Saturday, February 1
Fort Wayne, Ind.
7 p.m.
Purdue Fort Wayne
vs
Western Illinois
Photo by: Lucas Carter
Mastodons Look for Weekend Sweep against Leathernecks
1/31/2014 10:23:00 PM | Men's Basketball
GAME NOTES (.pdf)
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The IPFW Mastodons will look for the weekend sweep on Saturday evening as the squad hosts the Western Illinois Leathernecks in a 7 p.m. tip-off at the Gates Sports Center.
Opponent: Western Illinois Leatherncks (9-12, 3-3 Summit)
When: Saturday, February 1 | 7 p.m. EST
Where: Fort Wayne, Ind. | Gates Sports Center
Radio: WKJG 1380 AM The Fan | Brett Rump, play-by-play
Live Stats: IPFW Sidearm Live Stats
Live Video: Mastodon All-Access
QUICK HITTERS
• IPFW's 17-6 start is tied for the third-best 22-game start in program history, and the best start in IPFW's NCAA Division I era (2001-02 to present)
• IPFW ranks 8th in NCAA Division I in field goal percentage according to the NCAA, while Steve Forbes leads the county in individual field goal percentage by the ESPN statistical rankings (he is 12 field goal makes shy of qualifying for the NCAA rankings).
• IPFW is one of two programs in NCAA Division I (along with Gonzaga) to be ranked in the top-10 in both field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage.
• IPFW's 20-of-21 free throw shooting game against North Dakota State stands as the 15th-best single-game shooting performance in NCAA Division I this season.
• IPFW's current RPI of 145 is the second-lowest in program history, behind only the 128 from last week. Coming into the season, the best season-ending RPI was 180 in 2010-11.
• IPFW head coach Tony Jasick, now 44-42 in his career, stands in sole possession of fourth place in career coaching wins and is one of two coaches in program history to have a career record of .500 or better.
• Through 23 games of the season, IPFW has trailed for just three hours, four minutes, and 28 seconds, while leading for 11 hours, 24 minutes, and 15 seconds. The Mastodons have trailed more than they have led just four times this season (Dayton, Eastern Kentucky, South Dakota, and Omaha)
• IPFW's 17-6 record stands as the most wins in the state among NCAA Division I programs, and second in winning percentage. IPFW is just ahead of Indiana State with 16 wins, and trail just the Sycamores (16-5) in win percentage. Of the 10 NCAA Division I teams in the state, seven have a winning record with an overall state winning percentage of .544 (111-93).
• IPFW finished the month of January with a 7-1 record, the best record for the month which is better than the previous top mark of 8-2 in 1991-92.
In the team's last game, a 69-54 win over the Jaguars in Indianapolis, Garret Covington scored 17 points while pulling down nine rebounds for the near-double-double. Adam Link scored 16 off of the bench, while Michael Ochereobia and Mike Miklusak scored 13 and 10 points, respectively. Miklusak dished out three assists, while Ochereobia blocked two shots.
On the season, Covington is the only player to average double-figure scoring at 14.2 points per game, while also tying for the team lead with 5.0 rebounds per game. He also has a team-high 44 made three-pointers, and is second on the team with 20 steals. Two players - Link (9.3) and Ochereobia (8.3) - average over eight points per game, with Ochereobia also pulling down 5.0 boards per contest.
Jabari Sandifer has dished out a team-best 60 assists, while also leading the team with 25 steals. Ochereobia leads the team with 30 blocked shots, as Link makes 60.4 percent (81-of-134) of his shots on the year.
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The IPFW Mastodons will look for the weekend sweep on Saturday evening as the squad hosts the Western Illinois Leathernecks in a 7 p.m. tip-off at the Gates Sports Center.
Opponent: Western Illinois Leatherncks (9-12, 3-3 Summit)
When: Saturday, February 1 | 7 p.m. EST
Where: Fort Wayne, Ind. | Gates Sports Center
Radio: WKJG 1380 AM The Fan | Brett Rump, play-by-play
Live Stats: IPFW Sidearm Live Stats
Live Video: Mastodon All-Access
QUICK HITTERS
• IPFW's 17-6 start is tied for the third-best 22-game start in program history, and the best start in IPFW's NCAA Division I era (2001-02 to present)
• IPFW ranks 8th in NCAA Division I in field goal percentage according to the NCAA, while Steve Forbes leads the county in individual field goal percentage by the ESPN statistical rankings (he is 12 field goal makes shy of qualifying for the NCAA rankings).
• IPFW is one of two programs in NCAA Division I (along with Gonzaga) to be ranked in the top-10 in both field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage.
• IPFW's 20-of-21 free throw shooting game against North Dakota State stands as the 15th-best single-game shooting performance in NCAA Division I this season.
• IPFW's current RPI of 145 is the second-lowest in program history, behind only the 128 from last week. Coming into the season, the best season-ending RPI was 180 in 2010-11.
• IPFW head coach Tony Jasick, now 44-42 in his career, stands in sole possession of fourth place in career coaching wins and is one of two coaches in program history to have a career record of .500 or better.
• Through 23 games of the season, IPFW has trailed for just three hours, four minutes, and 28 seconds, while leading for 11 hours, 24 minutes, and 15 seconds. The Mastodons have trailed more than they have led just four times this season (Dayton, Eastern Kentucky, South Dakota, and Omaha)
• IPFW's 17-6 record stands as the most wins in the state among NCAA Division I programs, and second in winning percentage. IPFW is just ahead of Indiana State with 16 wins, and trail just the Sycamores (16-5) in win percentage. Of the 10 NCAA Division I teams in the state, seven have a winning record with an overall state winning percentage of .544 (111-93).
• IPFW finished the month of January with a 7-1 record, the best record for the month which is better than the previous top mark of 8-2 in 1991-92.
SCOUTING THE LEATHERNECKS
Western Illinois comes into the game after splitting its last four games with wins over South Dakota and IUPUI, and losses to North Dakota State and Denver. The team's last win was the team's first on the road this season, and currently have a 1-9 record in road games.In the team's last game, a 69-54 win over the Jaguars in Indianapolis, Garret Covington scored 17 points while pulling down nine rebounds for the near-double-double. Adam Link scored 16 off of the bench, while Michael Ochereobia and Mike Miklusak scored 13 and 10 points, respectively. Miklusak dished out three assists, while Ochereobia blocked two shots.
On the season, Covington is the only player to average double-figure scoring at 14.2 points per game, while also tying for the team lead with 5.0 rebounds per game. He also has a team-high 44 made three-pointers, and is second on the team with 20 steals. Two players - Link (9.3) and Ochereobia (8.3) - average over eight points per game, with Ochereobia also pulling down 5.0 boards per contest.
Jabari Sandifer has dished out a team-best 60 assists, while also leading the team with 25 steals. Ochereobia leads the team with 30 blocked shots, as Link makes 60.4 percent (81-of-134) of his shots on the year.
MID-MAJOR RANKING
IPFW has climbed to its highest ranking in program history in the CollegeInsider.ccom Mid-Major top-25, as the program now sits 21st in the poll, climbing three spots from the week before. IPFW made its top-25 debut this season on December 9, and has been in the top-25 every week since.
FAST START
IPFW's 17-6 start this season is tied for the third-best 23-game start in program history, and is the best start in IPFW's NCAA Division I era.
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