IPFW to Challenge Michigan State on Sunday

Game Notes I Live Stats I Radio

FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- The Mastodons will travel to East Lansing, Mich. this weekend to take on the Michigan State Spartans. The game marks the third contest IPFW has played against a Big Ten oppenent this year. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 16.

ABOUT IPFW
The Mastodons enter the weekend with an overall record of 3-6. They are 2-3 at home and 1-3 on the road. IPFW is currently on a three-game losing streak as they took losses against Valparaiso and No. 14 Purdue at home, while taking a tough 61-54 road loss at SIU Edwardsville.

The good news for IPFW is that after they play Michigan State on Sunday their next four games will be played at the Gates Sports Center. The first game of 2013 will be played at Omaha on Jan. 5, but the 'Dons will once again return home for two more games making that six of the next seven to be played on a home court after the trip to East Lansing.

SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE

Michigan State holds an overall record of 8-1 early in the 2012-13 season. The Spartans won eight-straight to kick off the year, but were recently defeated at Dayton 53-60. MSU averages 68 points per game as a team, but it is their defense that allows them to control the game. The Spartans rank first in the NCAA in scoring defense (43.4) and fourth in field goal percentage defense (30.3). Offensively, they take care of the ball by limiting turnovers and by shooting a high percentage from the field (45.5).

Klarissa Bell leads the team with a 15.0 ppg scoring average. Bell is one of four Spartans that averages double digits in the scoring column. MSU has a tall starting lineup that includes heights of 6-4, 6-3, 6-1 and 5-11. They rebound the ball well as a result, grabbing nearly 10 more rebounds per game than their opponent. The Spartans are not ranked, but did receive votes in the latest rankings that came out on Dec. 10.

LAST TIME OUT

The IPFW women's basketball team fell to SIU Edwardsville by the final score of 61-54. The Cougars ended the game on a 10-0 run to steal a victory away from the Mastodons.

Rebecca Bruner hit a jump shot that put IPFW up 54-51 with 4:54 left on the game clock, but SIU Edwardsville responded by scoring 10-straight points to record their sixth win of the year. Eight of the 10 points scored by SIUE came from the free throw line.

Amanda Hyde once again led IPFW in scoring as she ended the game with 15 points, three rebounds, three assists and a steal in 37 minutes of action. Erin Murphy also provided IPFW with a spark offensively as she scored all 13 of her points in the second half of action.

The game started off as a track meet as each team hit a 3-point field goal in the opening seconds of the first half. SIUE opened up a seven point lead with just under eight minutes to play after a CoCo Moore jumper, but Stefanie Mauk connected on her second 3-point field goal of the half moments later to cut the deficit to 22-20.

Berry hit two free throws with roughly three minutes to play and then added a field goal before intermission to give SIUE a 28-23 lead at halftime. The Mastodons faced a two possession deficit early in the second half, but were able to cut the lead to just two points near the second media timeout.

Free throws from Hillary Moore and Erin Murphy got the 'Dons within striking distance and then a 3-point field goal from Murphy put IPFW on top 48-46. Tierny Austin put SIUE on her back after IPFW grabbed the lead as she scored six-straight points after the Murphy 3-pointer. Hyde added a layup that made the score 52-51 IPFW, but the 10-0 run down the stretch sealed the victory for SIUE.

THREE-POINT STREAK
The IPFW Mastodons have made a 3-point field goal in 414 straight contests, a stretch that ranks as the fourth longest active streak in NCAA Division I. Iowa State's streak is at the top of the list by making a 3-point field goal in 555 consecutive games. Sam Houston State and Connecticut rank ahead of IPFW with 506 and 481 respectively.

ALL-TIME SERIES

Michigan State holds a 2-0 lead in the all-time series over IPFW. The Spartans defeated IPFW 90-62 in the first meeting which was played in East Lansing on Nov. 13, 2010. The second meeting was played during the 2011-12 season as the Spartans held on to a 62-56 win at home on Nov. 15. Amanda Hyde played well for the Mastodons the last time these two teams faced off. Hyde scored 14 points while adding three rebounds and three assists in 36 minutes of action.

