INDIANAPOLIS - The IUPUI basketball team put up an impressive effort in racing past Detroit Mercy inside Indiana Farmers Coliseum on Friday (Dec. 29), defeating the Titans, 67-55. The Jaguars built a double-digit lead in the game's opening five minutes and led by as many as 25 in running its winning streak to two straight. 

Sophomore Vincent Brady II scored 15 of his team-high 17 points in the first half and both Bryce Monroe and DJ Jackson added 13 apiece.

IUPUI (5-9, 1-2 HL) was without top scorer Jlynn Counter, who missed the game due to illness while UDM was without top scorer Jayden Stone. The Jaguars acclimated to life without their star more quickly, blitzing the Titans from the opening tip. 

"It feels good. I'm just happy we got the win," Brady said. "We played together today. I feel like that's the biggest reason why the scoreboard was the way it was. I feel like when we play together, no one can really stop us and we've got to keep doing that."

Brady connected on three threes and added six rebounds in 30 minutes of work while sophomore Abdou Samb finished with eight points, eight rebounds and a pair of blocked shots in his second start of the season. Kidtrell Blocker scored eight points off the bench, including hitting both of his three-point attempts. 

Detroit Mercy (0-14, 0-3 HL) freshman Ryan Hurst led all players with 22 points and Marcus Tankersley added 13. 

"We got off to a great start and I thought that was really important, playing without Jlynn," head coach Matt Crenshaw said. "We shared the ball well, looked to make the extra pass and it was important for Vince to make those early threes. That kind of set the tone offensively and we were able to get out in transition some and get some easy looks. 

"I thought we defended well and made it tough on them to drive us, which is what they look to do offensively."

IUPUI surged out to a 19-5 lead in the early stages, fueled by a pair of Brady threes and punctuated by a Samb dunk off a brilliant Monroe feed. Defensively, the Jaguars were strong from the opening tip, limiting the Titans to just 3-of-18 shooting to start the game as they built a 30-10 lead when Blocker sank an open three. 

Brady capped the first half with a two-handed putback of a Monroe miss at the final horn, making it 43-25 at intermission. IUPUI shot 57 percent from the floor in the opening 20 minutes and held the Titans to just 32.1 percent. 

IUPUI never allowed Detroit Mercy any momentum after halftime and stretched its lead out to 25 with 9:33 left when Blocker drilled a corner trey. The Titans closed the game's final 4:49 with an 11-2 run to bring the final margin to 12. 

IUPUI closed the game with just eight turnovers, yielding just 10 Detroit Mercy points, while forcing 15 UDM miscues, which the Jags converted into 21 points. The Jaguars finished the game at 43 percent from the field and held the Titans under 38 percent.  

The win snapped a six-game skid against Detroit Mercy, dating back to 2019. 

The Jaguars will close out the 2023 calendar year on Sunday (Dec. 31) when they host Cleveland State at 2:00 p.m. inside Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Scott Agness (pxp) and IUPUI Hall of Famer Bob Lovell (analyst) will call the action from courtside. Students in grades K-8 can receive a FREE ticket to Sunday's game with the purchase of an adult ticket.