TULSA, Okla. - Sophomore D.J. McCall scored a career-high 21 points to lead four Jaguars in double-digits as IUPUI picked off Oral Roberts, 91-85 inside the Mabee Center on Saturday night (Jan. 14). The win snapped the Jaguars' recent three-game skid and was IUPUI's first over ORU in Tulsa since February 2004. The win also broke IUPUI's 10-game losing streak to Oral Roberts. 

Senior Matt O'Leary chipped in 17 points and Kellon Thomas added 15 points in the win. Junior Ron Patterson came off the bench to contribute 12 while Kris Martin paced ORU (5-14, 1-4 Summit) with 25 points, including 5-of-10 from three. 

"This was a huge team win for us today," IUPUI Head Coach Jason Gardner said. "I thought it was good that we came out with a lot of energy and kind of jumped on them early. That was important that we didn't get into a big hole and then have to play from behind on the road. 

"I thought D.J. was absolutely awesome today, but honestly, everyone contributed today. Every guy that stepped foot on the court for us today played a role in the win and that's what we have to do to be successful. When we use our depth like that, we can be one of the best teams in this league."

McCall staked the Jaguars to a fantastic start as IUPUI (8-11, 2-3 Summit) built an early 15-8 lead behind the sophomore guard's quick 10 in the opening three-plus minutes. IUPUI led the bulk of the first half before relinquishing the lead with 6:51 before the break. However, the Jags capped the stanza with a 10-2 run which included an O'Leary layup at the final horn to take a 50-47 halftime advantage. 

The Jags never yielded the lead in the second half, but had to endure some tenuous moments to escape with the victory. After scoring 30 points in the paint in the first half, the Jags used an aerial attack in the second to stay in front of the hosts. 

Patterson sank back-to-back threes to put IUPUI ahead 73-65 with 9:25 left and McCall connected on his second of three threes to make it an 11-point lead with 6:14 to play. IUPUI was still up 10 with 4:10 left, but had to cling for dear life in the closing minutes. 

ORU crept within 84-81 with 1:16 left when Martin grabbed a defensive board and raced the other way for an easy layup. IUPUI went empty on the next trip on a pair of missed free throws and Martin made it 84-83 when he connected on both foul shots with 32 seconds left. 

Thomas responded with a pair of freebies and Evan Hall helped seal the win by blocking an ORU attempt with 24 seconds left. IUPUI proceeded to hit 5-of-6 foul shots down the stretch to stave off the Golden Eagles. 

IUPUI shot 55 percent from the field and 11-of-22 from three-point range, while also outrebounding ORU 36-25. McCall, who had hit just one trey all season and six in his two-year career entering play, connected on 3-of-5 attempts including the two late makes. Thomas was a perfect 3-of-3 from deep and Patterson made 2-of-3 snipes off the bench. 

Oral Roberts shot 50 percent from the floor and 9-of-17 (53 percent) from three-point range. The Golden Eagles also connected on 16-of-17 (94.1 percent) from the foul line with the lone miss coming in the final minute. 

"Shooting and rebounding are the two things we've done best in the past month and I think that was what won the game today," Gardner said. "We hit our open shots and we created second chances by hitting the glass. I thought guys did a good job of making the extra pass and looking for the open man and when that happens, it can be contagious.

"D.J., Evan and O'Leary all did a great job of crashing (the glass) today and that made a huge difference."

IUPUI earned 16 second chance points, thanks to 14 offensive boards. Hall led the swarm with eight boards and McCall grabbed six boards and delivered five assists. O'Leary finished with five boards and five assists while Darell Combs closed with eight points and four boards. 

Albert Owens tallied 21 points and nine rebounds for ORU and Jalen Bradley added 17 points and four assists. Darian Harris added 11 points and five boards off the ORU bench before fouling out. 

The Jaguars will return home for back-to-back Summit League games, beginning on Wednesday (Jan. 18) when IUPUI welcomes South Dakota State to the Indiana Farmers Coliseum. That game will tip-off at 7:00 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN3 as Greg Rakestraw (pxp) and Hall of Famer Bob Lovell (analyst) are on the call. In addition, it can be heard in Central Indiana on 97.5 Fox Sports FM, 1260 WNDE and the iHeartRadio app as Morgan Adcock (pxp) is on the call. Tickets are available online through all TicketMaster locations or at the Coliseum box office.