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INDIANAPOLIS - The IUPUI basketball team was unable to extend its winning streak to four on Sunday afternoon (Feb. 3) as the Jaguars dropped a 79-74 home game to Wright State inside Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Junior Camron Justice scored a game-high 22 points and added six assists in the loss and Evan Hall contributed 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Junior Nick Rogers and sophomore Jaylen Minnett added 12 and 10 off the Jaguars' bench, respectively. 

Bill Wampler led Wright State (13-11, 7-4 HL) with 16 points off the bench and both Cole Gentry and Mark Hughes finished with 13 apiece. 

"We were just flat from the start. We came out with zero energy and [Wright State] took it to us. We're in the middle of the conference race and we just didn't show up early in the game," head coach Jason Gardner said. "We responded and got back in the game, but you can't spot any team 20 points and win games. Now we have to regroup and get back to business because it doesn't get easier, schedule-wise."

IUPUI (14-10, 6-5 HL) was lackluster from the opening tip as Wright State erupted out to a 24-4 advantage in the opening 7-plus minutes. IUPUI's offense was flat and the defense was porous as the Raiders found scoring at all three levels relatively simple. Parker Ernsthausen rattled in an open three on the heels of a short jumper and both Wampler and Loudon Love got behind the Jaguars' defense for easy buckets as well. 

Rogers injected some life by knocking in a 17-foot jumper, although WSU responded with a Wampler trey to make it 27-6.

Gardner paced up and down his sideline, shouting at his troops 'they're tougher than us, they're tougher than us'. The message was received as IUPUI scored the game's next seven points and eventually crept within two just ahead of halftime. Gentry made a three on the final possession of the stanza, making it 40-35 at the break. IUPUI tied the score early in the second half as Justice hit an early trey and Goss followed with a pair of hits at the free throw line and later went ahead on a Hall layup with 12:13 to play. 

The Jags' largest lead came with 10:05 to play when D.J. McCall putback a Minnett miss as part of his career-high 16 rebound game, giving IUPUI a 57-54 lead. The game was tied at 60 all with 4:22 left, but Wright State scored the game's next eight points as the Jaguars went cold from the field. WSU's Alan Vest knocked in a key wing three to make it a two-possession game and later Gentry rainbowed a three over the outstretched hand of Elyjah Goss to extend it to a 67-60 lead. IUPUI crept within four in the closing seconds, but Wright State made enough free throws to fend off the hosts. 

Wright State shot 47 percent overall and 8-of-21 (38.1 percent) from three, while IUPUI was limited to just 41 percent overall and 7-of-26 (26.9 percent) from deep. Both teams collected 36 rebounds and committed 13 turnovers in an evenly played game. 

The loss gave Wright State a season sweep of the Jaguars as the Raiders had previously defeated the Jags in Dayton. 

IUPUI will conclude the current five-game homestand on Saturday (Feb. 9) at 1:00 p.m. inside Indiana Farmers Coliseum when the Jaguars host UIC. That game will be broadcast on ESPN+ as Greg Rakestraw (pxp) and Hall of Famer Bob Lovell (analyst) describe the action. That day will be Non-Profit Day at the Coliseum as numerous charitable organizations from across Central Indiana will be represented.