NEW ALBANY, Ind. – The IU Southeast men's basketball team opened conference tournament play Wednesday with a convincing 105-53 win over Carlow University.

Jamie Johnson led the Grenadiers with 18 points all in the first half. Joe Jackson had 15 points and six rebounds, Dechaun Lewis had 12 points and six rebounds and Jared Osborne had 11 points and five rebounds.

The Grenadiers (22-7) led by as many as 30 points in the first half but did not pull away until midway through the first half as both offenses struggled to click for the first eight minutes or so of the contest.

After that, it was all IU Southeast. The Grenadiers forced 24 turnovers and scored 36 points off of turnovers. IU Southeast stifled the Celtics offensively with pressure defense and were strong at the perimeter. Carlow shot just 1-of-21 from three-point range in the game and shot 31 percent from the field in the contest.

The Grenadiers shot 54 percent in the contest and had 18 steals which led to easy baskets in the paint. IU Southeast outscored the Celtics 60-38 in the paint.

IU Southeast will host West Virginia Tech Saturday at 2 p.m. in a RSC Semfinal. The Grenadiers defeated the Golden Bears 74-66 on January 4.