November 21, 2011

SPORTS: Men's Basketball Falls Short Again

by Spencer Grosvenor
Lyonell Gaines takes a shot in the
second half Sunday. Photo by Rachel Hale
The Jaguars returned home after losing two games on the road against Arkansas-Little Rock and Milwaukee but it was another poor shooting performance that gave the Jaguars a third consecutive loss. 


Photo by Rachel Hale
The Jaguars would start off the game shooting behind the arc often, but the shots wouldn’t fall. This allowed the Eagles to hope onto an early first half lead supported by a five-minute 10 point run.  Besides the first two free throws at the beginning of the game, the Jaguars would lack on ball control and miss out on close shots, failing to score a basket in the first 7 minutes.

Senior Forward Alex Young would help snap the Jaguars out of the rut by scoring two baskets in which he was fouled on the shot. He would miss his free throw attempts, but would get an opportunity to earn them back by was of a technical foul call on Eastern Michigan Head Coach Rob Murphy. Coach Murphy had walked out passed the coaches box area in front of his team’s bench and gone onto the court to shout to the Refs for a timeout. That’s when Alex would return to the foul line to regain two free throws and trim Eastern Michigan’s lead.

Young scored the team’s first 10 points of the game. The rest of the team eventually caught on, but the lack of quality shots taken and poor finishing of plays would hurt the Jaguars chances to trim the Eagles small lead. Stephen Thomas scored on a fast break layup as time expired in the first half, sending the Jaguars into the locker room trailing 28-25. They shot just 23 percent from the floor in the first half, and seven percent from behind the arc.

Photo by Rachel Hale
Things would improve in the second half but not as much as the Jaguars would have hoped.


The lead would transition back in forth between the Jaguars and the Eagles through the entire half. At the end of the game, IUPUI found themselves taking the ball out in front of their bench, trailing by three points and only 20 seconds were remaining. Thomas would look out and get the ball to a very well covered Young who couldn’t shake away his defenders. Young toss the ball back to Thomas who would drive past his man and shoot a mid-range jumper to get a quick basket. The ball would tip, bounce, dance and spin around the rim but rolled off into the hands of Eastern Michigan’s Antonio Green. He was and made both of his free throws to secure the game for the Eagles.

"We are certainly playing well enough to win. We need a break to go our way, and it will," IUPUI Head Coach Todd Howard said following the defeat. "Our defense has been unreal. We just need to convert and have our confidence swell. Some of the guys that have stepped up speaks to the depth and talent we have. We are only concerned with the process. Shots will fall and that's the missing ingredient."

The Jaguars would fall to 1-3, seeking for a refreshing second win to their young season. They will take on in-state rival Ball State in Muncie on Wednesday with the tip set for 7p.m. Catch the game on 1260 WNDE.

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