Box Score (.html) I Box Score (.pdf) I Photo Gallery I Video Highlights

INDIANAPOLIS - The IUPUI basketball team used a strong second half and knocked down 11 treys as the Jaguars capped the regular season home slate with an impressive 79-68 victory over Green Bay on Sunday (Feb. 24). Sophomore Grant Weatherford pumped in a season-high 21 points, including 5-of-6 from three, while junior Camron Justice finished with 18 points. Senior Evan Hall, playing in his final regular season home game, notched a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds as IUPUI (16-13, 8-8 HL) dominated the Phoenix on the glass, 45-26. 

ShanQuan Hemphill led three Phoenix in double-figures with 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting and Sandy Cohen III finished with 16 points, eight boards and four assists in the loss. JayQuan McCloud added 11 points in defeat. 

"It felt good for us to really execute and play well offensively, but honestly, the difference in the game was our defensive intensity down the stretch. I thought we really got after them defensively and strung together some stops to help us get a lead," head coach Jason Gardner said. "We did a good job of finishing them off and that was the difference.

"I'm really proud of this group of seniors because they're the first that I really recruited as freshmen and they've just continued to work and fight and get better and better."

IUPUI cranked up the defense late to turn a 62 all tie into a 73-64 advantage with 3:50 left. Senior Ahmed Ismail kickstarted the attack with a three-point play and D.J. McCall followed with one of his own after Hall rebounded a Weatherford miss. Moments later, Justice buried a key three with the shot clock winding down to stake the Jags to a seven-point lead. After Weatherford intercepted a Cohen pass, Hall scored in close off a well placed lob pass from Justice. IUPUI closed down the Phoenix from there, never letting the guests closer than seven over the final four-plus minutes. 

The first half was fast paced and free wheeling as the teams were tied at 18 all before the game's first stoppage. Justice, playing without the protective mask he's donned the past four games, started hot, as did Weatherford. Weatherford, who had made just five treys all season, made three in the opening stages of the first half to give the Jags a 21-19 lead. Cohen answered with a triple and a fast break layup to give the Phoenix back the lead at 24-21. The guests built a 31-25 lead before IUPUI tallied eight quick points on Weatherford and Jaylen Minnett threes ahead of a Minnett go-ahead layup. 

Green Bay led 37-35 at the break as Hemphill was a perfect 7-of-7 from the floor and Cohen added 13 points, include three threes. 

However, McCall helped the Jaguars put the clamps on Cohen in the second half, limiting the Phoenix's playmaker to just three points on 1-of-6 shooting after the break. Collectively, Green Bay shot just 37 percent in the second half and finished the game at 46 percent. IUPUI closed at 46 percent overall, but 55 percent from three. Weatherford and Justice combined to hit 9-of-12 from deep and Minnett chipped in a pair of triples to extend his streak of consecutive games with a made trey to 32 games. 

Ismail finished with nine points, eight boards and three assists and McCall added six points and seven boards to accompany a strong defensive showing. Minnett had eight points, four rebounds and four assists off the bench and sophomore Elyjah Goss had six points and four boards in limited action. 

The win was the Jaguars' second straight to continue IUPUI's slow ascent up the Horizon League standings. IUPUI finishes with a key sweep of Green Bay for the second consecutive season as well.  

IUPUI will hit the road for one final two-game road trip, beginning at Detroit Mercy on Thursday night (Feb. 28) at 8:00 p.m. inside Calihan Hall. That game will be aired on ESPN+.