Purdue Fort Wayne
Ball State
Buzzer Beaten
12/1/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 1, 2008
Fort Wayne, IN - The IPFW men's basketball team now knows each end of the spectrum when it comes to games that are decided on the last shot. Saturday, the Mastodons beat Eastern Illinois at the buzzer. Monday night at the Memorial Coliseum, Ball State got the game winner at the final horn.
With time running out, and IPFW junior forward Deilvez Yearby draped all over him, BSU senior forward Anthony Newell launched a fadeaway jumper from about 14 feet that found the bottom of the net giving the Cardinals a hard-fought 54-52 win.
Newell, a preseason All-Mid-American Conference selection, had been held in check most of the game. He came into the contest averaging 16.2 points a game. He finished with 11, but the final two were huge.
The final minute, like the bulk of the game, was a tight defensive battle.
Newell gave the Cardinals a 52-50 lead on a free throw with 1:19 left.
IPFW sophomore guard Ben Botts tied it at 52 with a short jumper in the lane.
BSU made it clear that they were going to put the ball in Newell's hands each trip down the court.
With :51 on the clock, Yearby shook off the effects of an inadvertent elbow and blocked a Newell layup attempt.
Senior forward David Carson grabbed the rebound and IPFW called time out.
The Cardinals would not allow IPFW to get the ball into Carson in the post, and with time running out on the shot clock, Yearby's mid-range jumper rolled in and out setting up Newell's heroics.
"I can't be too disappointed in our effort," IPFW head coach Dane Fife said. "I thought we did a nice job. Ball State is a very good basketball team. They're big, they're strong, they've got quick guards, and they've got a superstar in Newell. I'm proud of our guys. I thought we played well enough to win, we just couldn't get it done in the end."
The outcome ruined a fantastic effort by IPFW freshman forward Trey McCorkle who scored a career-high 15 points.
Carson and Botts added 13 and 12 points, respectively.
Senior guard Laron Frazier led Ball State (4-2) with 15 points. Newell was the only other Cardinal in double figures with his 11. He also had 13 rebounds for a double-double.
Ball State took care of business at the foul line, making 17 of 23 attempts. IPFW was 10-14 from the stripe.
Neither team could get into a shooting rhythm because of the tough defense being played. Ball State shot 39.5% from the floor, while the 'Dons managed just 38.8%.
IPFW won the battle of the boards, 32-30.
With the loss, IPFW falls to 3-3. The Mastodons now hit the road for seven straight games, including the Summit League conference opener with Southern Utah on Dec. 4.
~Dons~
