Western Illinois falls 67-54 at IUPUI

INDIANPOLIS - Off the bench, Matt Lander and David Gebru combined for half of Western Illinois' point total, but it wasn't enough to stop IUPUI as the Jaguars had three players in double figures to defeat the Fighting Leathernecks 67-54 Saturday in The Jungle.

Trailing by 13 points on four occasions in the second half, a Lander three at the 7:55 mark sparked an 8-0 run capped by a Ceola Clark three for a five-point game, 48-43, the closest the Leathernecks (6-9, 0-5 Summit League) came since the opening minutes. IUPUI's Alex Young responded with a three on the following possession, followed by a Billy Pettiford layup that pushed the Jaguars (11-7, 4-1 Summit League) back out to double figures.

David Nurse sunk a shot from downtown to cut the deficit back to seven, 53-46, with just under five minutes remaining, but once again Young answered with a three of his own. The Leathernecks came within six at the 2:10 mark on a Tommie Tyler three-point play, but IUPUI held out with a 9-2 run to the buzzer.

“Gebru fought hard tonight, Matt Lander fought hard tonight and so did Tommie Tyler,” Western Illinois head coach Jim Molinari said. “Tommie is a big part of our future so I need to make him a big part of our present because he is a battler. He is strong and I appreciate his effort.”

Western improved its shooting from 30.4 percent (7-of-23) to 48 percent (12-of-25) in the second half, but IUPUI did the same, making 40.7 percent (11-of-27) in the first half to 64.7 percent (11-of-17) in the second half. Overall, the Leathernecks were successful in holding IUPUI below its 74.2 scoring average, but trailed the entire game.

Lander came off the bench to put Western Illinois on the board as he recorded the Leathernecks' first seven points and totaled 11 in the first half. IUPUI's Robert Glenn had seven-straight points, helping the Jaguars to a 13-1 lead before Western recorded its first field goal at the 15:39 mark. Western was held without a field goal in the final 2:15 of the half with the bench accounting for 16-of-20 first-half points. Glenn's 14 first-half points helped IUPUI to a 30-20 halftime lead.

“Give IUPUI credit,” Molinari said. “They know where they're going with the ball, Ron (Hunter, head coach) does a great job, Robert Glenn is a great player, Greg Rice really hurt us off the bench and Alex Young had two big threes. They are a really good team in our league.”

Lander and Gebru were the only Leatherneck players in double figures with 14 and 12 points, respectively. Clark was held below his scoring average (12.8) to only six points, but he did contribute six assists and four steals. Gebru led off the boards with seven rebounds, while Clark pulled down six.

“We have fighters out there,” Molinari said. “We have great guys and it's heartbreaking, but I want us to put together 40 minutes of really good basketball in conference and we have yet to do that.”

Western Illinois returns home for a 7 p.m. tip against Centenary, Thursday, before playing host to Oral Roberts, Saturday.

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Players Mentioned

#5 David Nurse: G; 6' 3"; Senior; Kearney / Kansas City Kansas CC

#3 Tommie Tyler: G; 6' 3"; Sophomore; Langham Creek

#24 Matt Lander: G; 6' 4"; Junior; Evansville Bosse / John A. Logan

#33 David Gebru: C; 6' 10"; Freshman; Rainer Beach / Maine Central Institute

Players Mentioned

#5 David Nurse
: 6' 3"; Senior; Kearney / Kansas City Kansas CC
: G

#3 Tommie Tyler
: 6' 3"; Sophomore; Langham Creek
: G

#24 Matt Lander
: 6' 4"; Junior; Evansville Bosse / John A. Logan
: G

#33 David Gebru
: 6' 10"; Freshman; Rainer Beach / Maine Central Institute
: C