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Purdue Fort Wayne
Western Illinois
Mastodons Battle Western Illinois for First Conference Win
1/2/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 2, 2010
Fort Wayne, IN - IPFW and Western Illinois battled until the final few possessions on Saturday night before the Mastodons finally pulled out a tough, 53-49 win at the Memorial Coliseum.
In a very physical game, the Mastodons took a two-point lead late as senior Deilvez Yearby hit a mid-range jumper to give IPFW a 48-46 advantage with just over six minutes remaining.
Sophomore guard Jeremy Mixon extended that lead to five with a huge 3-pointer from the left side, but Western Illinois would not go away quietly.
Sophomore guard Ceola Clark stepped up and knocked down a triple of his own to draw WIU to within two again at the 3:59 mark.
The score remained 51-49 Mastodons as each team refused the let the other score over a span of 3:58.
Western Illinois found themselves trailing by two, with the ball, and one last chance to tie or take the lead with :16 remaining. However, freshman guard Jelani Johnson's 3-pointer was off the mark and IPFW was fouled on the rebound.
Junior forward Antwone Snead knocked down both the freebies with just a second left to seal the first conference win of the season for the 'Dons, 53-49.
"It's a really big win for us against a solid defensive team," IPFW head coach Dane Fife said. "Antwone Snead came out and did an outstanding job on Okafor (Emeka, Jr.) , and Jeremy Mixon gave us a lift of the bench. I thought this was our best defensive effort of the year. I didn't give him credit in the locker room in front of our guys, but I thought Oleg (Kovalov) gave us a huge lift off the bench with his scoring and intensity."
Oleg Kovalov had a career-high 11 vs. WIU  |
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Kovalov entered the game in the first half because of interior foul trouble and scored nine points and defended exceptionally well in the post.
Snead did not allow Okafor to score a single point in the second half after the sophomore forward led Western Illinois with 12 in the first half.
Western Illinois came into the game as The Summit League's stingiest team allowing just 59.2 points per game, but it was the Mastodons who put on an equally impressive defensive show. The Leathernecks' 49 points was the lowest scored by an opponent this season.
Even double and tripled teamed, Yearby was able to lead IPFW with 18 points. He also pulled down eight rebounds.
Kovalov was the only other 'Don in double-digits with a career-high 11 markers.
Western Illinois (5-8, 0-4 SL) got a game-high 13 from Clark and 12 from Okafor (the nephew of former Connecticut Husky and current New Orleans Hornet Emeka Okafor).
WIU shot 33.3% from the field, while IPFW hit on just 32.6%. The Mastodons were a solid 20-23 from the foul line with Yearby going a perfect 6-6.
With the win, IPFW improves to 6-7 and 1-2 in league play. The Mastodons now head out on the road for their first two away Summit League contests. IPFW will face Centenary on Thursday night at the Gold Dome before facing Oral Roberts at the Mabee Center on Saturday. Both games can be heard locally on ESPN 1380 AM and on the Internet at www.gomastodons.com.
~Dons~
