INDIANAPOLIS - The IUPUI basketball team shot 57.4 percent from the floor, including 65 percent in the second half, in rolling past Defiance College inside Indiana Farmers Coliseum on Thursday night (Dec. 21), 90-67. Junior Jlynn Counter led four Jaguars in double-digits with 18 points and three steals and both DJ Jackson and Kidtrell Blocker finished with 15 points each. Sophomore Abdou Samb, making his first start of the season, closed with 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting from the floor. 

All 11 Jaguars that saw the floor scored in the victory as IUPUI (4-9) snapped a five-game skid. Landen Swanner paced Defiance with 14 points, hitting 4-of-6 three-point attempts. Defiance drained 14-of-32 (43.8 percent) from beyond the arc, making just eight field goals inside the three-point line. 

Counter fueled the IUPUI offense from the opening tip, scoring 15 of his game-high 18 points in the opening half as the Jaguars built a 41-28 advantage. However, Defiance led 15-11 in the game's opening six-plus minutes as their first five field goals came from behind the arc. In fact, Defiance didn't score inside the arc until the 11:43 mark of the first half when Jordyn Jury got free on a backdoor cut, prompting an IUPUI timeout. 

"We came out a little sluggish, but we fought hard," Counter said. "I was just trying to get my teammates involved. Early, I was aggressive and their ball screen coverage was a little different in the second half, so I didn't want to force anything."

IUPUI began throwing the knockout blow at the end of the first half, seizing a double-digit lead late in the stanza. The Jaguars maintained a double-digit lead the entire second half and led by more than 20 for virtually the entire final six minutes of play. 

The Jaguars used their superior athleticism to continually drive the ball, ultimately living at the free throw line where they made 32-of-37 (86.5 percent) attempts. IUPUI won the glass by a 30-22 margin and outscored Defiance in the paint by a 42-12 margin to offset the Yellow Jackets' 30-point advantage behind the three-point line. 

IUPUI will return to Horizon League play on Friday (Dec. 29) when the Jaguars host Detroit Mercy at noon inside Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Fans will receive a FREE foam finger while supplies last and that game will be aired on ESPN+ as Greg Rakestraw (pxp) and Bob Lovell (analyst) describe the action from courtside.