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Purdue Fort Wayne
Western Illinois
Men's Basketball Looks to Rebound in Calendar Year Finale
12/28/2012 4:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MACOMB, Ill. - The IPFW Mastodons will look to rebound from its Summit League-opening loss to IUPUI on Saturday, when the squad faces off against the Western Illinois Leathernecks in the final game of the 2012 calendar year for both squads.
Opponent: Western Illinois Leathernecks (9-3, 3-0 Summit League)
When: Saturday, December 29, 2012 | 8 p.m. EST
Where: Macomb, Ill. | Western Hall (5,139)
Radio: WKJG ESPN Radio 1380 AM (Kent Hormann play-by-play)
Live Stats: WIU Live Stats
Streaming Video: Rocky Vision (Subscription Required)
SCOUTING THE LEATHERNECKS
Western Illinois comes into the 2012 calendar year-finale for both teams with a 9-3 record, and in the middle of a six-game win streak with victories over South Dakota, Kansas City, Eastern Illinois, SIU Edwardsville, UIC, and Oakland.
In the last game, a 73-63 win over Oakland, Terrell Parks scored a game-high 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field, while Adam Link scored 16, Don McAvoy 13, and Remy Roberts-Burnett scored 10. Parks grabbed eight rebounds, while Jack Houpt pulled down seven while scoring nine points. Ceola Clark dished out a game-high six assiss, while grabbing five boards.
For the season Parks paces the team with a 13.9 point per game scoring average, with Clark pouring in 12.9. Link (9.8), McAvoy (8.4), and Houpt (6.8) all average over five points per game. Parks pulls down nine rebounds per game, while adding 31 blocked shots and 13 steals, while shooting .534 percent (71-of-133) from the field. Clark has dished out 49 assists, while adding 3.4 rebounds per game, and a team-best 24 steals.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Despite the Leathernecks taking the last two meetings, the IPFW Mastodons hold a commanding 9-4 lead in the all-time series. The teams split the first two meetings, both played in Macomb, the latter of the two culminating in a five-overtime thriller. After a 2008 Western Illinois win, the series was tied at two wins apiece. IPFW responded by winning the next seven games, before WIU swept the season series a year ago en route to a runner-up finish in the Summit League Tournament.
CLIMBING THE RECORD BOOKS
IPFW senior Frank Gaines currently has 1,438 career points, fourth most in a career in IPFW history, recently passing former teammate Ben Botts for fourth all-time, and just 13 away from passing Nick Wise for third all-time The career school record is 1,765 held by IPFW Hall of Famer Sean Gibson.
LAST TIME OUT
IPFW led 68-61 with 8:07 to play, the seven-point margin representing the Mastodons' largest lead of the game, but struggled the rest of the way, as the IUPUI Jaguars closed the contest on a 27-6 run to claim an 88-74 win in IPFW's Summit League opener.
Frank Gaines scored a game-high 28 points, while three others, Mario Hines, Michael Kibiloski, and Joe Edwards each had nine. Gaines and Isaiah McCray each pulled down seven rebounds for the 'Dons, while McCray dished out five assists and picked up three steals.
A Gaines three-point-play give IPFW (6-8, 0-1 Summit) a 3-2 lead early in the game; however, the Jaguars (6-10, 1-2 Summit) scored the next eight points to take a seven-point, 10-3 lead.
The Mastodons fought back, tying the score three times in the opening period, and only took a brief lead, as the teams went into the locker room knotted at 39.
The margin remained tight in the second half, before IPFW took a lead when Pierre Bland laid in the Mastodons' second straight breakaway lay-up to push ahead 60-59.
The 'Dons would hold onto that lead, pushing ahead by as many as seven at 68-61 with 8:07 to play after a Gaines jumper gave IPFW the lead.
The lead remained at seven at 70-63 before the Jaguars used a combination of solid defense and a cold IPFW offense which saw the hosts run off a streak of 25-4 over the final seven minutes of the game to claim the win.
IPFW out-rebounded IUPUI 30-to-27, and grabbed 10 offensive rebounds to IUPUI's five. Hines blocked a team-high two shots, as all eight Mastodon players who saw action in the game reached the scoring column.
~ Feel the Rumble ~
