Mastodons Return to Campus to Face Leathernecks

PREGAME NOTES

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The IPFW Mastodons return home to the Gates Sports Center on Thursday afternoon, when the squad hosts the Western Illinois Leathernecks in a 7 p.m. tip-off.

Opponent: Western Illinois Leathernecks (15-4, 7-1 Summit League)
When: Thursday, January 24, 2013 | 7 p.m.
Where: Fort Wayne, Ind. | Gates Sports Center (2,000)
Radio: WKJG ESPN Radio 1380 AM | Kent Hormann, play-by-play; Jeff Parrish, analyst
Live Stats: IPFW Live Stats
Streaming Video: IPFW All-Access

SCOUTING THE LEATHERNECKS

The Leathernecks come into the game tied for first in the Summit League standings at 7-1 with North Dakota State, a team that WIU topped 50-42 on Saturday evening.

In that contest, Ceola Clark scored a game-high 13 points while Remy Roberts-Burnett added 11. The teams combined for just 17 assists (eight for WIU), and just 33 total points in the first half, where NDSU led 20-13 before Western Illinois out-scored the Bison 37-to-22 in the second half.

This season the Leathernecks are led by Terell Parks who averages 13.5 points and leads the Summit League in rebounding (9.2) and blocked shots (2.7). Ceola Clark, last season's Summit League Defensive Player of the Year, averages 11.5 points per game, while dishing out 4.2 assists per game, and leading the team with 33 steals. Three others: Adam Link (9.6), Don McAvoy (7.9), and Jack Houpt (7.6) average over seven and a half points per game apiece.

LAST TIME AGAINST THE LEATHERNECKS

Despite an IPFW career-high 19 points from Luis Jacobo, and a 10-point, six-steal effort from Joe Edwards, the IPFW Mastodons were downed by the Western Illinois Leathernecks by a 62-50 final score on Saturday evening.

Jacobo went 7-of-16 from the field, and 4-of-8 from long range for the Mastodons, while Edwards was 5-of-11 from the field. Edwards' six steals are tied for the seventh-most in a game in school history, and the most since Jakari Johnson picked up six against Marygrove on December 1, 2007.

Michael Kibiloski and Isaiah McCray each pulled down six rebounds, while Edwards dished out a team-high four assists, with McCray and Frank Gaines each giving out three. IPFW had an 11-to-5 assist-to-turnover ratio in the game, and pulled down 15 offensive rebounds.

The Mastodons and Leathernecks fought back-and-forth for the first seven minutes of the game, with IPFW leading WIU 8-6 with 13:50 to play after a Mario Hines basket in the lane.

The team proceeded to hit a cold spell, going over six minutes without a basket, as the Leathernecks ran off a 16-2 run to lead 22-10 lead before Edwards drained a running jumper in the lane to snap the cold spell.

IPFW found themselves trailing by as many as 14 after a Terell Parks basket that put the score at 26-12; and the Mastodons cut into the gap by one at the break, trailing 31-19 after 20 minutes of action.

The Leatherneck lead grew to 17 just over three minutes into the second half, before the Mastodon defense started to take hold, keeping Western Illinois without a field goal for over eight minutes; although IPFW could only climb to within six, capping a 13-2 run with a Jacobo three-point basket with 10:58 left in the game.

Western Illinois pushed back with a run of their own, taking the lead to 18 with 3:40 to play, before IPFW closed the game on a 12-4 run, to give the game its 62-50 final margin.

The Mastodons were 18-of-57 from the field (31.6%), and 4-of-21 on 3's (19.0%), while making 10-of-23 charity stripe attempts (43.5%). Western Illinois was 19-of-39 (48.7%) shooting in the game, including a blistering 54.5% (6-of-11) from long range, and making 18-of-25 free throws (72.0%).

Adam Link and Jack Houpt each scored 16 points for Western Illinois, while Ceola Clark scored 14 and dished out six assists.

ALL-TIME SERIES

Despite a three-game Western Illinois win streak in the all-time series between the two teams, the Mastodons hold a solid 9-5 lead in the all-time series. The teams split the first four meetings all-time, including a five-overtime thriller on November 21, 2006, before IPFW ran off seven straight wins from the 2007-08 through the 2010-11 seasons.

Earlier this season in Macomb, the Mastodons fell 62-50, and were led by Luis Jacobo's 19 points, while Joe Edwards had 10 points and a career-high six steals while adding four assists.

CLIMBING THE SUMMIT LEAGUE LADDER

IPFW's Frank Gaines has 1,578 career points, a total that not only put him second in school history, but into a tie for 29th place in the Summit League record book

QUICK HITTERS

• IPFW is 7-1 at home this season

• IPFW senior Frank Gaines currently has 1,578 career points, second most in a career in IPFW history, and needs 187 more to move into the career lead, passing Sean Gibson (1989-93) who has 1,765 over his career.

• Gaines has climbed into 29th in Summit League history, and needs 12 more points to climb into 27th

• As of the latest NCAA Rankings (January 20), IPFW ranks 66th in steals per game (8.3), and 99th in rebounding margin (+3.4), while Frank Gaines ranks 38rd in scoring (18.5 points per game)

• Frank Gaines has reached double-figure scoring 73 times in his career and 33 20-point games, but saw his 27-game double-figure streak snapped against Miami (Ohio). His previous time being held to single digits was December 20, 2011 against Purdue.

• Against Judson, IPFW set single-game school records for fewest points allowed (22), and largest margin of victory (70 points)

• Earlier this year in a triple-overtime win over Texas-Pan America, IPFW set single-game school records with 57 free throw attempts, while the team's 63 rebounds are the second-most in school history.

• IPFW is 2-8 all-time on January 24

• Nine of ten IPFW players who have seen action this season have started at least one game

• IPFW is 6-1 this season when leading at halftime, and are 15-5 under Jasick when leading after the first 20 minutes.

• Tony Jasick is the 13th youngest head coach in NCAA Division I

• Six different players have led the team in scoring this season (including ties), led by Gaines, who has led the team nine times

• Gaines also stands second in career school history in free throws made and attempted, fourth in rebounding, 7th in blocked shots and 8th in steals

• The Mastodons have out-rebounded 12-of-21 teams this season, and are 6-6 when out-rebounding their opponents

~ Feel the Rumble ~

Purdue University Fort Wayne Athletics

Mastodons Return to Campus to Face Leathernecks

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