First Half Drought Drops 'Dons Against Eastern Kentucky

Sunday, December 29

Fort Wayne, Ind.

2 p.m.

Purdue Fort Wayne

10-5

Eastern Kentucky

9-4

Eastern Kentucky

IPFW

Photo by: Jeff Nycz / Mid-South Images -

First Half Drought Drops 'Dons Against Eastern Kentucky

12/29/2013 5:51:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

BOX SCORE | BOX SCORE (.pdf) | BOX SCORE (.html)

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Leading by nine halfway through the first half, the IPFW Mastodons went on a scoring drought, as the Eastern Kentucky Colonels ran off a 21-4 run to take a lead they would not relinquish in a 90-68 EKU victory.

In a battle between two teams ranked in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 poll, 23rd ranked IPFW (10-5) was led by Mo Evans who scored 13 points off of the bench. Joe Edwards scored 12 while Isaiah McCray added 10 for the Mastodons. Two players - Pierre Bland and Michael Kibilsoki - scored nine points with Luis Jacobo scoring eight.

Bland and Steve Forbes each pulled down a team-best four rebounds, as Edwards dished out four assists.

IPFW came out of the gate firing on all cylinders, jumping out to a 10-1 lead through the first three minutes of the game behind five points from Edwards. After 22nd ranked Eastern Kentucky (9-4) fought to within one at 12-11, the Mastodons opened a 10-2 run, pushing ahead by nine at 22-13.

Over the next six and a half minutes the Mastodon offense hit a lull, hitting just 1-of-7 shots from the field and committed four turnovers. That offensive drought was compounded by an EKU offensive surge, as the Colonels went 7-of-8 from the field - including 3-of-3 from long range - running off a 21-4 streak to turn the nine-point deficit into an eight-point advantage.

The Mastodons clawed their way back to a five-point deficit after a three-pointer by Kibiloski; however, the visitors closed the first half on an 8-2 run to take a 46-35 lead into the locker room at halftime.

An EKU 8-3 run to start the second half put the margin into double-digits for good, as the Mastodons fell at home for the first time in the 2013-14 season.

IPFW shot 20-of-45 from the field (44.4%), 5-of-15 (33.3%) from long range, and 23-of-30 (76.7%). The Colonels - behind a blistering 61.3% in the first half - hit 37-of-63 shots for the game (58.7%), and 11-of-21 (52.4%) from three-point range.

For just the fourth time this season the Mastodons were out-rebounded, as the Colonels held a 32-26 advantage on the boards, led by Eric Stutz' nine rebounds and 16 points. Marcus Lewis scored 17, leading five Colonel players in double-figure scoring.

The Mastodons return to action on Thursday, January 2, when the squad travels to Bowling Green, Ohio, to take on the Bowling Green Falcons in a 7 p.m. tip-off.

~ Feel the Rumble ~