INDIANAPOLIS - The IUPUI basketball team placed five players in double-figures and outmuscled a smaller bunch from East-West University en route to a 75-59 win inside the Jungle on Monday night (Jan. 31). Sophomore Bakari LaStrap led the way with 19 points and three others had double-doubles as IUPUI outrebounded the Phantoms, 55-28 and outscored the guests in the paint, 42-20. 

Nathan McClure had 14 points and 14 boards and B.J. Maxwell turned in 13 points and 12 rebounds. Jonah Carrasco also finished with a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds and tied the program's single-game record with seven blocked shots. 

IUPUI (2-17) shot 46.4 percent from the floor and held East-West to just 34 percent overall. After going 2-of-12 from three-point range in the opening half, IUPUI curbed the longball and stayed inside the arc after halftime to shoot 56 percent overall after the break. 

IUPUI built a quick 13-2 lead in the game's opening five minutes and seemed prime for a blowout behind Carrasco on the inside and Mike DePersia from the outside. However, the IUPUI attack got stagnant and East-West clawed back within four at 22-18 on a De'Quanii Jackson three-point play before IUPUI ultimately took a 29-20 lead into halftime. 

East-West connected on three threes early in the second half and closed within three points on a D'Andre Lockett layup at the 16:26 mark. However, IUPUI never relinquished the lead, getting timely buckets from a number of sources. 

IUPUI outscored the Phantoms by a 16-5 margin over a five-minute span, capped by a McClure putback to build a 63-46 advantage with 5:42 to play. Limited to just six players due to injuries and illness, head coach Matt Crenshaw found himself calling timeouts in the second half just to give his troops a much needed break. 

East-West trimmed seven points off the Jaguars' 17-point lead to make things seemingly tighter late, but IUPUI was never seriously threatened over the final 10 minutes. 

DePersia rounded out the starting five with 14 points, five boards and five assists and the lone sub, freshman Chuks Isitua, finished with two points and a career-best seven rebounds. 

"Guys had to play some really heavy minutes tonight. It's tough playing a game with just six players with certain rotations," Crenshaw said. "I loved the team's toughness and grit - this team never quits and I love that about them.

"I thought offensively we were much better when we made an effort to get the ball inside or drive them, rather than settle for jump shots. The second half we executed better in terms of making the extra pass and getting paint touches."

Jackson led all players with 21 points on 8-of-25 shooting, and delivered six assists. Devine Conley chipped in eight points, including a pair of threes. The Phantoms hit 10-of-27 (37 percent) from beyond the arc, including 8-of-17 (47.1 percent) after halftime. 

IUPUI will continue the homestand on Thursday (Feb. 3) when the Jaguars host Youngstown State at 7:00 p.m. inside Indiana Farmers Coliseum. That game will be broadcast on ESPN+ as Greg Rakestraw (pxp) and IUPUI Hall of Famer Bob Lovell (analyst) describe the action from courtside.