Men's Basketball Hosts Omaha in Saturday Matinee

PREGAME NOTES

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The IPFW men's basketball team will play host to the Omaha Mavericks in a 2 p.m. tip-off time at the Memorial Coliseum on Saturday afternoon. Fans will be treated to an autograph session after the game by the IPFW players.

Opponent: Omaha Mavericks (4-13, 1-4 Summit League)
When: Saturday, January 5, 2013 | 2 p.m.
Where: Fort Wayne, Ind. | Memorial Coliseum (5,200)
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 MAVERICKS

Omaha comes into the Saturday afternoon game following a 91-79 loss at the hands of the Oakland Grizzlies on Thursday evening.

In the game, Justin Simmons scored a game-high 24 points, while John Karhoff scored 14, and Alex Welhouse and Alex Phillips each scored nine. CJ Carter dished out six assists, while Welhouse and Matt Hagerbaumer each pulled down six rebounds.

This season the team has two players averaging in double-figures: Simmons (14.0), and Karhoff (11.6), with Phillips (8.6), Welhouse (7.8), and Carter (7.4) close to the mark.

Welhouse leads the team with a 4.8 rebound per game average, with Hagerbaumer averaging 4.0, as the Mavericks get out-rebounded by an average of 8.7 rebounds per game. Carter dishes out 2.5 assists per game, as Karhoff helps with 2.1. Simmons has a team-best 21 steals, as Hagerbaumer has blocked 16 shots, both team-highs.

LAST TIME AGAINST OMAHA

The IPFW Mastodons erased a 15-point second half deficit to force overtime and held on in the extra stanza for an 83-80 victory over the Nebraska Omaha Mavericks at the Sapp Fieldhouse.

Trey McCorkle scored a game-high 25 points while Jonny Marlin had his first career double-double with 13 points and career-high 10 assists, while Joe Edwards added a career-high 10 points in the win. McCorkle and Edwards each pulled down seven rebounds, as the Mastodons out-rebounded the Mavericks 52-to-47 in the win.

Marlin's 10 assists game against no turnovers, while Jason Smeathers and McCorkle each had three assists apiece. McCorkle led IPFW with two blocks, as Isaiah McCray picked up a pair of steals.

IPFW led early, sporting a three-point advantage at 14-11 after a Mario Hines lay-in; however, the host Mavericks scored eight straight points to take a 19-14 lead they would not give up until late in regulation.

The UNO lead grew to as many as seven in the first half, before the 'Dons cut into the gap, closing to within four at the break at 32-28.

After a three-pointer by Mike Kibiloski cut the deficit to four with 15:21 to play in the game, the hosts, behind a season-high crowd of 1,822, ran off a 13-2 run to push the lead to its high-water mark at 55-40 with 11:54 to play in the game.

The Mastodons chipped away at the deficit, using a 7-0 run capped by a John Peckinpaugh three-point basket, and a 6-0 run to climb to within four after a Hines lay-up.

IPFW took its first lead since the first half on a McCorkle lay-up with 2:22 to play before UNO's Mitch Albers converted an old-fashioned three-point play to give the hosts a one-point advantage. A good free throw by Frank Gaines, who was held to a season-low seven points knotted the game at 68, as the Mastodons' last-second heave at the buzzer was awry, sending the game into an extra period.

In the five-minute extra session, the Mavericks scored first, and led by two at 72-70 before the 'Dons went on a 9-2 run to lead by five at 79-74, and would not trail again, as the 'Dons held on for the 83-80 victory.

IPFW made 30-of-76 (39.5 percent), and 11-of-27 from long range, while UNO converted on 31-of-73 shots from the field and 10-of-31 from three-point range.

Alex Welhouse scored 24 points and pulled down eight rebounds, while Caleb Steffensmeier dished out 11 assists.

ALL-TIME SERIES

Last season was the first time the two teams have met, and the Mastodons swept the season series, opening the year on November 12 at home with an 83-72 win, before traveling to Omaha with an 83-80 overtime win.

LAST TIME OUT

Behind IPFW career-highs from Luis Jacobo and Joe Edwards, and a double-figure effort from Frank Gaines, as the Mastodons used a key 10-0 run to turn a four-point deficit into a six-point lead, holding on for a 68-63 win over the Midshipmen of Navy on Wednesday night in front of 1,411 fans at the Gates Sports Center.

Jacobo went 8-of-14 from the field and 5-of-9 from long range for 22 points, while Edwards was 6-of-9 from the field, 2-of-4 from distance, for 15 points. Gaines added 17 points, hitting 8-of-11 free throws, as the trio accounted for 54 of the team's 68 points.

McCray pulled down a team-best six rebounds, with Gaines and Mario Hines each grabbing four, as the Mastodons were out-rebounded 26-to-25; however, had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio for the second straight game with 12 assists and 10 turnovers.

McCray and Pierre Bland each dished out three assists, while Jacobo had three steals, and Hines a pair of blocked shots.

IPFW (7-9) struck first in the game, before Navy erupted for seven straight to lead 7-1 through the first four minutes of the contest. The Mastodons fought back, taking a three-point lead to cap an 8-0 IPFW run that saw Edwards score all eight of IPFW's points on a pair of three's and a driving lay-in to give the Mastodons a 27-25 lead.

Neither team would lead by more than two the rest of the way, as the teams went into the locker room knotted at 32 through the first 20 minutes of the game.

IPFW scored the first five points of the second half, and seemed to have control with a five-point lead with 9:22 to play after a Jacobo three-point basket; however, the Midshipmen (6-9) rattled off nine straight points, capped by a Brandon Venturini three-pointer with 7:10 to play to give the visitors a four-point, 54-50 lead.

A well-timed media timeout followed, where head coach Tony Jasick was able to settle his group, and the 'Dons responded with 10 straight points, five straight from Gaines, a three-pointer by Jacobo, and a breakaway dunk for Edwards to push the hosts ahead 60-54 two and a half minutes later.

The lead grew to as many as eight late in the game, before Navy closed the gap to five with three free throws with 1.2 seconds on the clock.

QUICK HITTERS

• IPFW senior Frank Gaines currently has 1,491 career points, second most in a career in IPFW history, recently passing Bruce Roland (1985-89), and needs 275 more to move into the career lead, passing Sean Gibson (1989-93) who has 1,765 over his career.

• As of the latest NCAA Rankings (January 3), IPFW ranks 69th in steals per game (8.5), and 82nd in rebounding margin (+4.6), while Frank Gaines ranks 39th in points per game (18.8).

• Frank Gaines has reached double-figure scoring 68 times in his career and 32 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 5-6 all-time on January 5

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

• IPFW is 5-1 this season when leading at halftime, and are 14-5 under Jasick when leading after the first 20 minutes.

• Against IUPUI, the Mastodons were tied going into halftime for the first time under head coach Tony Jasick's tenure, and the second time happened just six days later against Navy.

• 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 eight times

• Gaines also stands second in career school history in free throws made and attempted, fifth in rebounding, 9th in blocked shots and steals

• The Mastodons have out-rebounded 11-of-16 teams this season, and are 5-6 when out-rebounding their opponents

~ Feel the Rumble ~

Purdue University Fort Wayne Athletics

Men's Basketball Hosts Omaha in Saturday Matinee

Related News

Next Event

Related Videos