Learning curve continues for IU Indy in home loss to Youngstown State

For three-and-a-half minutes late in the first half of Youngstown State’s 78-55 unraveling of IU Indy in The Jungle, Ben Howlett’s group showed what they might look like in the future in Horizon League play. They closed a 28-16 deficit down to just two with sophomore guard JP Dragas stepping to the free three line.

The offense IU Indy generated during that stretch of the game was almost exclusively initiated at the defensive end of the floor, where they snagged five steals, three from Dragas.

“We missed a front end of a 1-in-1 that would have…tied the game,” Howlett said afterwards. “We missed that, and they went on like a 10-0 run to close the half, and that that was big. That was a big stretch in the game…that two-minute stretch, where you know, going into halftime, maybe (you’re) tied or down two to down 10. That was pivotal.”

Though not necessarily in the scoring column, Dragas was a bright spot, playing almost 28 minutes compared to his average on the year of 18. His four steals and three assists contributed to a +/- (-2) that tied for tops on the roster.

“He would be the first one to tell you,” Howlett said about Dragas, “that I think he has good days, and he has bad days, and the one thing I’ll say about JP, it took him a while to get adjusted last year at the Division II level. And you know, I think there’s going to come a time where he’s really going to help us, but right now he’s inconsistent.”

Defensively, the Jaguars struggled to contain 6-7 Charlotte transfer forward Rich Rolf, who scored 20 on 9-12 shooting, and 6-6 senior Cris Carroll, who put in 17 while shooting 7-for-12 from the field. Combine those performances with 4-for-25 3-point shooting afternoon for IU Indy, and it was a long second half.

The Jaguars were led in the scoring column by junior guard, Kyler D’Augustino, and sophomore Micah Davis, but neither shot particularly close to 50% from the field, and they went a combined 1-for-9 from three.

“We’ve got a whole new group of guys figuring out a whole new system,” D’Augustino said. “It’s going to take time. We’ve just got to stay collective as a whole, keep being a family and just keep getting better day by day.”

The Jaguars currently hold the conference’s worst rebounding margin in the league, and it was a problem again against Youngstown State, as the Penguins finished +15 in that category, though freshman big Gabe Stewart did come on late and help the cause, snagging five boards in nine minutes on the court.

“I evaluate these guys after every practice,” Howlett said, “And, you know…I’ll evaluate Gabe and his performance today…Without looking at the tape, I thought Gabe was a spark for us, and it was good to see.”