IPFW to Host South Dakota State on Saturday

Game Notes I Live Stats I Listen I Watch

FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- The IPFW women's basketball team will host South Dakota State on Saturday afternoon as the Jackrabbits visit the Gates Sports Center with a perfect 4-0 record in league play (12-5 overall). IPFW is 6-10 overall (2-2 SL) after defeating North Dakota State on Thursday. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m.

SCOUTING THE JACKRABBITS

South Dakota State is the top team in the Summit League with a conference record of 4-0. The Jackrabbits have defeated North Dakota State, Kansas City, South Dakota, and Oakland to post a perfect league record. SDSU has won six straight-games and nine of their last 10 dating back to Dec. 1. The only loss during that stretch of time was at No.10/11 Penn State on Dec. 16.

Ashley Eide leads SDSU in scoring at 15.1 points per game. She was recently named Summit League Athlete of the Month by averaging 17.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per contest during December. Eide has started in all 17 games this season and is currently averaging 27.8 minutes per game.

Megan Waytashek and Leah Dietel are the only other Jackrabbits have started in each contest during the 2012-13 season. Waytashek is second on the team with a scoring average of 13.2. She adds 4.4 rebounds per game and serves as the team's top free throw shooter. Dietel controls the paint for the Jackrabbits with a rebound average of 5.9 per contest. She adds 6.5 points per game and shoots the ball 44 percent from the field.

LAST TIME OUT

The Mastodons used a 21-2 run in the second half to defeat the North Dakota State Bison on Thursday night by the final score of 65-58. Amanda Hyde scored a game-high 22 points.

Hyde scored 22 points on 5-of-11 shooting and also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. She knocked down 3-of-4 from distance and did a lot of damage from the charity stripe, ending the game 9-for-10 from the line. Joining Hyde in double figures was Erin Murphy and Haley Seibert. Murphy scored 17 and added three rebounds, while Seibert went for 5-of-9 from the floor to net 12 points.

North Dakota State also had three players in double figure scoring. Dani DeGagne scored a team-high 16 points with seven rebounds and Marena Whittle impacted the contest with 13 points and 10 boards. The final Bison to reach double figures was guard Katie Birkel who ended the night with 11.

The Bison got off to a fast start and grabbed a 13-6 lead at the first media timeout. IPFW came out of the break to score eight-straight points to take a one point lead. NDSU regained the lead and opened up a 24-17 advantage, but it wouldn't last as another 8-0 run from IPFW put the score at 25-24. Seibert and Hyde each hit a 3-point bucket during that stretch and Murphy added a layup. The first half ended with IPFW holding on to a one point advantage, 33-32.

The start of the second half was back and forth action as each team tried to gain the upper hand. The Bison held a four point advantage after a 3-point field goal from Marena Whittle, but IPFW exploded to go on a 21-2 run which put them in the driver's seat the rest of the way. Hyde didn't score a point during the run - instead it was the trio of Seibert, Murphy, and Stephanie Mauk. Seibert scored eight, Murphy added seven, and Mauk chipped in with six to grab a 15 point lead.

IPFW didn't hit a field goal after the seven minute mark in the second half, but quality free throw shooting improved the 'Dons overall record to 6-10.

ALL-TIME SERIES
South Dakota State leads the all-time series over IPFW 17-1. The first meeting between the two programs was during the 2004-05 season as the Jackrabbits recorded a 90-73 victory over the Mastodons in Fort Wayne. IPFW started to play SDSU two times a year the next season. Their lone win over the Jackrabbits came in overtime during the 2010-11 season. The 'Dons won 70-67 in Brookings to stop the Jackrabbit streak.

3-POINT STREAK
The IPFW Mastodons have made a 3-point field goal in 421 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 561 consecutive games. Sam Houston State and Connecticut rank ahead of IPFW with 514 and 487 respectively.

SUMMIT LEAGUE LEADER
Junior Amanda Hyde leads the Summit League with a scoring average of 20.2 points per game. She most recently dropped 22 points vs North Dakota State.

SUMMIT POINTS
The Summit League is ranked No. 21 in Collegiate Basketball News' (rpiratings.com) RPI rankings and No. 23 in the Sagarin rankings (as of Jan. 8) ... The league has three teams ranked in the top 175 with South Dakota State leading the way at No. 80 followed by IUPUI at No. 161 and Western Illinois at No. 172... Omaha's Jamie Nash became the school's all-time leader in assists ... South Dakota State head coach Aaron Johnston earned his 301st career win, tying him with former head coach Nancy Neiber for the most in program history.

FREEBIES
Erin Murphy and Amanda Hyde are the top free throw shooters in the league as Murphy leads all players with an 87.8 free throw percentage and Hyde is next in line at 85.4. The team is currently ranked sixth in the nation, posting a team percentage of 78.8.

UP NEXT
IPFW will travel to South Dakota next weekend to face the Coyotes on Thursday, Jan. 17. They will end the weekend with a road game at Kansas City on Saturday, Jan. 19.

~ Feel the Rumble ~

Purdue University Fort Wayne Athletics

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