INDIANAPOLIS - In their only exhibition of the preseason, the IUPUI men's basketball team defeated Division III Carroll (Wisc.) University, 65-56. The Jaguars were led in scoring by senior Aaron Brennan, who had 15 points in the win.
 
The Jaguars came out of the gates slow, and found themselves trailing 10-5 at the first media timeout. As senior Maurice Kirby made his presence felt on the defensive end with three blocks on three possessions, the offense found a rhythm. The Jaguars closed the final 15 minutes with a 25-15 run as they took a 30-25 into the locker room. Senior Ron Patterson led the Jags in scoring in the first half with eight of his 10 points, while junior T.J. Henderson added seven points of his own.
 
Defensively, the Jaguars were able to hold the Pioneers to just 10-of-28 shooting, including 3-of-12 from behind the arc. The Pioneers turned the ball over nine times, and the Jaguars were able to convert those turnovers into 14 points in the first half.
 
"We have a very athletic team this year, one through five can switch and guard on the perimeter," Brennan said following the win. "Carroll did a good job of running their offense, but we knew we'd have a size advantage so we wanted to get into them and pressure them."
 
The Jaguars were able to maintain that lead, and even extended it early on in the second half to a 44-35 margin with just under 12 minutes to play. Freshmen Jaylen Minnett and Elyjah Goss each scored multiple buckets in the opening minutes to maintain the lead.
 
"When the season started the coaches told me I had to be the energy guy off the bench. Crashing the boards, getting offensive rebounds and just keeping the possessions alive and doing what's best for the team" Goss said of his impact.
 
After the under eight-minute media timeout, the Jaguars forced turnovers on three straight possessions, and were able to stretch the lead to double digits. A fastbreak layup by Brennan pushed the lead to 52-41 and the Pioneers were never able to overcome the deficit. Despite cutting it to five with under a minute to go, a late surge by the Jaguars in the closing seconds capped the scoring at 65-56.
 
"I thought on the defensive we did a pretty good job. We were active, and a big part of our game was on on the offensive side," head coach Jason Gardner said afterwards. "I thought we took some quick shots. Offensively we didn't connect, when we got stops we couldn't get it done on the offensive end."
 
Brennan hit 6-of-12 shots and pulled down six rebounds as well. Henderson and Patterson each hit double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Henderson also added a team-high six steals to lead the Jaguars as IUPUI forced 20 Carroll miscues.
 
"He's been ready for it, it's something he's always wanted. This summer he's done an unbelievable job as far as taking care of his body and being a leader in practice to talking a lot more. He's making really good strides," Gardner said of the junior guard.
 
Goss added nine points off the bench while Minnett added eight of his own. Junior Evan Hall chipped in with seven and Kirby led the charge on the glass with nine rebounds and three blocks in the contest. In exhibition, the Jags were just looking to figure out what works best.
 
"A lot of it is lineups, a lot of it is execution. Carroll did a great job of running their offense, they trapped us at times. In exhibition games, you're just trying to find the right offensive lineups, defensive lineups. It's a learning process," Gardner said.

IUPUI outscored Carroll 32-4 in points off turnovers and 14-0 on fast break points. 
 
The Jaguars will tip off the regular season on Saturday, November 11 as they travel to Peoria, Illinois to face Bradley University. The game tips off at 2:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN3.