DENVER TO JOIN SUMMIT LEAGUE
The University of Denver accepted an invitation to become The Summit League's newest member institution, the university and league announced on Nov. 27. Denver will join The Summit League during the 2013-14 academic year after its membership takes effect on July 1, 2013. The Pioneers, who compete in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's tennis, and women's volleyball, will be immediately eligible for all Summit League Championships during the 2013-14 season.

HYDE SCORES 43 AT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

Amanda Hyde scored a career-high 43 points in a win over Southern Illinois 78-65. The 43 points placed her in a tie for second all-time in Summit League history, and also tied the IPFW school record for most points in a game.

43 points puts Hyde in a tie for the highest single-game total in NCAA Division I this season. Shareta Brown of Detroit recently scored 43 against Lourdes on Dec. 10. Other student-athlete to score more than 40 include Amy Patton of Northern Arizona who scored 41 points against Bradley on Nov. 24 and Kevi Luper of Oral Roberts who dropped 40 points against Missouri State on Nov. 29.

Hyde has reached double figure scoring in all nine games this season. Her 43-point game against Southern Illinois helped her increase her scoring average to 20.3 ppg which ranks her 20th in the NCAA and first in the Summit League.

SINGLE-GAME INDIVIDUAL POINTS RECORD
Amanda Hyde tied Lindy Jones for a share of the IPFW single-game scoring record. Jones scored 43 points against St. Joseph's during the 1995-96 season. Other Mastodons to reach 40 points in a game include Jamie Holderman and Lisa Miller. Holderman scored 40 against Quincy on Feb. 17, 2001 and Miller recorded her 40 point game against IUPUI on Jan. 23, 1992.

HIGH FREE THROW PERCENTAGES

Erin Murphy leads the Summit League with a 95 percent free throw percentage. The junior guard has connected on 19 of her 20 free throw attempts this season. Teammate Amanda Hyde has also helped the team post a high free throw percentage as she knocked down all 14 of her attempts against Purdue on Dec. 6. Hyde ranks sixth in the league with an 81 percent free throw percentage. The duo of Murphy and Hyde help boost IPFW's team free throw percentage to 78 percent, which currently leads the Summit League.

IPFW FOR 3
The Mastodons have made 57 3-point field goals through the first nine games of the season giving them an average of 6.3 makes per contest. The 6.3 average is good enough for a three-way tie in the Summit League as Oakland and South Dakota State also average just over six 3-point field goals per game.

SUMMIT LEAGUE VS BIG TEN SATURDAY

This Saturday, three of the four contests will be against Big Ten opponents. South Dakota State travels to University Park, Pa., to take on Big Ten preseason favorite No. 10 Penn State. The Jackrabbits will be looking to knock-off their second Big Ten opponent this season after defeating No. 15 Nebraska, which was selected second in the preseason poll, on Nov. 18 at Frost Arena. After hosting Michigan State last week, Oakland welcomes No. 14 Purdue to the O'rena. The Boilermakers will be playing in their second Summit League arena this season after taking on IPFW in the Gates Center last week. Meanwhile, the Mastodons will travel to East Lansing, Mich., to battle the Spartans.

SUMMIT LEAGUE SCHEDULE
The Summit League schedule is quickly approaching as the Mastodons will host IUPUI and Western Illinois to open up league play. A quick trip to Omaha will be the first game for IPFW in 2013 and then the Mastodons will return home for games against North Dakota State and South Dakota State.

UP NEXT
IPFW will host the Detroit Titans on Tuesday, Dec. 18. The Titans recently defeated Lourdes 101-50 to improve to 5-4 on the year. Sophomore Shareta Brown set a school record by scoring 43 points. Brown shot 17-of-22 from the field while hitting 9-of-10 from the charity stripe. The Titans also got 15 rebounds from Yar Shayok and 10 assists from Audrey Matteson.

~ Feel the Rumble ~

Purdue University Fort Wayne Athletics

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