INDIANAPOLIS - Graduate transfer Jarvis Walker pumped in a season-high 26 points and Paul Zilinskas added 14 but the IU Indianapolis men's basketball team fell at home to reigning league champion Oakland on Wednesday night (Feb. 12), 82-67. Nassim Mashhour paced five Oakland players in double-digits with 18 points off the bench and Buru Naivalurua finished with a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds. 

Oakland (11-15, 8-7 HL) shot 55 percent from the floor and 12-of-27 (44.4 percent) from three-point range while the Jaguars (8-19, 4-12 HL) were limited to under 34 percent from the floor and 12-of-34 (35.3 percent) from beyond the arc. Walker connected on 5-of-9 attempts from deep and all four of Zilinskas' field goals came from long distance. 

After a solid opening half shooting the ball, things went sour after the break as IU Indy made just 11-of-40 (27.5 percent) from the floor and 4-of-20 from beyond the arc. 

"We did leave a lot of points on the (scoreboard). We were one of the top-40 best shooting free throw teams in the country up until the last three weeks and we've kind of gone through a slump. We need to get back to being who we are from the line. That was a big problem tonight. If we would've shot better from the line, especially in the first half, that eight-point deficit at half would've been a two, three or four-point deficit," head coach Paul Corsaro said. "We missed a lot of wide open looks. Granted, we are tired - we have a lot of guys who are banged up and we've had a lot of injuries this season. This bye week couldn't come at a better time for us. Our kids are playing hard, but we didn't secure rebounds when we needed to and that's where I really thought the game got us. 

"Oakland is a mature, physical team that you need to capitalize when they give you those opportunities and tonight, we didn't capitalize in those key moments."

The Jags started hot, making their first four three-point attempts, leading by as many as six in the early going when Alec Millender connected. However, Oakland shot exceptionally well in the first half, taking a 38-26 lead on a Naivalurua layup with 5:42 left before intermission. After an 8-0 IU Indy run, fueled by back-to-back Zilinskas treys, cut the lead back to four, the Golden Grizzlies scored the final four points of the half to secure a 42-34 halftime advantage. 

The Jaguars won the opening segment of the second half to cut the lead back to four when Walker stroked a trey, before Oakland regained its footing and reeled off a 10-2 spurt to rebuild a double-digit lead. Included in that run was an offensive possession in which the Jaguars had five attempts and grabbed five offensive rebounds, only to go empty and ultimately turn the ball over. Mashhour fired back with a trey on OU's next offensive trip to extend the lead back to eight. 

The Jags ran out of gas late in the contest while Oakland's Allen Mukeba and Naivalurua thundered home a collection of dunks on three straight trips to end any suspense. Mukeba was a perfect 5-of-5 from the floor and finished with 14 points and six rebounds, despite significant foul trouble. Isaiah Jones was also a perfect 5-of-5 from the field and finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. DQ Cole piloted the Oakland offense, finishing with 10 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. 

Craig finished with 10 points and six rebounds and freshman DeSean Goode just missed a double-double with eight points and nine rebounds. Fellow rookie Keenan Garner added seven rebounds off the bench but the IU Indy reserves were held scoreless, going a combined 0-for-12 from the floor and 0-for-4 from the free throw line. 

The Jags finished the game 11-of-18 (61.1 percent) at the charity stripe. 

IU Indy will return to action next Wednesday (Feb. 19) at Detroit Mercy at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN+.