Mastodons Host Kangaroos on Valentine’s Day

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FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The IPFW women's basketball team will host Kansas City on Thursday, Feb. 14. Game time at the Gates Sports Center is scheduled for 7 p.m.

ABOUT IPFW
The Mastodons have already reached last year's win total with five games remaining on the 2012-13 schedule. A road win over North Dakota State pushed IPFW's overall record to 9-14 with a 5-6 league mark.

Amanda Hyde has put together a fantastic junior season as she leads the team and the Summit League averaging 18.1 points per game. Hyde is fifth in the Summit League in steals (1.8), seventh in assists (3.1) and 18th in rebounds (4.8). She is shooting 45 percent from the field and 41 percent from behind the arc.

Erin Murphy is another junior on the roster that has stepped up into a leadership role. Murphy jumped into the starting lineup at the start of Summit League play and has responded well by recording 12.3 points per game.

Haley Seibert and Stefanie Mauk have important roles as Seibert scores eight points per game at the point guard position while dishing out 3.1 assists per contest. Mauk is averaging 7.4 points per game and she is the team leader in rebounding at 6.3. Rachel Mauk rounds out the starting five unit as a defensive specialist.

SCOUTING THE KANGAROOS
Kansas City is 8-16 overall with a 4-7 record in Summit League action. The Kangaroos have won two of their last five games, but a majority of those have been down to the wire. Kansas City lost 46-47 at IUPUI, but came back to record a one point win (51-50) over Western Illinois. The Roos went on to host North Dakota State and escaped with a two point win, 62-60 over the Bison and they nearly knocked off the top team in the standings South Dakota State but the Jackrabbits pulled out a 62-61 win. Kansas City most recently lost 45-67 at South Dakota on Feb. 9.

Eilise O'Connor is an impact player on the Kansas City roster as she is second in the Summit League with a scoring average of 18.1 points per game. O'Connor also leads the team in rebounds (5.1) with Kim Nezianya being out and in assists by averaging just under four per game.

O'Connor is the key to the Kangaroo offense as the next highest scoring average belongs to Hailey Houser who scores six points per game. Houser is also second on the team in rebounding, pulling down four per contest. The Roos only average 55 points per game, but they were able to light it up for 77 points when they hosted IPFW. As a team, Kansas City shoots 40 percent from the field and 32 percent from behind the arc. O'Connor, Emile Blakesley, and Lexis Hardiek are the top 3-point shooters on the team and O'Connor doubles as a threat that can hurt you from the charity stripe as she leads the team with 150 made free throws on the year.

ALL-TIME SERIES
The all-time series between IPFW and Kansas City is tied at 6-6. The two teams split last year as IPFW won 82-76 at home, but the Kangaroos returned the favor by winning 79-62 at Kansas City. The Roos won the first matchup of the 2012-13 season to tie the all-time series.

These two teams met for the first time during the 2007-08 season. IPFW won the first ever meeting 62-51 and they jumped out in front 2-0 by recording an 86-67 win in Kansas City later that season.

LAST TIME OUT
The IPFW women's basketball team defeated North Dakota State on Saturday, Feb. 9 to grab their first league road win of the season. The Mastodons exploded for 45 second half points on 56 percent shooting to improve to 9-14 overall, 5-6 SL.

Amanda Hyde scored 19 points and added two assists and two steals against the Bison in 40 minutes of action. Joining Hyde in double figures was Erin Murphy who ended the night with 17 and Haley Seibert who added 15. Stefanie Mauk was also an impact performer as she just missed a double-double with nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

The Bison used a trio of scorers to stay close as Jamie Van Kirk dropped 15 points against IPFW. Van Kirk scored 13 of her team-high 15 in the first half. Dani DeGagne and Katie Birkel each scored 13 points for NDSU.

IPFW trailed NDSU 25-30 at the half. The game was back and forth with five lead changes and two ties. Momentum shifted towards IPFW in the second half as Hyde and Seibert took control of the offensive output. Seibert scored early and often early in the half and then Hyde came through to push the lead to double digits. Erin Murphy was clutch from the free throw line late as IPFW ended the game 16-for-19 from the charity stripe.

