Purdue Fort Wayne to Host Over 1,000 Students for Fitness Day vs. UIC

Thursday, November 7

Fort Wayne, Ind.

11 AM

Purdue Fort Wayne

UIC

Anna Lappenküper

Photo by: Jim Whitcraft

Purdue Fort Wayne to Host Over 1,000 Students for Fitness Day vs. UIC

11/6/2019 3:12:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Live Stats YouTube Purdue Fort Wayne Game Notes UIC Game Notes

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Purdue Fort Wayne women's basketball will host over 1,000 elementary students on Thursday (Nov. 7) when UIC comes to visit for Fitness Day. Fort Wayne area elementary schools will start to arrive at 9:15 a.m. and begin their day with physical activities before the 11 a.m. tip.

Gameday Information vs. UIC
WHEN: Thursday, November 7 | 11 a.m.
WHERE: Fort Wayne, Ind. | Gates Sports Center
LIVE STATS: Purdue Fort Wayne Live Stats
LIVE VIDEO: YouTube
Play-by-Play: Mike Maahs
SERIES HISTORY: UIC leads 4-1
LAST MEETING: L, 67-51 | 11/21/2017 | Fort Wayne, Ind.

Know Your Foe
UIC is coming off a 3-26, 1-17 campaign in the Horizon League in 2018-19. Head coach Tasha Pointer is in her second season with the Flames, and led them to a 78-51 exhibition win over St. Louis College of Pharmacy. Jada Nneji had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Tylah Lampley led the floor with 29 points.

The Series
UIC holds a 4-1 advantage in the all-time series, and won the last matchup 67-51 in 2017 in the Summit City. That game was also the Fitness Day for Purdue Fort Wayne. Hannah Albrecht had nine points in that contest.

Fitness Day!
Thursday's game against Horizon League foe UIC will be the eighth annual Fitness Day for elementary schools in the Fort Wayne area. The kids attending will be invited to participate in physical activities planned from different programs at Purdue Fort Wayne. More than 1,000 elementary students are expected to arrive at Gates at 9:15, and will participate in yoga, exercise minutes, and a fitness obstacle. The students will stay for the game to cheer on the Mastodons, which is set for an 11 a.m. tip.

Fresh Faces
Purdue Fort Wayne brings three freshmen to the Summit City for the 2019-20 season: Shayla Sellers, Riley Ott and Kendal Muxlow. Sellers comes from Aurora, Ohio, where she was a First Team All-Conference selection in both her final two seasons at Aurora High School. Ott was an Indiana All-Star and Indiana Junior All-Star while at LaPorte High School. Kendal Muxlow was an AP All-State selection three times while at Brown City High School in Michigan.

Final Year in the Summit
The 2019-20 campaign will be the final for the Mastodons in the Summit League. Next season the Mastodons will join the Horizon League. The longest trip in the Horizon League, Green Bay at six hours, will match the shortest trip for the Mastodons in the Summit League (Western Illinois). The Mastodons joined the Summit League in 2007-08 making the 2019-20 season their 13th in the League.

Not Bad For Her First Game
In her first game as a Mastodon, freshman Riley Ott led all scorers in Tuesday's contest against Purdue Northwest. She notched 18 points on 7 of 18 shooting. She also snatched three loose balls away from the Pride to lead the Mastodons in steals.

First Time Out? Double-Double
In the first game of the season against Purdue Northwest, Sh'Toya Sanders recorded her third-career double-double. She recorded 18 points and 10 rebounds in 19 minutes of play.

Returning Firepower
Sh'Toya Sanders is back for her senior season with the Mastodons. After spending two seasons at Chicago State, Sanders is in her third year in the Purdue Fort Wayne program after sitting out a year to satisfy NCAA transfer rules. In her first year of game action, she earned a place on the Summit League All-Newcomer Team behind 8.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.4 steals per game. She had three games where she racked up double-digit rebounds.

Hey Now, You're an All-Star
Freshman Riley Ott comes to Purdue Fort Wayne after four years at La Porte High School, where she averaged 17.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 3.2 steals per game in her senior season. She totaled 1,486 points in her career, and was selected to the Indiana All-Star and Indiana Junior All-Star Teams.

Transfers to the Fort
The Mastodons add a trio of transfers to the roster for 2019-20. Valerie Clark comes to Fort Wayne from Eastern Kentucky, and she will sit out a season to satisfy the NCAA transfer rules. Jazzy Hughes joins the 'Dons from Cochise Community College, and is eligible to play immediately. Michelle Nicholls comes from La Salle, and was granted a waiver by the NCAA to play this season. She had a career-high 23 points against Rhode Island last season

Season Number Four
Head coach Niecee Nelson is in her fourth season coaching the Mastodons. She came to Purdue Fort Wayne for the 2016-17 season. Every player on the roster was brought to the Summit City by Nelson and company, paving the path to the 2019-20 season.

Basketball is in Their Blood
Freshman Shayla Sellers is the daughter of Brad Sellers, who played for 13 years in the NBA. He was selected 9th overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 1986 NBA Draft. He is now the mayor of Warrensville Heights, Ohio. Hannah Albrecht also has basketball in her family, as her brother, Spike, played college hoops at Michigan and Purdue, winning two Big Ten regular season championships.

Playing Abroad
Senior Anna Lappenküper competed for the U20/21 German National team for the last three years. This last season of competition, she averaged 7.1 points, 3.7 assists, and shot 44 percent from deep.

Last Time Out
The Mastodons opened the 2019-20 season with a dominant 73-50 win over Purdue Northwest. Sh'Toya Sanders had a double-double with 17 points and 10 boards while Riley Ott notched a team-leading 18 points.

Coming Up
Purdue Fort Wayne will host its third game in a row as Ball State comes to town on Tuesday (Nov. 12). The Cards will be 0-1, after dropping their season opener to IUPUI.

~ Feel the Rumble ~