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INDIANAPOLIS - The IUPUI basketball team picked an inopportune time for its worst offensive showing of the year as the No. 8 seeded Jaguars put up little resistance in a lopsided 71-56 loss to top-seeded Wright State in the quarterfinals round of the Horizon League Tournament on Tuesday night (Mar. 5). IUPUI was listless from the outset and finished at just 36 percent overall and 4-of-21 (19 percent) from three-point range.
 
Bill Wampler led Wright State (20-12) with 18 points off the bench and first team all-league center Loudon Love closed with 13 points and nine boards on the inside. Skyelar Potter and Malichi Smith combined on 23 points as well off the Wright State bench. Horizon League Sixth Man of the Year Jaylen Minnett was the lone IUPUI (16-16) player to finish in double-figures with 17 points. Senior D.J. McCall added nine points and six rebounds and Grant Weatherford grabbed nine boards in the loss. 

"We just didn't come out and play the way we should or the way we're supposed to in the beginning. We didn't make shots and just kind of fell into a hole again against them. (Wright State) is a good team and they took advantage of it and really put pressure on us early," head coach Jason Gardner said. "I honestly think we're a better team than what we showed out there tonight, but that's part of it. 

"We haven't played great down the stretch of the season and tonight was the same thing. We didn't make shots and we missed some assignments and you can't go on the road against a good team like Wright State and win when you don't play your best."

It took the Jaguars more than 30 minutes to make a trey and by the time Minnett rattled in a contested triple, the Jags were on the wrong side of a 26-point margin.  

IUPUI was punchless offensively for much of the first half, trailing by as many as 19 late in the half after Wampler hit a contested wing three with 1:25 left before the break. The Jags showed a glimmer of life to close the half, scoring the final six points of the stanza, all on Justice free throws. IUPUI shot just 6-of-22 (27.3 percent) from the floor and was 0-of-8 from three-point range while turning the ball over nine times against just one assist. Wampler (14 points) and Love (nine points) combined to outscore the Jags before halftime, hitting a combined 9-of-14 from the floor. Wampler was deft from deep, connecting on 4-of-5 three-point attempts before intermission.

The knockout punch came right out of the gates in the second half as Wright State scored the first nine points after the break. IUPUI piled up defensive stops in the early going, but didn't get on the board until McCall went down the lane for a two-handed dunk with 14:54 to play. 

Even when IUPUI had positive plays, they seemed to come with unfortunate results. Just before halftime, Evan Hall had a trademark turnaround result hit softly off the backboard and then inexplicably pop out, ultimately resulting in a run out the other direction. Junior Camron Justice had a tough spinning reverse do nearly the same thing early in the second half. 

On one defensive trip, senior center Ahmed Ismail blocked a shot with such authority that it turned into an almost perfect kickout pass to a wide open Wampler in the corner. Fortunately for the Jags, Wampler missed his lone three-point attempt of the second half and was unable to add insult to injury. 

With the win, Wright State advances to the semifinals round of Motor City Madness and will play on Monday (Mar. 11) inside Little Caesars Arena at 7:00 p.m.. IUPUI will play the waiting game, hoping to receive an invite from either the CBI or CIT to continue the season.