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INDIANAPOLIS - It ended up coming down to the last man standing. Both teams left bloodied, battered and bruised, but ultimately the IUPUI basketball staggered away from Thursday's Horizon League showdown with a 73-71 home victory. Camron Justice and D.J. McCall scored 18 points each and Jaylen Minnett tallied 13, all in the second half, in the win. Oakland freshman Tray Maddox Jr. had a game-high 21 points and four assists and Jaevin Cumberland fired in 18 points on 7-of-20 shooting for the Golden Grizzlies (9-12, 5-3 HL). 

Senior Evan Hall contributed his seventh career double-double with 11 points and 11 boards and Elyjah Goss finished with six points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots. 

And when it was all said and done, it was the 2,000 screaming third graders and each team's respective athletic training staffs that may have had the busiest days. It was a fever pitch from the outset as IUPUI hosted its second annual NCAA 'Readers Become Leaders' Day, inviting third graders from across Central Indiana to attend Thursday's 11:00 a.m. tip-off as part of a collaborative program with the NCAA. Those that stayed until the end saw the Jaguars make it to the finish line victorious for the seventh time in nine home games this season. 

"Oakland is a really good team and a really good program. For us to open up a homestand with a win over a team like they have is a confidence builder for us," head coach Jason Gardner said. "It was a fight from the opening tip and you see it with all these guys. It was a flat out fight for every loose ball and every rebound. I thought we went in hard after some 50-50 balls and really made some hustle plays today. 

"We were better offensively in the second half and that led to getting some open looks and getting everyone involved. 

The Jags led 61-49 with under five minutes to play after Ahmed Ismail put back a Nick Rogers miss and seemingly life was good for the hosts. Even after Oakland nibbled away at the Jaguars' lead, Minnett extended it back to 67-56 with 2:19 remaining by rattling in a wing three. Then things slowly unraveled for the Jags in the waning minutes. 

A missed assignment led to a Cumberland three and later a missed free throw led to another Oakland trey, making it a six-point game. Yet another missed foul shot opened the door for an Xavier Hill-Mais and-1 opportunity. Even after Hill-Mais missed the ensuing free throw, the Jags committed a turnover that later led to an Oakland putback, making it a one-possession game. The Jags made it a four-point game when Rogers split a pair of free throws with 41 seconds left and then overcame one final turnover as Oakland misfired on a trey that would've made it a one-point margin. The Jags could finally breathe a sigh of relief when McCall headed to the free throw line with 9.7 seconds left and a 70-66 lead. The Fort Wayne-native capped his monster day by making both to help seal the win. 

"We started playing for one another at the start of the second half and it showed," McCall said. "We passed up some good looks for some great looks and really looked to make the extra pass. That kind of got us going."

IUPUI trailed 32-26 at the half, but opened the second stanza with an 8-0 run over the first four minutes before Maddox stroked a right wing three. McCall and Minnett carried the offense in the second half, combining to score 24 of the team's 47 points and hit 9-of-15 field goal attempts. After shooting just 33 percent before halftime, IUPUI figured it out in the second half and finished at 43 percent for the game. The win didn't come without consequence though. 

Early in the game, Goss had his lip bloodied and had to switch to the designated blood jersey for the remainder of the game. Grant Weatherford got tangled in a scrum at the end of the first half and never returned as Rogers played the bulk of the second half minutes. Ismail had his head thump off the floor after getting tangled up underneath in the second half and Hall had his eye bloodied via an elbow late in the contest. Justice had blood pouring from his right forearm and needed attention before shooting the game's final free throws in the closing seconds. Oakland had similar fate as both Cumberland and James Beck left the game at certain points due to injuries. 

IUPUI won the paint (40-30) and the rebound battle (47-37) while also outscoring Oakland 13-3 at the foul line. Hill-Mais had a double-double with 11 points and 11 boards for the Golden Grizzlies and Brad Brechting finished with 10 points. 

The Jaguars will continue the five-game homestand on Saturday (Jan. 26) when the Jaguars host Detroit Mercy and former Indiana University head coach Mike Davis inside Indiana Farmers Coliseum at 1:00 p.m. on Cram the Coliseum Day. Fans are urged to allow extra time for arrival as traffic is expected to be heavy inside the State Fairgrounds on Saturday. 

That game will be broadcast on ESPN+ as Greg Rakestraw (pxp) and Hall of Famer Bob Lovell (analyst) are on the call.