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Highlights
INDIANAPOLIS - Sophomore
Jaylen Minnett scored a career-high 28 points on 9-of-11 shooting and
Camron Justice chipped in 22 points and a career-high six assists as IUPUI scorched IU Northwest, 116-79 inside Indiana Farmers Coliseum on Wednesday night (Dec. 12). IUPUI shot a blistering 67.2 percent from the floor and canned 11-of-20 from deep to improve to 7-3 on the season. Junior
Nick Rogers rounded out IUPUI's double-digit scorers with a career-high 15 points, including 3-of-5 from deep.
Armon Williams finished with 29 points and 10 boards for IU Northwest, which was playing the game as an exhibition. The Jaguars' 116 points were the program's most since thumping Wilberforce 122-72 back in 2000. Head coach
Jason Gardner's team also won for the fifth time in the past six games.
"I thought we did a good job offensively of moving the ball and getting some really good looks. We were consistently looking to make the extra pass and did a good job of knocking down the open shots," Gardner said. "The game got a little sloppy at times, but we kept our focus and composure and did what we needed to do to get the win. That's what tonight was all about was getting the win and moving forward to a tough three-game stretch before Christmas."
IUPUI surged out to a 10-2 lead behind eight points from Justice before IU Northwest even made a field goal. The lead grew to 18-6 less than six minutes into the contest when Minnett drilled his second of six treys on the night. The Jags led by as many as 21 in the first half with the bulk of the work being done inside the arc. Justice and Minnett combined to hit 10-of-15 first half field goal attempts, including four treys, to total 30 of the Jaguars' 54 points. IUPUI ended the half with a courtesy point after IUN's Williams was called for a technical foul for taunting after hitting a contested three at the final horn to make it 53-38. IUPUI ultimately went to the break with a 54-38 advantage.
The RedHawks chipped within 12 early in the second half before the Jaguars ripped off 10 points in just more than a minute to bury the guests.
Evan Hall opened the run with a two-handed dunk, followed by a Minnett trifecta. Sophomore
Elyjah Goss followed with a steal near midcourt and raced the other way to drop in a finger roll in transition. After another quick defensive stop, Justice knocked in a wide open wing three off Minnett's cross court pass in transition. IUPUI maintained a 20-point lead the rest of the night and closed the contest by scoring 18 of the game's final 21 points to create the 37-point margin. All but one IUPUI player cracked the scoring column, including the first career points from both
Daniel Alston and
Trevor Johnson. Johnson closed with two points, six boards and three assists in the game's final 10 minutes.
Sophomore
Jakoby Kemp pumped in eight points in seven minutes on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting from the floor.
Minnett hit 6-of-7 three-point attempts, tying for the second-best single-game effort in program history. He also grabbed four boards and delivered three assists. It marked his third straight game in double-digits and stopped Justice's string of eight straight games leading IUPUI in scoring. Goss and
Ahmed Ismail scored nine points each and Hall had eight points, six boards and three blocked shots.
"I'm glad everyone was able to get out and contribute to the win. It's a good feeling in the locker room when everyone gets involved and you get to reward some guys for their hard work in practice," Gardner said. "We were able to keep guys fresh and not put a ton of minutes on anyone's legs."
IUPUI will cap the five-game homestand on Saturday (Dec. 15) when the Jaguars host former Summit League foe Western Illinois at 1:00 p.m. inside the Coliseum on Holiday Hoops Day. Fans can receive a FREE ticket to Saturday's game by bringing a new, unwrapped toy to benefit the Ruth Lilly Women's and Children's Center. In addition, fans will be treated to Christmas carols inside the lobby upon their arrival, performed by the Fishers Community Chorus. Children in attendance can decorate paper ornaments in the lobby as well.
