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CINCINNATI, Ohio  - Sophomore Jaylen Minnett scored a career-high 21 points and true freshman Jack Hansen added 10 points and four rebounds in his collegiate debut, but it wasn't enough as the Jaguars fell at Xavier on Tuesday night (Nov. 6), 82-69. XU's Ryan Welage scored a game-high 24 points, including hitting six treys, and Tyrique Jones added 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting to fuel the Musketeers. Welage scored 21 of his 24 points in the second half as the Musketeers shot 50 percent from the floor after the break.

Xavier (1-0) shot 47 percent overall and held IUPUI (0-1) under 36 percent in both teams' season opener. 

IUPUI was on the cusp on being blown out midway through the first half, but made things interesting, including taking a lead early in the second half and keeping things tight until a late Xavier run sent the Musketeers to the win. 

"I thought we fought. I thought we competed. We just needed to get to some more loose balls or get that key rebound in a couple situations in the second half," head coach Jason Gardner said. "I think what we showed though is that we can fight and scrap and that's going to be a key component to our success this year. There were some times where I thought we lost our discipline and were probably a little too aggressive at times, but that's something we'll talk about and work on. That's not necessarily a bad thing."

Things turned on a dime for the Jaguars in the first half with the cards stacked against them.

IUPUI trailed 35-17 at the 5:34 mark and junior guard Camron Justice had just been ejected for a flagrant 2 foul as he was called for tripping XU's Zach Hankins after having his shot blocked. With Justice in the locker room, the Jags responded with a 17-2 rally to close the first half, keyed by five points from freshman Brandon Kenyon and eight from Minnett. Minnett splashed a step back three on the left wing over the 7-foot Hankins, prompting a Xavier timeout with 1:54 before the break. However, the timeout didn't halt the Jaguars' run as Hansen scored the final two points of the half to make it 37-34 at the break. 

Minnett opened the second half with back-to-back treys, the second of which gave the Jaguars a brief 42-40 lead to help silent a contingent of more than 10,000 inside Cintas Center. Five straight Xavier points gave the hosts the lead for good, although IUPUI hung around and made things interesting. 

The Jags were only down 63-59 with just under 10 minutes to play when Kenyon banked in a wing jumper. However, a 15-2 Xavier run over the next five minutes ended any suspense and sent the Jags packing. Welage made a trey and Jones followed with a two-handed dunk to send the crowd into a roar. Minnett briefly halted the run at the foul line, but Xavier scored the game's next 10 points, including six in transition to run away. 

Xavier opened the game with a 10-0 run and held IUPUI without a field goal for the opening five minutes. 

Justice closed with nine points in 11 minutes before his ejection and Grant Weatherford had eight points and two rebounds. Kenyon finished with seven points and D.J. McCall had a team-high five assists. Elyjah Goss grabbed a team-high eight boards to go along with four points and a pair of blocked shots. 

IUPUI played without senior Evan Hall, who tested a gimpy foot before the game but ultimately sat out. Hall interior presence was sorely missed as Xavier outscored the Jaguars 36-16 in the paint and outrebounded IUPUI 46-36. Nearly half of IUPUI's shot attempts came from beyond the arc with the team's top interior threat in street clothes.                 

IUPUI will host Eastern Illinois in the team's home opener on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 10) at 1:00 p.m. inside Indiana Farmers Coliseum. As part of Military Appreciation Day, retired and active duty military personnel are eligible for discounted tickets by contacting the IUPUI ticket office at 317-278-2530.