Mastodons Open Season with 29-Point Exhibition Win

Monday, November 7

Fort Wayne, Ind.

7:00 p.m.

Purdue Fort Wayne

Trine (exhibition)

Photo by: Lucas Carter

Mastodons Open Season with 29-Point Exhibition Win

11/7/2011 9:54:00 PM | Men's Basketball

BOX SCORE | PHOTO GALLERY

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Frank Gaines' 18 points led four players in double-figures, as the IPFW Mastodons opened the 2011-12 season in grand fashion with an 83-54 exhibition win over the Trine Thunder.

Gaines made half of his 12 shots from the field while converting on all four free throws, while Mario Hines scored 15, Joe Edwards 11, and Jason Smeathers 10. Trey McCorkle and Michael Kibiloski each narrowly missed double-figure points with nine and seven, respectively.

As a team the Mastodons out-rebounded Trine 53-25 for the game, as McCorkle grabbed a game-high eight, with Smeathers and Hines each pulling down seven, as 12 of the 13 players in the game had at least one rebound. Jonny Marlin dished out a game-high six assists, while McCorkle had two blocks.

The Thunder scored first and led 4-2 before IPFW rattled off nine consecutive points to lead by seven at 11-4.A Trine basket cut the deficit to five, before the 'Dons ran off eight more consecutive points, to cap a 17-2 run, giving the hosts a comfortable 19-6 lead.

The IPFW advantage reached single digits just once the rest of the way, when Trine closed to within nine at 22-13; however, an 11-0 run pushed the lead to 20 over the following three minutes.

The Mastodons went into halftime with a 22-point, 49-27 lead; but the Thunder came out of the break with a renewed vengeance, cutting the deficit to as few as 17 with 10:50 to play in the contest.

The 'Dons put its foot back on the gas pedal, and over the next three minutes opened an 11-0 run, as both coaches emptied the benches late in the lopsided IPFW win, as Fort Wayne native and Trine freshman Dustin Hall hit a half-court buzzer beater as time expired to give the game its 83-54 final score.

Ian Jackson scored 14 points and a team-high six rebounds for the visitors, while Chris Kent added 10. Both Kent and Jackson each dished out four assists for tops on the team, while also each grabbing a trio of steals.

The Mastodons return to action for its regular season opener on October 12, when the 'Dons host the Mavericks of Nebraska Omaha at the Memorial Coliseum for a 1 p.m. tip-off. The weekend is also Military Appreciation Weekend, where any member of the military who shows their ID will get free entrance into the game.

~Dons~