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Purdue Fort Wayne
Oakland
Huge Second Half Propels IPFW Past Oakland
1/19/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 19, 2008
Fort Wayne, IN - Senior forward Jaraun Burrows tied a career-high with 23 points, and senior guard Chris Perkins added a season-high 18, as IPFW overcame a 13-point second half deficit to top Oakland, 77-69 Saturday afternoon at the Memorial Coliseum.
IPFW ripped the nets for 60.9% in their furious second-half comeback.
Trailing 37-28 at the half, the Mastodons found themselves in an even bigger hole after OU center Dan Waterstradt hit the glass for a tip-in, making it 43-30 with just over two-minutes gone in the half.
Senior forward DeWitt Scott put the 'Dons on the comeback trail with a triple from the top of the key.
IPFW went on a 10-0 run over a two-minute time span. Perkins drove to the hoop for a layup.
Junior forward David Carson, a transfer from Oakland, hit a pair of buckets, and Burrows put back a miss to tie it at 47.
Burrows continued to work the offensive glass, tipping in a miss to give the 'Dons a 51-48 advantage with 9:40 left.
Oakland would regain the lead after a triple from senior guard Brandon Cassise and a fast-break bucket from sophomore guard Johnathon Jones.
However, Burrows would put IPFW up for good with a rim-rattling slam off of an assist from Perkins at the 2:31 mark, 67-66.
Perkins stepped up and sank five freebies in the final minute, and as a fitting end, Carson put the final nail in the coffin with a pair of his own, as the 'Dons improved to 4-3 in league play.
IPFW head coach Dane Fife saw his team win for the first time this season after trailing at the half. "I said, you guys have guts and you proved it tonight," he said.
"You showed what you are capable of doing, and I just told them that I am so proud of them. Let's keep it in perspective, we have a ton of work to do, but we certainly have come a long, long way, since our first year, and I wanted them to know that as a staff we are just so proud of what they are doing."
Along with Burrows' 23 and Perkins' 18, IPFW got double-digit performances from Scott (16) and Carson (15). Carson was a rebound shy of a double-double (9).
Jones led the Golden Grizzlies (9-9, 4-3) with 17 points.
IPFW continues to improve at the foul-line as well, hitting 24-29 for 82.8% for the game.
With the win, IPFW improves to 7-11 and jumps into a tie for third place in the Summit League at 4-3.
The 'Dons hit the road for their next two Summit League games. IPFW travels to Western Illinois on Thursday night (1/24) before heading to IUPUI on Saturday night (1/26) for a 7:00 p.m. date with the Jaguars.
~Dons~
