vs. Denver (11/23): Watch I Live Stats I Game Notes (.pdf)
at New Orleans (11/24): Watch I Live Stats I Game Notes (.pdf)
vs. The Citadel (11/25): Watch I Live Stats I Game Notes (.pdf)

NEW ORLEANS - The IUPUI basketball team will head to New Orleans over the Thanksgiving holiday as the Jaguars will play three games in three days at UNO's Big Easy Classic. IUPUI (1-3) will open play against former league foe Denver on Wednesday (Nov. 23) before playing host New Orleans on Thursday (Nov. 24). The Jaguars will cap the three-game trip on Friday (Nov. 25) against The Citadel. 

IUPUI is coming off its first win of the season, having defeated Franklin College 59-45 inside Indiana Farmers Coliseum on Saturday. Freshman Armon Jarrard hit 5-of-9 shots to tally a career-high 11 points and graduate transfer Chris Osten contributed 10 points and seven boards. The Jaguars fell behind by nine points early in the contest, but outscored Franklin 53-30 over the final 30 minutes. Head coach Matt Crenshaw was able to empty the bench down the stretch, using 15 different players with 12 breaking the scoring column. The team's top scorer, sophomore Jlynn Counter, had eight points, seven rebounds and six assists and freshman Vincent Brady II had five points, four boards and three assists. Brady was later named Horizon League Freshman of the Week after averaging 7.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in two games, including Monday's loss at Chicago State. 

After shooting just 38 percent from the field in the first half, the Jags upped their output to 46.9 percent in the second half. Defensively, IUPUI held the Grizzlies to just 32.2 percent shooting overall and 5-of-29 (17.2 percent) from three-point range. 

QUOTABLE
"It wasn't pretty, but these guys are still trying to figure things out and figuring out what it takes to win basketball games. After a slow start, I thought we got going defensively and that led to us getting out in transition and getting some easy ones. It's plays like that that get the crowd into it and give us some energy. I liked that we strung together some (defensive) stops and built a lead and took care of business in the second half," Crenshaw said following Saturday's win over Franklin College.

LOUISIANA KID
The trip marks a bit of a homecoming for Osten, who hails from nearby Crowley, La. Crowley, located roughly 140 miles west of New Orleans, is known as the "Rice Capital of the World" and hosts an annual International Rice Festival. Osten, who enters play having started all four games this season and averaging 7.8 points and a team-high 6.8 rebounds per game, is the first-ever IUPUI player from the state of Louisiana. Osten is also shooting a team-high 58.3 percent from the floor. 

TIDBITS
-After missing the initial three games of the season, junior Bryce Monroe made his IUPUI debut against Franklin College on Saturday, registering three points and an assist in 13 minutes off the bench. 
-Junior John Egbuta made his first career start against Franklin, replacing freshman Amhad Jarrard. Egbuta finished with two points and two boards in 11 minutes while Jarrard came off the bench with four points in 19 minutes. 
-IUPUI comes in with a winning record all-time against all three foes it'll face at the Big Easy Classic. IUPUI is 5-4 all-time against Denver and 1-0 against both New Orleans and The Citadel. 

UP NEXT
Following the Big Easy Classic, IUPUI will return home before later opening up Horizon League play on Saturday, Dec. 3 at Milwaukee at 7:00 p.m. Central (8 Eastern). That contest will be broadcast on ESPN+.