USAFA, Colo. - The IU Indianapolis men's basketball team dropped game one of the Air Force Classic to Alabama State inside Clune Arena on Friday (Nov. 21), 101-80. ASU shot 58.1 percent for the game and put six players in double-digits in a resounding win. The Jaguars (2-5) connected on 18-of-44 (40.9 percent) three-point attempts, but was unable to overcome a significant deficits on the glass and at the free throw line.
Alabama State (3-3) bullied their way to a 39-30 rebounding advantage and 52-20 margin in points in the paint. The Hornets also neutralized the Jaguars' press, committing just 15 turnovers and outscoring the Jaguars 27-17 in points off turnovers.
Sophomore
JP Dragas led IU Indy with 20 points off the bench, including six treys, and
Kameron Tinsley finished with 15 points, five assists and three steals.
Aiden Miller and
Matt Compas joined them in double-digits with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Junior
Kyler D'Augustino scored his 1,000th collegiate point in the early stages of the game and finished with eight points while
Finley Woodward contributed eight points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
R'Chaun King scored a game-high 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting and Asjon Anderson closed with 19 points and seven assists.
The game was tied at 29 all at the 7:51 mark of the first half when Dragas connected on a three before ASU outscored the Jaguars 17-5 over the next four minutes to collect a 12-point lead. The lead grew to 17 just ahead of halftime before Dragas sank a three at the final horn to make it 59-45 at the break. ASU's lead grew as large as 18 before the Jaguars cut it all the way back to six midway through the second half at 74-68. The Jags misfired on a trey that would've made it a one possession game and moments later, an IU Indy turnover near midcourt resulted in a three-point play the other way to extend the lead back to nine. After another IU Indy turnover, Anderson delivered a three to regain a double-digit advantage.
After being torched at nearly a 70 percent clip in the first half, the Jaguars tightened up defensively in the second half in holding ASU to just 42 percent overall and 2-of-11 from three. However, the Hornets lived at the free throw line, finishing the game 20-of-24 (83.3 percent) from the stripe while the Jags had just eight free throw attempts.
IU Indy will conclude the Air Force Classic on Sunday (Nov. 23) against host Air Force at 3:00 p.m. MT (5 Eastern). That game can be heard in Central Indiana on 1430 Indy's Sports Ticket as Jimmy Cook (pxp) has the call from courtside. The game will be aired for free on the Mountain West Network.
