FARGO, N.D. - A 15-point second half hole proved to be insurmountable as IUPUI fell at North Dakota State on Saturday night (Feb. 20), 63-59. Junior Darell Combs led all players with 21 points on 8-of-19 shooting and freshman Evan Hall added 10 off the bench for the Jaguars. A.J. Jacobson led NDSU with 17 points and senior Kory Brown contributed 14 points, 12 rebounds and six assists for the Bison.

NDSU (18-10, 8-6 Summit) led 53-38 with 8:50 left when Brown got loose for a three-point play in transition and it appeared as though the Jaguars were in store for a blowout. However, a 12-0 run over the next four minutes turned the final four-plus minutes into a nailbiter. Combs opened the run with a pair of free throws and Hall followed with a quick putback of a Combs miss. After another defensive stop, John Hubler rained in a long wing three off a Combs feed. Hall then cut the lead back to six on a nifty block-to-block pass from Aaron Brennan and Combs capped the run with a three-point play.

The Jags never fully got over the hump in the home stretch though, despite having opportunities to tie or take the lead.

Combs drained a jumper with 1:29 left, cutting the NDSU lead to two and then forced a turnover, earning the chance to pull even. After rolling the ball beyond midcourt to keep the clock from running, IUPUI was called for an illegal screen once Combs picked up the ball and attempted to make a move. The Jags had another opportunity after NDSU's Dexter Werner missed a pair of free throws, but Combs committed a turnover on the ensuing possession.

Combs atoned for the mistake by swishing a three with 18 seconds left to make it a one-point game, but IUPUI never got another chance. Jacobson split a pair of free throws, but Brown rebounded the second miss and handed off to Carlin Dupree, who was fouled with 4.4 seconds left. Dupree hit both foul shots to cap the day's scoring.

"I was proud of how we fought to get back in the game after we got down," IUPUI Head Coach Jason Gardner said. "When it got tough, we could've easily given up and stopped fighting. I thought our guys responded well.

"We didn't make enough plays in the final couple minutes though. We had some turnovers that cost us and that can't happen when you're trying to win a game on the road."

Both teams struggled to make shots in the first half, although NDSU had the better run of play. The Jaguars (12-17, 8-6) received a jolt off the bench from Hall, who was making his first appearance in more than a month. Neither team led by more than five points in the opening stanza as the lead changed hands three times.

IUPUI never got truly comfortable offensively, finishing the game at 36 percent overall and 4-of-18 (22.2 percent) from deep. North Dakota State warmed to 42 percent overall, including shooting 46 percent after halftime. The Bison outscored IUPUI 18-9 at the free throw line as the Jaguars were whistled for 23 fouls and the hosts were called for just eight infractions.

Nick Osborne finished with seven points and nine rebounds off the IUPUI bench and both Matt O'Leary and Marcellus Barksdale finished with six points apiece, albeit on a combined 4-of-18 shooting.

The two schools played to a regular season split as the Jaguars needed a Jordan Pickett game-winner with 1.2 seconds left to defeat the Bison in Indianapolis.

IUPUI will return home to cap the 2016 home slate with home games on Thursday (Feb. 25) and Saturday (Feb. 27). Thursday's game with South Dakota will tip at 7:00 p.m. inside Indiana Farmers Coliseum and will be the final IMCU 'Three for Thursday' promotion of the season. Fans who purchase one ticket ahead of gameday will receive three tickets for FREE, compliments of Indiana Members Credit Union. In addition, students who bring a t-shirt to exchange will receive an IUPUI Jaguars Nike branded t-shirt, thanks to a partnership with Goodwill Industries.

Thursday's game will be broadcast on HTSN and ESPN3 as Greg Rakestraw (pxp) and Hall of Famer Bob Lovell (analyst) call the action. In addition, the game will be heard in Central Indiana on 107.5 ESPN as Morgan Adcock (pxp) is on the call. Pregame coverage will begin at approximately 6:45 p.m..