FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The IUPUI basketball team will cap its non-conference slate at the Indiana Classic this week when the Jaguars play a pair of games in Fort Wayne. The Jaguars will face off against Southern Indiana on Monday (Dec. 19) before taking on Texas A&M Commerce on Tuesday (Dec. 20) inside Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne. Both games will tip-off at 4:00 p.m. and both will be broadcast on ESPN+. 

IUPUI (2-9) is coming off a home loss to Eastern Illinois on Saturday to close out its home non-conference slate. The Jaguars got a team-high 16 points from freshman Vincent Brady II and 15 from graduate transfer Chris Osten. The game was nip-and-tuck throughout before the Panthers pulled away midway through the second half, shooting better than 60 percent from the floor after the break. IUPUI struggled offensively, shooting under 39 percent and committing 22 turnovers. 

Sophomore Boston Stanton III tallied a season-high seven points against EIU while junior John Egbuta grabbed a season-high seven boards in just 12 minutes. 

Brady has been hot of late, scoring at least 16 points in each of IUPUI's last four games and most recently earning his second #HLMBB Freshman of the Week Award of the season. During that span, he's averaging 17.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game while shooting 60 percent from the field and 44 percent from three-point range. He's the first IUPUI rookie to score 15 points or better in four straight games since Alex Young did so in December 2008. 

Osten has also been hot of late, hitting 16-of-18 shots in two games last week, averaging 17 points per game in those contests. The 6-foot-9 Louisiana-native has a team-high 12 dunks on the year and is shooting 65.2 percent from the floor. 

QUOTABLE
"I thought we fought hard but I was disappointed with our execution. We missed a ton of open looks and were just far too careless with the basketball. We knew there would be growing pains with this many new guys and this many freshmen and the injuries we've had so far," head coach Matt Crenshaw said following Saturday's loss to EIU. 

SCOUTING SOUTHERN INDIANA
Southern Indiana enters the week at 6-5 overall, including an overtime win over Indiana State and an early season win over Southern Illinois. USI is a perfect 5-0 at home and 1-5 away from home this season. Jelani Simmons is one of six USI players scoring in double-figures at 14.7 points per game and Trevor Lakes checks in at 11.5 points per game. The duo has combined to hit 55 threes in 11 games this season. Jacob Polakovich averages 10.3 points and a team-high 8.9 rebounds per game. Collectively, USI is shooting 46 percent from the floor and 40.8 percent from three-point range on the season. 

SCOUTING TEXAS A&M COMMERCE
Texas A&M Commerce enters the event at 4-7 overall, but with wins over Air Force, Eastern Kentucky and Hawaii. Demarcus Demonia (15.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg) is the team's top performer and C.J. Roberts is also averaging in double-digits at 10.0 points and 2.4 assists per game. 

UP NEXT
IUPUI will return to action after the Christmas holiday when it hosts Northern Kentucky inside Indiana Farmers Coliseum on Saturday, Dec. 31 at 2:00 p.m. on ESPN+.