Western Courier

Issue date: 3/3/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Ryan Ferguson Senior forward Jerryck Owens-Murrey dunks at IUPUI Saturday night. He finished the game with four points, all coming from dunks.

Media Credit: Ryan Ferguson Sophomore guard David Nurse attempts a 3-pointer in Saturday's loss at IUPUI. He tallied six points in the game.

INDIANAPOLIS - The Western Illinois men's basketball team could not get defensive rebounds, which led to the 'Necks falling to IUPUI in the 72-54 loss Saturday.

The Jaguars (24-6, 15-3 Summit League) out-rebounded Western (12-17, 7-11 Summit) 40-26 and continued to get offensive rebounds, leading to 14 second-chance points.

IUPUI opened the season finale with a 13-2 run to put the Leathernecks down early. The Jaguars would not look back as Western did not gain the lead the entire contest. The lack of rebounds really hindered the 'Necks.

"We lost the battle on the glass and that really hurt us," said coach Derek Thomas. "It affected our confidence; they shot a good percentage and you can't continue to give teams who shoot well second chances."

IUPUI was able to execute on offense due to high ball-screens. The Jags consistently ran pick-and-roll plays the 'Necks could not defend against. This was essential to their offense and gave Western problems.

"I thought we did a good job on the guards," Thomas said. "We would have problems switching when the big men would set screens and get in the lane. They did a good job of that."

The 'Necks were trailing by 10 going into halftime. They shot only 34 percent in the first period and struggled to get anything going offensively.

In the second half, Western was able to put together runs on offense but could not cut the lead enough to make an impact.

"It was not the friendliest environment to play in, but we knew it would be like that coming into the game," assistant coach Trent Becker said. "We put some runs together in the second half but couldn't get the big run to close it out."

Western stepped up its shooting performance in the second period, improving to 44 percent, but it wasn't enough and the Jaguars coasted to a 72-54 victory.

The 'Necks were led by junior forward David DuBois, who was the lone player in double figures with 11 points.

Western did not start senior guard David Jackson. He had been recovering from a concussion he suffered against IPFW last Thursday and played limited minutes in the contest.

"We just wanted to get him some minutes to get back into the flow of the game," Thomas said. "He was just cleared to play yesterday, so we wanted to get him in and prepare him for Tulsa."

Western dropped its third straight road game and finished the regular season with a loss. The 'Necks travel to Tulsa, Okla., to compete in the Summit League Championships. They claim the No. 6 seed and will take on No. 3-seeded Oakland University on Sunday, March 9, at 8:30 p.m.

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