SENIOR ADAM TEMPLETON jukes an IUPUI opponent as he charges down the court. Drake lost its first matchup against the Jaguars, starting its season with a record of 0-1 for the second year in a row. Photo: Emily Tozer

Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis shot a lights-out game with 76.2 percent in the second half and came back from an 11-point deficit to defeat Drake 88-82 on Saturday.

The Bulldogs made only one of their last eight shots from the floor, and Jaguar sophomore forward Alex Young knocked down two 3-point shots to give IUPUI an 83-80 lead it would not relinquish.

“We struggled early on defense in the second half and weren’t able to get shots,” an official said in a Drake press release. “That was the difference in the game. Clearly we have a lot of issues to address defensively.”

Drake played without senior star Josh Young, who was selected as a preseason first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference player. Young has been nursing a hip pointer and decided to sit out the game. Young has led the Bulldogs in scoring the past two seasons.

Junior Ryan Wedel took Young’s place at shooting guard, in his first regular season appearance since transferring from Arkansas State. Wedel made his first five shots, including four 3-pointers, in the first three minutes and 29 seconds and finished with a team-high of 23 points.

“Ryan is a guy we can depend on to hit open shots and be an offensive weapon for our team,” Phelps said.

Sophomore Frank Wiseler started at point guard for Wedel and finished with nine points and seven assists. Freshman forward Ben Simons had 12 points on four 3-point shots for the Bulldogs. All of his scoring came in the second half, and he also led Drake with four steals.

Freshman center Seth Van Deest had 10 points and six rebounds in his first career game at Drake. He made a lay up to cut the IUPUI lead to 85-82 with 13 seconds left, but IUPUI made three of four free throws down the stretch to close out the win.

The Bulldogs wasted a terrific offensive performance, where they shot 50.9 percent from the field and nailed 13 of 26 shots beyond the arc.

IUPUI forward Robert Glenn led all scorers with 37 points, and was on fire shooting 15 of 17 from the floor. He had 23 in the second half. Leroy Nobles had 27 points, while Young finished with 19 for IUPUI. IUPUI had only four players score points in the game. Nobles and Young were the only players to attempt 3-point shots.

IUPUI shot an astonishing 67.3 percent for the game. They shot 10 of 17 from 3-point range and knocked down 75 percent of their free throws.

IUPUI dominated the Bulldogs in the paint, outscoring Drake 42-24. The Drake bench outscored that of IUPUI 20-5, led by seniors Craig Stanley and Bill Eaddy’s eight points apiece. IUPUI out-rebounded Drake 28-18.

Drake led 46-41 at the half, but was unable to contain the IUPUI offense in the second half. For the second straight year, the Bulldogs started the season 0-1. Drake suffered a 58-48 defeat against Butler to open last season. IUPUI moves to 1-0 on the young season.

Senior Adam Templeton had eight points and six rebounds for Drake.

The Bulldogs will take on Iowa State in the Knapp Center at 7:07 p.m. on Tuesday. Tickets are free for all students with a Drake ID. They will be available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Olmsted on Monday and Tuesday. Tickets are also available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Knapp Center ticket office.