Box Score (.html) I Box Score (.pdf)

NIAGARA, N.Y. - IUPUI shot 52 percent from the floor and never trailed as the Jaguars put together a workmanlike 68-48 win over St. Francis Brooklyn inside Niagara's Gallagher Center on Friday night (Nov. 23). With the win, IUPUI will now face Grambling State to cap off the Niagara portion of the Fort Myers Tip-Off on Saturday. Camron Justice led three Jaguars in double-digits with 17 points and Evan Hall chipped in 15 points and eight boards on a 7-of-9 shooting night. Fellow senior D.J. McCall added 12 points and three steals in the win. 

Jalen Jordan was the lone St. Francis Brooklyn (2-3) player to finish in double-digits as the Terriers shot just 34 percent for the game. 

The win gave the Jaguars their best five-game start since the 2009-10 season, which resulted in a 25-win campaign. The 20-point margin was the Jaguars' largest over a Division I opponent since beating Southern Utah 101-81 on Dec. 17, 2016 in Cedar City. The 48 points allowed were the fewest by an IUPUI foe since Kansas City scored the same amount against the Jags inside the Jungle on Mar. 2, 2013. 

"Give credit to our guys. They were really good and really efficient offensively tonight. I thought Ev really gave them problems early in the game and that opened up some driving lanes for Cam, D.J. and Jaylen and helped us get some easier opportunities," head coach Jason Gardner said. "I thought we did a good job of getting out in transition when we had the opportunities to get some easy buckets. Defensively, I thought we locked in pretty good and forced them into some tough shots and then we did a good job of limiting them to just one shot. I liked that we kept them off the offensive glass and closed down possessions by getting the boards.

"Now we have to turn around and play another game on short rest, kind of like a conference tournament scenario. I'm excited to see how our guys come out and respond tomorrow and adjust to another new opponent that we don't know a ton about."

IUPUI started well, building a quick 10-2 lead behind Hall's efficient play in close. The Jaguars' top interior threat made his first four field goal attempts of the game, the fourth of which made it 12-4 at the 14:05 mark of the first half. The Terriers closed within four on a number of occasions, the last of which coming on a Glenn Sanabria layup with 6:09 left before intermission. IUPUI responded with the game's next six points on a Jack Hansen putback, McCall fast break dunk and Justice layup off a nifty feed from Hall. All total, the Jags closed the first half on a 12-4 burst to take a 35-23 lead at the break. 

McCall carried the load at the start of the second half, including scoring six points in succession when he sandwiched jumpers around a breakaway two-handed dunk to push the lead to 13. When the Terriers closed within eight, Ahmed Ismail came up with his best sequence of the year, scoring from the block on one trip and following with an assist to a slashing Elyjah Goss on the next trip. Moments later, Justice made his lone trey of the night in transition to make it 52-37 at the midpoint of the second half. IUPUI maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the night, allowing Gardner to empty his bench in the closing minutes.  

Sophomore Jaylen Minnett scored all nine of his points in the first half while Goss turned in five points and 11 boards as he led the Jags on the glass for the fifth straight game to start the season. Goss helped the Jaguars win the glass 38-29 and limit the Terriers to just two second chance points on six offensive boards. Goss and Hall combined on 18 defensive boards while Hansen grabbed five boards in just 11 minutes off the Jaguars' bench. 

IUPUI shot a blistering 63 percent inside the arc and outscored St. Francis Brooklyn 40-24 in the paint and 21-10 off turnovers. 

With the victory, IUPUI will take on Grambling State at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday (Nov. 24).