Another key factor to Saturday night's win was the turnover battle. IPFW had six turnovers in the first half, but took care of the ball and didn't commit any in the final 20 minutes. IPFW also scored 16 points off Bison turnovers to help cushion the lead.

THREE-POINT STREAK
The IPFW Mastodons have made a 3-point field goal in 428 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 570 consecutive games. Sam Houston State and Connecticut rank ahead of IPFW with 522 and 496 respectively.

HYDE SCORES 43 AT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
Amanda Hyde scored a career-high 43 points in a 78-65 win over Southern Illinois. The 43 points placed her in a tie for second all-time in Summit League history, and also tied the IPFW school record for most points in a game.

43 points puts Hyde in a tie for the second highest single-game total in NCAA Division I this season. Shareta Brown of Detroit scored 43 against Lourdes on Dec. 10.

Other student-athletes to score more than 40 include Amy Patton of Northern Arizona who scored 41 points against Bradley on Nov. 24 and Kelia Shelton of Louisiana Tech who recorded 45 points against UTSA on Feb. 7.

IPFW AT KANSAS CITY GAME RECAP – JAN. 19
IPFW lost 77-59 at Kansas City on Jan. 19. Erin Murphy led IPFW with 22 points on 7-of-10 shooting. She added three rebounds and tied her career-high with five assists. Stefanie Mauk finished the game with 11 points and the duo of Hyde and Seibert each added nine.

Kansas City rode the hot hand of Eilise O'Connor. O'Connor scored a game-high 34 points and was 17-of-18 from the charity stripe. O'Connor shot 8-for-12 from the field and grabbed seven rebounds in the win.

IPFW got off to a rough start in the opening half as they trailed Kansas City 16-4 just six minutes into the game after a 12-0 run by the Kangaroos. The Mastodons were down by as much as 17 points, yet they were able to trim the lead to just nine as they held UMKC without a field goal for the final 5:15 of the first half. UMKC held a 32-23 lead at the half by shooting 66 percent from the field compared to just 36 percent for IPFW.

Despite a tough start to the game IPFW still had a chance to win the game in the second half as they cut the lead to eight points with 5:45 to play. IPFW simply couldn't get stops down the stretch and O'Connor sealed the win with her free throw shooting from the line. UMKC scored their final 16 points of the game from the charity stripe.

HEAD COACH CHRIS PAUL
Chris Paul became the all-time program wins leader at IPFW on January 22, 2011. Paul has 90 wins as the head coach for the Mastodons, 51 of which have come against Summit League opponents. Paul now ranks eighth for overall victories by a Summit League head coach and is eighth all-time for most Summit League victories by a head coach.

SUMMIT LEAGUE LEADER
Junior Amanda Hyde leads the Summit League and is 25th in the nation with a scoring average of 19.1 points per game. She most recently scored 19 points at North Dakota State.

THREE POINTS SHOOTING
The Mastodons average seven 3-point field goals per game. That average is the second-best in the Summit League, and is tied for 32nd best in the NCAA. Western Illinois leads the Summit League with 7.7 made 3-point field goals per game, and Creighton is the top team in the country at 9.5.

FREEBIES
Amanda Hyde is shooting 85.3 percent from the free throw line this season making her the second best free throw shooter in the Summit League. The junior has made 110 of her 129 attempts on the season. She currently holds the 30th best percentage in the NCAA.

IPFW is currently ranked eighth in the nation with a team free throw percentage of 78.1 Notre Dame leads the NCAA by knocking down 80.1 percent of their free throw attempts.

UP NEXT
The final home game of the season will serve as the 6th Annual Pink Out event. The Mastodons will face South Dakota in the regular season home finale on Saturday, Feb. 16.

~ Feel the Rumble ~

Purdue University Fort Wayne Athletics

Mastodons Host Kangaroos on Valentine’s Day

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