INDIANAPOLIS - The IU Indianapolis men's basketball team will cap a quick two-game homestand on Thursday night (Nov. 14) when the Jaguars host Eastern Michigan (1-1) at 6:30 p.m. inside The Jungle. Fans are encouraged to purchase and download their tickets prior to arrival at the Jungle as the department has gone to exclusively digital tickets this season. Thursday's game will be aired on ESPN+ as Jonathan Matthes (pxp) and Hall of Famer Bob Lovell (analyst) are on the call. 

The Jaguars (2-1) coasted to a 97-55 win over Goshen College inside the Jungle on Tuesday night behind a career-high 27 points from graduate transfer Paul Zilinskas. Zilinskas knocked down 9-of-12 shots, including four treys, in just 24 minutes of work. Jarvis Walker chimed in with 15 points and six rebounds and Nathan Dudukovich added 13 points off the bench. Freshman Keenan Garner also closed in double-digits with 11 points and junior Sean Craig just missed a double-double with eight points and 14 rebounds. It marked Craig's third straight game with at least 10 rebounds to start the year as the Jaguars dominated on the glass, 50-30. 

Head Coach Paul Corsaro's team has been efficient offensively to start the season, shooting 48.3 percent from the floor and 41 percent from three, connecting on better than 11 treys per contest. The Jags are also winning the glass by nearly 17 caroms per game and been stingy with turnovers, committing just 9.0 per game. 

Zilinskas leads the team in scoring (17.3 ppg) and is shooting 50 percent from the floor and 58.8 percent from three-point range. Walker (16.0 ppg), Craig (10.7 ppg) and Dudukovich (10.7 ppg) also are averaging double-digits through three games. Craig is averaging a double-double as he is grabbing 11.7 rebounds per game. 

Newcomer guard Alec Millender checks in at 9.3 points and 4.7 assists per game and has yet to commit a turnover in the first three games. As a team, the Jaguars have a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio to start the year. 

QUOTABLE
"We need to get tougher, and I mean mentally tougher. You can't be physically tough if you're not mentally tough. Toughness in terms of concentration and execution of the small details; being able to move on from one mistake and move on to the next play. And really, just understanding just how locked on you have to be for all 40 minutes in order to win a big time basketball game," Corsaro said following the Jaguars' win over Goshen on Tuesday night. 

SCOUTING EASTERN MICHIGAN
EMU enters play at 1-1 on the season, having lost on the road at Texas State to open the season before blasting Siena Heights in their home opener. The Eagles are holding opponents to just 38.1 percent from the floor this season and outrebounding opponents by a 4.5 margin in the opening two games. Jalin Billingsley leads EMU in scoring (20.0 ppg) and rebounding (8.5 rpg) while shooting nearly 55 percent from the floor. Junior guard Christian Henry comes in averaging 13 points per game and Jalen Terry averaged 10.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. EMU was picked to finish ninth in the Mid-American Conference preseason coaches poll prior to the start of the season.  

SERIES HISTORY
IU Indy is just 1-3 all-time against Eastern Michigan and 1-2 in three meetings in Indianapolis. IU Indy won the most recent meeting, 83-71 on Nov. 19, 2016 at Indiana Farmers Coliseum in the championship game of the Indianapolis Subregional of the 2K Classic. Ron Patterson led five Jaguars in double-digits with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting and Evan Hall had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds in just 19 minutes. The first meeting in the series was a 62-56 loss in Indy on Dec. 23, 1999.  

UP NEXT
The Jaguars will travel to Ames, Iowa, to take on No. 7 Iowa State on Monday night (Nov. 18) at 7:00 p.m. CT (8 Eastern) on ESPN+.