Purdue Fort Wayne
Marygrove
IPFW Shrugs Off Slow Start, Cruises to Win
12/1/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 1, 2007
Fort Wayne, IN - It took nearly 13-minutes of the first half for IPFW to shake free from NAIA opponent Marygrove College, on Saturday afternoon at the Memorial Coliseum. But, when the Mastodons finally got it into gear, they cruised past the Mustangs by the final of 106-54.
Marygrove actually held a five-point lead at the 13:27 mark of the first half after a 3-pointer from senior guard LaGary Brundidge.
IPFW, which hadn't played a game is six days, showed some rust early on, but took a 25-19 lead on an "old-fashioned" three-point play by senior guard Demetrius Johnson.
Johnson also gave the 'Dons their biggest lead of the half, at 14-points, as he blew by the Mustang defense on the right side and threw down a resounding one-hand slam.
MC sophomore center David Lewandowski did everything he could to keep the Mustangs within hailing distance, scoring 11 first-half points, but a pair of Jakari Johnson layups at the end of the half gave the Mastodons a 44-30 intermission lead.
In the second half, IPFW found their legs and went on a 33-8 run to open the session.
Freshman guard Ben Botts hit three triples, Jakari and Demetrius Johnson continued to fill up the basket, and senior forward Jaraun Burrows got on-track.
When the dust had cleared, IPFW led 77-38 and put it on cruise control for the final 10-minutes of the game.
Five Mastodons scored in double-digits. IPFW was led by Jakari Johnson with a game-high 23 points. Botts was not far behind with 20. Burrows finished the afternoon with 16 points, while Demetrius Johnson and freshman guard Zach Plackemeier chipped in 11.
Demetrius Johnson registered a double-double with his 11 points and a career-high 10 assists. "Meechie" was five rebounds shy of a triple-double. He also blocked three shots.
Junior forward Curtis Leavy led a trio of Mustang scorer's (1-8) with 16 points.
As a team, the Mastodons shot 53.7% from the floor and hit 11, 3-pointers in the game. Botts knocked down a team-high five of those treys.
With the win, IPFW improves to 2-4 on the year. The Mastodons will now begin Summit League play on Thursday night at the Coliseum. IPFW will host Southern Utah in the nightcap of a women's/men's doubleheader. Tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m.
~Dons~
