'Dons Look to Snap Skid Saturday Against Jaguars

PREGAME NOTES

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The IPFW Mastodons look to snap their two-game losing skid on Saturday afternoon when the squad plays host to the IUPUI Jaguars in the second game of a women's / men's doubleheader at the Gates Sports Center.

Opponent: IUPUI Jaguars (6-17, 1-8 Summit)
When: Saturday, January 26, 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 JAGUARS

The Jaguars come into Saturday's game riding a seven-game losing streak, with their last victory coming on December 27 against IPFW.

In their last game, an 89-71 loss to Oakland, Sean Esposito scored 21 points, and Donovan Gibbs scored 15, but both were overshadowed by Oakland's Travis Bader who scored an NCAA season-high 47 points, hitting 11-of-18 from long range, helping the Golden Grizzlies to the win.

John Hart leads the team in scoring, averaging 14.2 points per game, and scored 26 against the 'Dons, but has missed the team's most recent four games. Mitchell Patton averages 12.7, and Gibbs 9.7.

Gibbs leads the team in rebounding, averaging 6.3 boards per game, while Greg Rice has dished out 80 assists, an average of 3.5 per contest. Hart has a team-best 27 steals, while Patton has blocked 15 shots.

LAST TIME AGAINST THE JAGUARS

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.

ALL-TIME SERIES

IUPUI leads the all-time series between the teams 26-9. The Jaguars took eight of the first nine meetings between the teams, before IPFW rattled off four straight wins in the series. Since then IUPUI has won 16-of-21 games, including a nine-game win streak in the series, which was snapped in Indianapolis on January 31, 2010 when Zach Plackemeier hit a buzzer beater at Conseco Fieldhouse (now named Bankers Life Fieldhouse) to top the Jaguars in overtime.

LOW HALF

When the IPFW Mastodons held Western Illinois to just 19 points in the second half, it tied a school mark as a Division I program for fewest points allowed in the second half of a game against a Division I opponent.

QUICK HITTERS

• IPFW is 7-2 at home this season

• The 19 points allowed in the second half against Western Illinois are tied for the fewest allowed in a second half against

a Division I opponent since the Mastodons became a member of NCAA Division I

• IPFW senior Frank Gaines currently has 1,586 career points, second most in a career in IPFW history, and needs 179

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 four more points to climb into 27th

• As of the latest NCAA Rankings (January 20), IPFW ranks 71st in steals per game (8.1), and 100th in rebounding margin

(+3.4), while Frank Gaines ranks 50th in scoring (18.0 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 1-6 all-time on January 26

• 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

• Eight 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

~ Feel the Rumble ~

Purdue University Fort Wayne Athletics

'Dons Look to Snap Skid Saturday Against Jaguars

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