Purdue Fort Wayne
Centenary
Late Surge Pushes IPFW Past Centenary
2/5/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 5, 2009
Fort Wayne, IN - IPFW used a 21-9 run over the final 8:08 of regulation to drop Centenary College, 71-59 on Thursday night at the Memorial Coliseum.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Mastodons (9-14, 4-8 SL) and puts them in a tie for the eighth and final spot for the Summit League tournament with six games left to play. The 'Dons are now tied with Western Illinois at 4-8 after WIU's 61-52 loss at home to league leading North Dakota State.
IPFW led by five at intermission (32-27) on the strength of some good outside shooting. IPFW responded to Centenary's zone defense by knocking down six triples in the first half.
In the second half, Centenary (7-16, 5-6 SL) made an early run, and on back-to-back baskets by sophomore guard Gary Redus II trailed 37-35.
Redus' second steal and dunk of the game tied it at 50 with 8:08 left. From there it was all 'Dons.
IPFW looked to score more in transition and it worked.
Following a fast-break layup by senior guard Jakari Johnson, a 3-pointer from senior forward David Carson, and an offensive rebound and put-back by junior forward Deilvez Yearby, IPFW led by nine.
A conventional three-point play by Carson gave IPFW a double-digit lead they would not relinquish the rest of the way.
"We did a good job, especially in the second half, of pushing it and getting our guys easy shots and easy layups," IPFW head coach Dane Fife said.
"It's a huge win for us, because we're running out of time and our guys know that our backs are against the wall. We dug this hole, now we've gotta' dig out."
IPFW got a game-high 17 from sophomore guard Ben Botts. Carson and Johnson added 12 each, while Yearby tallied 10. Yearby also had four blocks in the game, while Johnson had four steals and a team-high six rebounds.
Centenary was led by senior guard Nick Stallings with 16. Redus finished with 13.
IPFW will host Oral Roberts on Saturday afternoon in the second half of the second annual "Pink Out" doubleheader.
The Golden Eagles dropped an 81-69 decision at Oakland on Thursday night.
IPFW's women tip-off the double-dip at 1:30 p.m. followed by the men's game at 4:00 p.m.
~Dons~
