Mastodons Hold off Big Green in Defensive Struggle

Tuesday, December 13

Memorial Coliseum

7:00 p.m.

Purdue Fort Wayne

6-3

Dartmouth

2-7

Dartmouth

IPFW

Photo by: Lucas Carter

Mastodons Hold off Big Green in Defensive Struggle

12/13/2011 9:54:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

FORT WAYNE, Ind. -The IPFW Mastodons held Dartmouth to 29.2 percent shooting in the first half, and just 51 points for the game, as the 'Dons held on late for a 56-51 victory over the Ivy League foe, IPFW's fourth straight victory this season, a season-long win-streak for the Blue and White.

The win improves IPFW's record to 6-3 on the season, while Dartmouth falls to 2-7.

After being held to just seven points against Nebraska Omaha snapping a 19-game double-figure scoring streak, Frank Gaines scored a game-high 21 points, while Trey McCorkle added 11 in the win.

McCorkle also grabbed a game-high eight rebounds, with Jonny Marlin adding four assists, and Jason Smeathers and Mario Hines each had two blocked shots.

The IPFW defense was keyed up early, holding the Big Green scoreless for the first four and a half minutes of the game, and jumped out to a 14-3 lead on a Hines tip-dunk with 12:29 to play in the first half.

Dartmouth fought back, using a 7-0 run to climb to within four, and trailed by as few as three 47 seconds later, but could not get any closer in the first half, as IPFW pushed the advantage to five at 27-22 at the intermission.

Within the first three minutes of the second half the Big Green climbed to within two, the last time at 30-28 with 17:31 to go in the game, setting up a 9-3 IPFW run to push ahead by eight on a Gaines fast-break dunk. The Big Green proceeded to score eight straight points to tie the score at 39 apiece, and took its only lead of the game at 47-46 with 5:08 to play.

Gaines followed two minutes later with a pair of free throws, followed by back-to-back lay-ins from McCorkle which put the Mastodons ahead by five with 1:14 to play. The lead reached seven late in the game, before settling at five in the 56-51 victory.

IPFW made 21-of-50 shots from the field (42 percent); however, just 1-of-11 from long range (9.1 percent), and 54.2 percent (13-of-24) from the charity stripe. Dartmouth was 18-of-50 overall from the field, and 7-of-16 from long range, including 6-of-9 in the second half.

The Mastodons return to action on Sunday, December 18 when the squad travels to Martin, Tennessee, to take on the Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks (2-9) at 2:00 p.m.

~Dons~