SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Playing without its all-league performer Darell Combs, the IUPUI basketball team struggled to score from the outset as the Jaguars fell to No. 5 North Dakota State in The Summit League Tournament Quarterfinals round, 60-45 inside the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center on Sunday night (Mar. 6). Freshman T.J. Henderson helped pick up the slack with 11 points and a career-high seven boards off the bench and Matt O'Leary added eight points and 12 boards in the loss. However, IUPUI shot just 29 percent overall and 1-of-12 from three with its primary shot taker, and maker, sidelined.

Dexter Werner led North Dakota State (19-12) with 18 points and 11 rebounds off the bench and A.J. Jacobson tallied 14 for the Bison. With the win, NDSU advances to Monday's semifinals round against top-seeded Fort Wayne while the Jaguars' season ends at 13-19.

"I'm proud of my guys," IUPUI Head Coach Jason Gardner said. "We fought and scrapped and played them really tough. Just defensively, they make it really tough on you in the way they pack it inside. I thought we were really good defensively, but just didn't have enough of a flow offensively against them.

"Without Darell tonight and playing without Marcellus for some long stretches, it was hard for us to get going."

Combs was suspended for a violation of team rules and Barksdale was limited to just 22 minutes to foul trouble. The four-year stalwart collected his third personal before intermission and his fourth just 22 seconds into the second half.

Both teams felt fortunate to be involved in a one-point game at the break after both struggled to score all night long. IUPUI made just 27 percent from the field in the first half and went without a point for the final 5:50 before halftime. NDSU didn't fare much better, shooting 28 percent and going 0-of-7 from deep in the first half.

IUPUI looked the part of the higher seed for a portion of the first half, rolling out an 11-0 run to build a 16-9 advantage midway through the stanza. The Jags tallied just six points - and one field goal - over the next nine-plus minutes while NDSU's Werner went to work on the other end. Werner finished the first half with eight points and four rebounds, primarily from inside three feet, helping the Bison take a 23-22 halftime edge.

IUPUI came out strong to start the second half, getting buckets from Henderson, O'Leary and Evan Hall to build a 28-23 lead with 17:48 to play. However, after Henderson swished a jumper with 16:05 left, IUPUI's next field goal didn't come for nearly 12 minutes as the Bison had built a 12-point lead by then.

Henderson was the only Jaguar to have a respetable shooting night, hitting 5-of-9 attempts and the team's only trey. His teammates hit a combined 10-of-42 attempts and missed nine three-point attempts.

NDSU warmed to hit 42 percent in the second half, including 4-of-10 from beyond the arc, to end the game at 35 percent.

Sunday's game marked the finales for seniors Marcellus Barksdale and Mason Archie. Barksdale had four points and two boards in his final contest while Archie added five points and three caroms. Barksdale finished his IUPUI career ranked among the program's all-time leaders in rebounding (9th-593), assists (13th-275), steals (8th-160) and blocked shots (9th-66). The Lexington, Ky.-native started the final 95 contests of his career in the Jaguars' backcourt.

"Those two guys were outstanding representatives of our program and showed our returning guys what it means to be a true student-athlete," Gardner said. "The fact that they've both already graduated and just understand how to do things right make them great ambassadors for our program and university."