort and Covington and Fuller hit a combined 3-of-14 attempts. The Leathernecks finished the game at 37.5 percent from the field while IUPUI knocked down 44 percent overall and 6-of-12 from three.

While Combs and Osborne accounted for the bulk of the scoring, all nine Jaguars contributed to the win. O'Leary ended with nine points and six rebounds and Barksdale added a team-high four assists. Sophomore Jordan Pickett added six points, three boards and three assists off the bench, while hitting all four of his free throw attempts.

After shooting just 35 percent from the field in the first half, an efficient attack shot 54 percent in the second half, doing the majority of the work inside the arc.

"We wanted to get paint touches and get our bigs involved," Gardner said. "Even when we were shooting threes, they were coming off paint touches and kickouts and reversals."

Jalen Chapman had a double-double off the WIU bench with 13 points and 10 rebounds and Fuller tossed in 11 points, albeit on 5-of-14 shooting.

IUPUI improved to 30-14 all-time against the Leathernecks and have now won the past two meetings between the two schools. Saturday's victory was the program's first in Macomb since 2011.

IUPUI will return home to host Oral Roberts on Thursday night (Jan. 14) at 7:00 p.m. inside Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Thursday's game will be the second "IMCU Three for Thursday" promotion as IUPUI fans can purchase one ticket ahead of gameday and receive three for free by contacting Hannah Hutchinson in the Jaguars' ticket office. In addition, the game will be Dean's Night as the heads of numerous IUPUI academic programs will be highlighted over the course of the evening. To purchase tickets, use the link or visit the IUPUI Athletics offices, Indiana Farmers Coliseum box office or any Ticketmaster location. Thursday's game will be televised on ESPN3 and HTSN as Greg Rakestraw (pxp) and Hall of Famer Bob Lovell (analyst) will call the action. It will also be heard on 107.5 FM as Morgan Adcock (pxp) will be on the call with pregame coverage beginning at approximately 6:45 p.m..