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Purdue Fort Wayne
Xavier
IPFW Struggles in Opener at Xavier
11/14/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 14, 2008
Cincinnati, OH- Xavier University's defense held IPFW to only 25% shooting from the floor in handing the Mastodons an opening night, 71-43 loss in front of 10,250 fans at the Cintas Center on Friday night.
Xavier's swarming "D" kept the 'Dons out of the scoring column for over eight minutes in the first half as the Musketeers cracked open what had been a tight contest in the early going.
In the first half, Xavier (1-0) used their size advantage to score 20 points in the paint while taking a 37-14 lead at the half.
IPFW played a much improved second half, but the damage had already been done.
Freshman Trey McCorkle showed glimpses of what Mastodon fans can look forward to this season. He put together four straight points for the 'Dons and played strong interior defense. He led IPFW in scoring with 10 points on the evening.
Junior transfer Deilvez Yearby had nine points and five rebounds in his Mastodon debut.
The Musketeers lost three key players from last year's Elite 8 team but have reloaded.
Returner C.J. Anderson led all scorer's with 15 points. Newcomer, 7-0 freshman center Kenny Frease added 12 points, while Jamel McClain came of the bench to post a 10 point, 10 rebound double-double.
Xavier connected on 51.1 percent of their attempts from the field. They outrebounded the Mastodons, 46-31.
IPFW played the contest without senior guard Jakari Johnson, who was injured earlier in the week in practice. His status s day-to-day.
The Mastodons will now return home to host Michigan State on Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. Tickets for the contest are available by calling the Memorial Coliseum box office or logging on to www.ticketmaster.com.
~Dons~
