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Saturday, January 18
Vermillion, S.D.
5 p.m.
Purdue Fort Wayne
at
South Dakota
Photo by: Lucas Carter
Men's Basketball Looks to Keep Win Streak Alive at South Dakota
1/17/2014 9:26:00 PM | Men's Basketball
GAME NOTES
VERMILLION, S.D. - Riding a season-high-tying five-game win streak, the IPFW Mastodons put their unblemished Summit League record on the mark against the South Dakota Coyotes, who are a perfect 2-0 in league action this year.
Opponent: South Dakota Coyotes (7-9, 2-0 Summit)
When: Saturday, January 18 | 5 p.m. EST
Where: Vermillion, S.D. | Dakota Dome
Radio: WKJG 1380 AM The Fan | Brett Rump, play-by-play
Live Stats: South Dakota GameTracker
Live Video: Coyote Vision
In the team's most recent game, a 69-57 win over IUPUI, Brandon Bos scored a game-high 21 points, as Trevor Guis added 18. The pair combined to hit 14-of-23 shots from the field, while the remaining eight players combined for 10-of-30 on their field goal attempts. Tyler Flack pulled down seven rebounds, while Gruis led the team with four assists.
For the year, Gruis and Bos have been the primary scorers, averaging 13.6 and 12.9 points per game, apiece. Trey Norris - who leads the team with 79 assists and 23 steals - averages 8.5 while Tyler Flack pours in 7.4 points per game.
Gruis leads the team with a 6.7 rebound per game average, helping the Coyotes out-rebound their opponents by just under a half-rebound per game. Flack and Gruis have 24 and 21 blocks, each.
IPFW (15-5, 3-0 Summit League) remained on top of the league standings behind a monstrous second-half effort from freshman Mo Evans, who scored each of his 18 points during IPFW's game-ending run. Steve Forbes scored 16 and Pierre Bland 13, while Luis Jacobo narrowly missed double-figures with nine points.
Forbes pulled down a game-high eight rebounds, as the Mastodons were out-rebounded 27-26, while Bland and Jacobo each dished out three assists.
The win puts IPFW 10-games above .500 for the first time since 1992-93, when the squad finished the year 23-6 and earned a berth into the NCAA Division II Tournament. The win also continues IPFW's best start to a season in the school's NCAA Division I history - two games better than the previous 20-game mark of 13-7 in 2010-11.
The teams battled back-and-forth in the first half, with the Mastodons twice leading by as many as seven points. Each time IPFW's run was countered by a Denver (7-10, 0-2 Summit) streak, as the 'Dons took a 25-24 lead into the locker room at halftime.
IPFW came out of the locker room at halftime and struggled, missing its first eight shots from the field and committing four turnovers. The team scored six points in the first nine and a half minutes of the half - all from the free throw line. The Mastodon halftime lead was erased, as Denver used a 12-0 run, putting the hosts ahead by nine at 40-31.
An Evans three-point play with 10:24 to play in the game snapped a six-minute Mastodon scoreless spell, and after seeing its offense struggle, the Mastodon defense tightened its belt and held Denver to just one field goal over the next four-minutes.
During the defensive stranglehold, IPFW got nine points from Evans and four more from Forbes as the Mastodons capped a 16-2 run on an Evans three-pointer with 7:07 to play that put IPFW ahead for good at 47-42.
The IPFW advantage reached as many as eight on a Joe Reed tip-dunk with 3:51 to play in the game; however, the strong Denver squad - which was picked to finish second in the league's pre-season poll - would not go quietly. The Pioneers fought back, but IPFW iced the game by hitting five-of-six free throws down the stretch in the three-point Mastodon win.
VERMILLION, S.D. - Riding a season-high-tying five-game win streak, the IPFW Mastodons put their unblemished Summit League record on the mark against the South Dakota Coyotes, who are a perfect 2-0 in league action this year.
