CHARLESTON, Ill. - Coming off a stellar defensive effort and emphatic home win over Anderson University, the IUPUI basketball team will hit the road on Friday night (Nov. 17) to face off with Eastern Illinois (0-2) at 8:30 p.m. Eastern inside Lantz Arena.

IUPUI (1-1) bullied Division III Anderson in a 75-43 victory as senior Aaron Brennan matched his career-high with 18 points. Junior T.J. Henderson added 10 points and graduate transfer Maurice Kirby had nine points and nine boards. IUPUI shot 52 percent from the field and limited the Ravens to just 25.5 percent overall and 4-of-24 (16.7 percent) from three-point range. The 43 points allowed were the fewest by an IUPUI opponent in the Jason Gardner-era and the lowest since holding Western Illinois to 42 in 2010. 

Fueled largely by the trio of Evan Borgman, Elyjah Goss and Noah Thomas off the bench, IUPUI outscored Anderson 38-18 in the paint and outrebounded the Ravens 41-32 on the night. Goss grabbed 12 boards in just his second collegiate game while Borgman chipped in six points and three boards. Thomas turned in four points and four boards in just six minutes. 

QUOTABLE
"I thought our defense and ball pressure was really good tonight. Our defense carried over to the offensive end and allowed us to get some easy shots. That's going to be how we win games this season - it starts at the defensive end. We jumped on them early and never really let them back in the game. I thought that was big for us to get out to a lead and continue to stay on them. Everyone that was on the floor tonight contributed and I think that's the story of this team. We're going to have some depth and a lot of guys that can do some different things," Gardner said after the Anderson win. 

SERIES NOTES
IUPUI is 2-2 all-time against Eastern Illinois but the two teams haven't met since 2009. The Jaguars have won the last two meetings, including 69-66 decision in Indianapolis on Nov. 18, 2009. 

UP NEXT
IUPUI will return home to host Morehead State on Tuesday night (Nov. 21) at 7:00 p.m. inside Indiana Farmers Coliseum. That night we be a celebration of the IUPUI basketball program as part of a men's basketball reunion night. Players from all eras have been invited to return and be part of a pregame reception and on-court recognition.
In addition, As part of Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, fans will receive a $5 discount per person, per ticket by bringing a non-perishable food item.

GAME NOTES (click here for PDF of the full games notes)
CAREER NIGHTS
    A number of Jaguars had career nights in the 75-43 win over Anderson on Monday night (Nov. 13), led by senior Aaron Brennan's 18-point (8-12 FG, 2-4 3's) effort. Brennan matched his career-best with 18 points while senior Maurice Kirby had a career-high nine points and nine rebounds in his first start at IUPUI. 

FRESH STARTS
    In the season opener at Bradley, true freshman Jaylen Minnett became the first IUPUI true rookie to start his debut since Alex Young did so against Northeastern in 2008.
    Minnett had five points, two boards and an assist in his IUPUI debut. 

JAGS GET DEFENSIVE
    While head coach Jason Gardner has preached defense in the preseason, the win over Anderson was especially impressive in that IUPUI held the Ravens to just 43 points. The 43 were the fewest by a foe since Gardner took over the program and just the second time an IUPUI opponent tallied less than 50 in the Gardner-era (49 vs. Denver on Jan. 10, 2015). 
    The 43 points allowed was the lowest total by an IUPUI opponent since holding Western Illinois to 42 on Feb. 6, 2010. 

FIVE KEY NUMBERS
    Below are five key numbers from the Jaguars' win over Anderson University.     
    38-18: IUPUI outscored the Ravens 38-18 in the paint
    25.5%: Anderson made just 13-of-51 shot attempts to finish at 25.5 percent
    18-19: The combined point-rebound total for the trio of Elyjah Goss, Noah Thomas and Evan Borgman off the Jaguars' bench
    27: Number of points IUPUI scored off 23 AU turnovers
    10: Different players had at least three points in Monday's victory
    
CUPBOARD CHECK
    IUPUI brings back seven returners from last season, five of whom saw meaningful minutes. Below is a rundown of the Jaguars' top statistical returners, along with some key numbers.
    Stat (% Returning): Top Returners 
    Scoring (45.8%): Patterson (9.3), Brennan (8.4)
    Rebounding (56.9%): Hall (5.2), McCall (5.0)
    Assists (45.3%): Patterson (64), Henderson (52)
    Minutes (50.2%): Patterson (23.7), McCall (21.2)
    FGM (47.3%): Patterson (107), Brennan (102)
    3FGM (43.4%): Patterson (62), Henderson (30)
    FTM (34.3%): McCall (45), Brennan (39)
    Blocks (69.0%): Hall (24), Patterson (13)
    Steals (60.4%): Patterson (44), Henderson (32) 

9-TO-14
    Head Coach Jason Gardner has insisted throughout the preseason that his team will likely be led by a group of players that'll average anywhere from 9-14 points per game, as opposed to a runaway leader like Combs was last season at 16.8 points per game.
    So far, he's been on point as IUPUI's top four scorers (Patterson, Brennan, Hall & Henderson) are all averaging between 10-12.5 points per game.     

ONLY 1
    Through the season's first two games, only one IUPUI player has scored in double-digits in both games - junior T.J. Henderson. 
    Brennan was held to six points in the opener due to foul trouble and Patterson tallied just nine in the win over Anderson. IUPUI's other double-digit scorer, Evan Hall, missed the Anderson game due to injury. 

FULL STRENGTH
    IUPUI has yet to be at full strength this season as Toledo-transfer Nick Rogers has missed the season's first two games and both Evan Hall and D.J. McCall have each missed a game. When at full strength, Gardner will have 12 bodies at his disposal, nine of which are scholarship players. 

GRADS
    The IUPUI roster boasts a pair of graduates this season as Maurice Kirby completed his degree at Loyola (Ill.) and is pursuing his master's in sports journalism. In addition, junior guard D.J. McCall completed his undergraduate work in three years and is now pursuing his master's degree at IUPUI. 

TOUGH SLATE
    The IUPUI squad has lined up a tough slate for the upcoming season, including facing a pair of preseason ranked teams on the road and two others that are receiving votes in the preseason polls. IUPUI will take on 2017 NCAA runner-up Gonzaga on Dec. 16, which comes in ranked No. 18/19 in the preseason polls. IUPUI will also play at Purdue on Dec. 10, which is ranked No. 20/21 in the preseason. 
    Other road tests include games at RV/-- Ball State on Dec. 2 and a Dec. 16 trip at Washington State. 
    IUPUI will take on three teams that earned preseason Mid-Major Top 25 rankings as Gonzaga tops the poll, Oakland checks in at No. 5 and Northern Kentucky is ranked No. 10 in the preseason poll.