Photo Gallery View View View View View View View View View View | Box Score

INDIANAPOLIS - The IUPUI basketball team turned in a suffocating defensive effort and got timely baskets from junior George Hill en route to a 60-46 win over North Dakota State on Thursday night. The Jaguars forced 24 turnovers and held the Bison to 40.9 percent shooting from the field, while holding the Summit League's highest scoring team to its lowest offensive output since 1991.

NDSU came in averaging over 81 points per game.

"We preach to the guys about our defense," IUPUI head coach Ron Hunter said. "We weren't great offensively tonight, but defense wins basketball games. When you're not hitting shots, you can always rely on defense."

While the defense was the story, Hill still provided a solid offensive effort with 22 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots. Gary Patterson and Austin Montgomery added 11 apiece and Billy Pettiford chipped in eight points and six caroms.

Trailing 23-21 with 4:10 left in the first half, the Jaguars outscored NDSU (8-8, 2-3 Summit) 9-1 over the next five minutes spanning the two halves. The Bison got back within two when Ben Woodside stroked an open three from the baseline closer, but IUPUI (12-3, 4-0 Summit) methodically pulled away from there. 

The knockout punch came with 9:25 remaining. 

After Brett Winkelman cut the IUPUI advantage to 43-34 at the foul line, Patterson anwered with a quick three from the top of the key. At the other end, NDSU missed two opportunities and the Jaguars answered with a Montgomery trey in transition to make it 49-34 with 9:25 to play. The lead remained in double-digits for the duration. 

"I really didn't think we played our best basketball tonight," Hunter said. "Anytime you hold a good offensive basketball team to just 46 points though, you can't be upset."

Woodside, the Summit League's top scorer finished with 16 on 6-of-10 shooting while Mike Nelson closed with 12. Winkelman, who came in ranked No. 2 in the Summit in scoring and first in rebounding was held to seven points and six rebounds.

"We let Woodside get some open looks, but we did a good job of finding their other shooters," Hunter said. "It's hard to get off good looks against our zone when we play like we did tonight."

Hill hit 8-of-14 from the floor and 6-of-8 at the foul line in 38 minutes. He moved up to No. 10 on IUPUI's all-time scoring list at 1,255 points at night's end. Patterson nailed 3-of-6 from three-point land in 33 minutes. Defensively, Drew Conner led the way with four of IUPUI's 14 steals. IUPUI also blocked a season-high six shots in the win. 

IUPUI's strong defense helped offset shooting just 41.2 percent and being outrebounded 33-24.

The game started slowly for both teams as the first half featured six ties and four lead changes. Neither team led by more than five points over the opening 20 minutes.

The Jaguars will return to action on Saturday when they host South Dakota State in The Jungle. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. as Greg Rakestraw (pbp) calls the action on Freedom 95.9 FM. Pregame coverage begins at approximately 6:30 p.m.. The game can also be seen over the internet as part of the SummitTV package. Scott McCauley (pbp) and Angelo Smith (color) will describe all the sights and sounds of every home game this season.