Opponent: South Dakota Coyotes (7-9, 2-0 Summit)
When: Saturday, January 18 | 5 p.m. EST
Where: Vermillion, S.D. | Dakota Dome
Radio: WKJG 1380 AM The Fan | Brett Rump, play-by-play
Live Stats: South Dakota GameTracker
Live Video: Coyote Vision
SCOUTING THE COYOTES
South Dakota comes into the weekend with a 7-9 overall record, but have won the last four, including both games in Summit League play.In the team's most recent game, a 69-57 win over IUPUI, Brandon Bos scored a game-high 21 points, as Trevor Guis added 18. The pair combined to hit 14-of-23 shots from the field, while the remaining eight players combined for 10-of-30 on their field goal attempts. Tyler Flack pulled down seven rebounds, while Gruis led the team with four assists.
For the year, Gruis and Bos have been the primary scorers, averaging 13.6 and 12.9 points per game, apiece. Trey Norris - who leads the team with 79 assists and 23 steals - averages 8.5 while Tyler Flack pours in 7.4 points per game.
Gruis leads the team with a 6.7 rebound per game average, helping the Coyotes out-rebound their opponents by just under a half-rebound per game. Flack and Gruis have 24 and 21 blocks, each.
FAST START
IPFW's 15-5 start this season is tied for the third-best 20-game start in program history, and is the best start in IPFW's NCAA Division I era.
FREE THROWS CAN BE FREE
When IPFW hit 20-of-21 free throws against North Dakota State, it not only marked an IPFW single-season game-high, it also stands as the 15th best single-game free throw shooting mark in the NCAA this season.
MID-MAJOR RANKING
After a four-game win streak, the 2013-14 IPFW Mastodons have jumped back into the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25, sitting at 23rd overall, tied for the highest poll placement for the 'Dons. On December 16 the Mastodons also sat 23rd, a week after opening in the poll at 25th.
LAST TIME OUT
A 16-2 second-half run turned a nine-point Denver lead into a five-point IPFW advantage, as the Mastodons out-scored Denver 36-24 over the final 10 minutes of the contest. The 'Dons made 11 of their last 13 shots, and used the momentum to remain perfect in the Summit League with a 67-64 win over the Pioneers.IPFW (15-5, 3-0 Summit League) remained on top of the league standings behind a monstrous second-half effort from freshman Mo Evans, who scored each of his 18 points during IPFW's game-ending run. Steve Forbes scored 16 and Pierre Bland 13, while Luis Jacobo narrowly missed double-figures with nine points.
Forbes pulled down a game-high eight rebounds, as the Mastodons were out-rebounded 27-26, while Bland and Jacobo each dished out three assists.
The win puts IPFW 10-games above .500 for the first time since 1992-93, when the squad finished the year 23-6 and earned a berth into the NCAA Division II Tournament. The win also continues IPFW's best start to a season in the school's NCAA Division I history - two games better than the previous 20-game mark of 13-7 in 2010-11.
The teams battled back-and-forth in the first half, with the Mastodons twice leading by as many as seven points. Each time IPFW's run was countered by a Denver (7-10, 0-2 Summit) streak, as the 'Dons took a 25-24 lead into the locker room at halftime.
IPFW came out of the locker room at halftime and struggled, missing its first eight shots from the field and committing four turnovers. The team scored six points in the first nine and a half minutes of the half - all from the free throw line. The Mastodon halftime lead was erased, as Denver used a 12-0 run, putting the hosts ahead by nine at 40-31.
An Evans three-point play with 10:24 to play in the game snapped a six-minute Mastodon scoreless spell, and after seeing its offense struggle, the Mastodon defense tightened its belt and held Denver to just one field goal over the next four-minutes.
During the defensive stranglehold, IPFW got nine points from Evans and four more from Forbes as the Mastodons capped a 16-2 run on an Evans three-pointer with 7:07 to play that put IPFW ahead for good at 47-42.
The IPFW advantage reached as many as eight on a Joe Reed tip-dunk with 3:51 to play in the game; however, the strong Denver squad - which was picked to finish second in the league's pre-season poll - would not go quietly. The Pioneers fought back, but IPFW iced the game by hitting five-of-six free throws down the stretch in the three-point Mastodon win.
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Mikale Stevenson #SCTop10 dunk
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