Postseason #HLMBB Roundup: March 19
INDIANAPOLIS – Postseason play began for the Horizon League on Tuesday with Wright State competing at Clemson in the NIT and IUPUI taking on Marshall on the road in the CIT.
TODAY'S RESULTS
| GAME |
RECAP |
| CIT: Marshall 78, IUPUI 73 |
Box Score |
| NIT: No. 2 Clemson 75, No. 7 Wright State 69 |
Box Score |
GAME RECAPS
CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT)
Marshall 78, IUPUI 73
HUNTINGTON, W. Va. (IUPUIJags.com) - It was a seemingly fitting ending to the IUPUI basketball team's 2018-19 season as the Jaguars dropped a 78-73 road decision at Marshall in the opening round of the CIT on Tuesday night (Mar. 19). The Jaguars clawed back from a 15-point second half deficit to make it a one possession game, but misfired on a potential game tying three on their final offensive possession in falling to the Herd in the opener.
C.J. Burks led Marshall (20-14) with 25 points on 10-of-20 shooting and Jon Elmore was named game MVP after pumping in 22 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists while becoming the Thundering Herd's all-time leading scorer early in the second half.
Junior guard Camron Justice led four IUPUI players in double-digits, registering his first career double-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Senior D.J. McCall added 13 points, eight boards and three steals in his final collegiate game and sophomore Elyjah Goss came off the IUPUI (16-17) bench to contribute 11 points and eight rebounds on a perfect shooting night (4-4 FG, 3-3 FT). Sophomore Jaylen Minnett, who made his lone start of the season in place of an injured Evan Hall, tallied 10 points on just 3-of-17 shooting. IUPUI outshot and outrebounded Marshall, but committed 18 turnovers in a game played at a breakneck pace, which contributed to the demise.
"I thought we came in here and played really hard and fought the whole 40 minutes," head coach Jason Gardner said. "We were thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to play in the postseason and I think our guys responded by playing a pretty good game. We forced a couple things and missed some shots, but you have to give Marshall credit. Their guys made plays late when they needed them and that was the difference."
IUPUI seemingly had a 41-40 halftime lead after Justice drilled a 30-footer at the final horn, but after the halftime break, the shot was eventually waved off after the teams returned to the floor. Elmore then fired in two quick treys to start the second half, taking what seemed to be a one-point halftime advantage and turning it into a 46-38 Marshall lead. Elmore was only getting started too as he stroked two more treys before the first media timeout of the second half, giving him 12 points in just more than three minutes after he was held to just five points before halftime. He later scored on a three-point play as part of a 12-2 Marshall run that pushed a lead out to 70-55 with 10:07 to play.
Gardner rallied his troops and freshman Jack Hansen capped a 13-2 run with a trey to cut Marshall's lead back to 72-68 with 4:29 remaining. IUPUI crept within two in the closing minutes when Justice got all the way to the tin for a contested layup with 1:21 remaining. Burks drew a foul with 44 seconds left and hit the first of a one-and-one, before missing the second. However, Marshall's Taevion Kinsey, who had already put on a show with a bevy of dunks throughout the evening, swooped in to snare the offensive board among a pack of Jaguars. Given the fresh shot clock, Marshall drained time before Elmore misfired on a 17-footer with 20 seconds to play.
Given one final look, Minnett got free on the left wing in front of his own bench, but came up empty on a triple in the closing seconds.
"Honestly, we got a good look, it just didn't go down," Gardner said of his team's final play.
The game was a track meet from the opening tip, much to the liking of the hosts. IUPUI obliged, and with Hall sidelined, loaded up with guards to keep pace with the Herd. Marshall built a 23-13 lead when Elmore buried a wide open three from the corner, but IUPUI fired back with a 14-4 rally to tie the score at 27 all for one of the nine first half ties.
IUPUI closed the game shooting 45 percent from the field and 8-of-27 (29.6 percent) from three-point range. Marshall finished at 42 percent overall and 8-of-29 (27.6 percent) from deep. The most majestic of Marshall's three-point makes was a late hit from 6-foot-9, 350-pound forward Iran Bennett late in the first half to tie the game at 36 all after Minnett had given the Jags a brief three-point lead.
The Jags graduate three seniors off this year's team and expect immediate contributions from a pair of transfers - Marcus Burk and Jamil Jackson - next season.
