Mastodons Fall in First Meeting with Drake 74-64

Saturday, December 8

Des Moines, Iowa

8:05 p.m.

Purdue Fort Wayne

5-6

Drake

4-4

IPFW

Drake

Mastodons Fall in First Meeting with Drake 74-64

12/8/2012 7:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

BOX SCORE (.pdf) | BOX SCORE

DES MOINES, Iowa - Despite a game-high 27 points from senior Frank Gaines, and a season-high 10 points from Michael Kibiloski, the IPFW Mastodons fell 74-64 to the Drake Bulldogs in the first meeting between the two teams on Saturday evening.

Gaines was 8-of-17 from the field, and 10-of-12 from the charity stripe, while Kibiloski had 10 points and seven rebounds. Luis Jacobo scored eight while pulling down seven rebounds, as IPFW out-rebounded the Bulldogs 4-36 in the game.

The first half was the Gaines show, as the senior scored 16 points in the half on 4-of-8 shooting from the field, and 8-of-10 from the charity stripe. The Bulldogs jumped out early, chasing out to an 8-2 lead through the first four minutes, and the Mastodon deficit grew to as many as nine.

Trailing by nine at 19-10 with 11:02 to play, IPFW ran off seven straight points, five from Gaines, cutting the gap to two, and tied the game at 26-26 and 29-29, the latter coming with 2:42 on the clock; however, IPFW would not score again as Drake closed the half on a 10-0 run to take a 10-point, 39-29 lead into the locker room at halftime.

A Jacobo three-pointer early in the second half cut the IPFW deficit to nine; however, the hosts scored seven straight points to push the lead to as many as 16, the most the 'Dons have trailed by at any point this season.

The Mastodons refused to give up, fighting back to within seven with 12:28 to play, but the halftime deficit was too much to overcome, as Drake held on for the 74-64 win.

IPFW hit 21-of-59 shots from the field (35.6%), 5-of-17 on 3's (29.4 percent), and 17-of-30 from the charity stripe.

The Mastodons take a week off for final exams, before returning to action on December 17 when the squad travels to South Bend, Ind., to take on the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame in a 7 p.m. tip-off.

~ Feel the Rumble ~