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INDIANAPOLIS - After losing their previous game in a nailbiter, the IUPUI men's basketball team made sure that Tuesday's outcome wouldn't come down to the final buzzer. The Jaguars (2-2) used a strong defensive performance to defeat Morehead State (1-3), 67-61.
 
Junior T.J. Henderson kicked off the scoring in the contest with a three on IUPUI's first possession. He was followed in scoring by layups from Aaron Brennan, Ron Patterson and Maurice Kirby that stretched the Jaguars' lead to 9-0 to start the game. Freshman Jaylen Minnett knocked a jumper to stretch the lead to 13-2, which ended up being the largest margin of the opening frame.
 
Empty possessions and turnovers plagued the Jaguars in the last 10 minutes of the first half as Morehead State was able to chip away and eventually tied it at 17. In similar fashion to the opening minutes, the Jaguars turned it up on defense to spur a run. Despite leaving some points at the free throw line, the Jags were able to close the half on a 15-8 run and led 32-25 at the break.
 
"It was really just us calming down as a team," Henderson said about the run to the end the half. "We got stops defensively and got into our offense, so really it was just us calming down and settling into the game."
 
Balance was the name of the game for the Jags in the opening frame as five players scored at least four points in the first half. Brennan and Patterson continued their stellar play with eight and seven points in the first half, respectively. On the other end, Morehead State couldn't put the ball in the basket. The Eagles were a measly 9-of-27 (33.3%) from the floor and turned the ball over 11 times.
 
"Defense is something we've been focusing on all year. We set that as one of our goals in the offseason. We want to get in the passing lanes and get steals so we can run with our athleticism," Henderson said.
 
"Defensively our guys were locked in. Our ball pressure was good, our help side was good, and our deflections were all very good in the first half," head coach Jason Gardner said.
 
The Jaguars continued to convert near the basket early in the second half. Evan Hall got his first bucket of the game on a nice post move, and D.J. McCall followed it up shortly after with a driving dunk down the lane. However, after stretching the lead to double digits at 42-32, the Jags went cold on both ends. Morehead State battled back to cut the lead to one possession at 44-42.
 
The two sides seemingly exchanged baskets for nearly eight minutes as the Jaguars were never able to stretch their lead to more than five until the four minute mark. Big threes by Patterson and Minnett and an emphatic dunk by freshman Elyjah Goss helped IUPUI maintain their lead. The Jags led 56-51 at the final media timeout, and Minnett hit three free throws out of the timeout to put the Jags up eight.
 
"I just wanted to give it the best I can. I just look to make the right play and do whatever I can to help the team win," Minnett said.
 
Morehead State fought to the final horn, coming as close as six points with just under thirty seconds to play. With the help of Henderson and Brennan, the Jaguars were able to put the game away at the free throw line. Brennan's free throw with 12 seconds to play concluded the scoring as the Jags earned a 67-61 victory.
 
"To hold a team like that to just 61 points shows a lot about us. I thought it was a very good defensive effort for us. We were coming off a tough loss at Eastern Illinois and the guys were a little beat up about it. To be able to come back and play against a good team in a grind-it-out and get a win makes me very pleased," Gardner said of the team's effort. "It shows the mental side and toughness to be able to win a dogfight tonight. To be in games like that and to be able to pull them out is good for us."
 
Brennan led the Jaguars in scoring with 15 points and also pulled down a team-high seven rebounds. Henderson and Minnett finished with 11 points and Patterson added 10 to round out the Jags in double figures. McCall had eight points and Hall scored all six of his points in the second half.
 
Morehead State was led in scoring by Lamontray Harris with 15 points. The only other Eagles in double figures were AJ Hicks and Indianapolis-native Djimon Henson, who had 14 and 12 points respectively.

The Jags won't play again until Tuesday, Nov. 28 when IUPUI faces former Summit League foe Western Illinois at 8:00 p.m. Eastern in at Western Hall in Macomb, Ill. That game will be broadcast on ESPN3.