"I think we addressed our outside shooting with some of the guys who are sitting out, because that was something we struggled with a little bit this year," Gardner said. "We're excited to get those guys in the rotation with some of the guys we have coming back.
"We lose a guy like D.J. who I've had for five years and who's been nothing but a leader on the court and in weights and in everything he does."
National Invitational Tournament (NIT)
No. 2 Clemson 75, No. 7 Wright State 69
CLEMSON, S.C. (WSURaiders.com) - The Wright State men's basketball team played in its first-ever National Invitation Tournament (NIT) Tuesday night at Clemson, pushing the ACC team but falling 75-69. The Raiders end the season at 21-14.
The back-and-forth game saw five ties and 10 lead changes as WSU was led by five players in double figures with Bill Wampler on top with 17 points. Loudon Love ended with 14 points and nine rebounds as Cole Gentry had 13 points, Mark Hughes 12 and Skyelar Potter 11. WSU shot 42 percent from the field and battled on the boards as Clemson led 35-32 in rebounding. The Tigers had nine blocks but the Raiders committed only nine turnovers. WSU's bench outscored Clemson's bench 30-6. Wright State hit 10 3-pointers, shooting 40 percent, as Clemson had eight. The NIT used experimental rules, moving the arc to the FIBA length at 22 feet with the lane four feet wider.
First Half
Clemson jumped to a 4-0 lead early, but Hughes hit a 15-foot jumper to get WSU on the board. Down 16-2, Love hit a wrap-around layup, followed by two free throws by Wampler with a three from Hughes to make it 19-9 by the 12-minute timeout. WSU continued to cut into the lead with a field goal from Wampler and a three from Potter to make it 22-16. Potter hit his second three and added a layup off his own steal to make it 27-23 by the eight-minute break. Potter's hot hand continued as he hit a free throw to draw the Raiders within one. It was a Wampler three that tied the score at 29 with 4:08 remaining. The Raiders grabbed the lead on an inside layup from Love, erasing a 14-point Tiger lead. An up and under basket by Hughes gave WSU a four-point advantage, causing a timeout by Clemson with about one minute left. WSU took the lead with a 7-0 run but the score at halftime was 33-33.
WSU was led by Wampler and Potter with nine points each, seven from Hughes and six from Love. Hughes grabbed five rebounds with four each from Love and Potter. The Raiders shot 48 percent from the field to 45 percent by the Tigers as WSU outrebounded the ACC school, 17-15. Down 16-2 early, the Raiders outscored Clemson 33-15 to go up four points with 1:41 remaining. The Raider bench accounted for 20 points in the first 20 minutes.
Second Half
Clemson grabbed the lead but the Raiders came right back to take a four-point lead at 43-39 off Wampler's second three. WSU went up 47-41 to make it a 20-point swing and giving the Raiders their largest lead on an offensive rebound and five footer by Love. A series of threes gave the Tigers the 51-50 advantage, two from Clemson and one by Gentry. Two straight layups from Love got the Raiders within one again at 57-56 at 7:15. Out of the break, Wampler rattled home a long three to help the Raiders to a 59-57 lead but Clemson answered with a three to grab back the advantage at 60-59. After a WSU timeout, Gentry hit a three as WSU went up 62-60. Under four minutes on the clock, Clemson hit three free throws to once again take the lead 63-62. Out of the media timeout, the teams traded baskets capped by a Hughes triple for the team's 10th of the night to cut it to 68-67. Gentry pushed the gas for an easy layup to make the score 70-69 with 1:30 left. The home team made one more from the field to make it 72-69, going into the final minute. The Tigers made five free throws in the waning seconds to win 75-69.
Gentry was strong in the final period with 13 points on three threes and six rebounds, while Wampler added eight points. WSU shot 38 percent but the Tigers hit baskets at a 52 percent average and held a 20-15 rebound edge.
Nagy Said
"If we played the first five minutes like the rest of the game, we would have been fine. We showed our players the hustle plays that we made this year and that is certainly how we came back. It's hard to say good bye to the seniors and we are so thankful for what they have done for our program. Hopefully, we can make them proud in the future for what they helped build."
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
| DATE |
GAME |
TIME (ET) |
TV/LIVE STREAM |
| Wednesday, March 20 |
CIT: Green Bay at East Tennessee State |
7 p.m. |
WatchCIT.com |
| Friday, March 22 |
NCAA: No. 14 Northern Kentucky vs. No. 3 Texas Tech |
1:30 p.m. |
TNT |