Cleveland State Will Visit Purdue Fort Wayne on New Year's Day

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Purdue Fort Wayne will ring in the New Year with a pair of contests against Cleveland State with games on Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. These games were originally scheduled against UIC.

Game Day Information
Video: ESPN+
Play-by-Play: John Nolan
Color Commentary: Tracy Coffman
Series History: Cleveland State leads 5-1
Last Meeting: 3/16/2011 | | Fort Wayne, Ind.
Game Notes: Purdue Fort Wayne | Cleveland State | Horizon League

GAME 1
When: Friday, January 1 | 7 p.m.
Where: Gates Sports Center | Fort Wayne, Ind.
Live Stats: Link
Video: ESPN+

GAME 2
When: Saturday, January 2 | 7 p.m.
Where: Gates Sports Center | Fort Wayne, Ind.
Live Stats: Link
Video: ESPN+

Know Your Foe
Cleveland State has seen six of its scheduled games be cancelled this season and as a result has only played two games at IUPUI, which were both losses. Mariah White and Isabella Geraci are leading the Vikings in scoring with 19.5 and 10.5 points per game, respectively. Geraci is shooting 46.7 percent from the floor.

The Series
Cleveland State hold a 5-1 advantage over the Mastodons in the series history, but the two squads have only played once since 2004. The Mastodons took that 2004 contest 82-81. In 2011, the 'Dons met the Vikings in the Women's Basketball Invitational, which CSU took 73-62. Stephanie Rosado led the 'Dons in that contest with 16 points.

One of the Bro(menschenkel)s
Amellia Bromenschenkel is now a member of the Purdue Fort Wayne women's basketball team after enrolling a semester early. After scoring 1,752 points, grabbing 851 rebounds and recording 291 steals in three seasons at Mendota Township High School, she made the decision to forgo her shortened senior season and join the Mastodons in Fort Wayne. She was only 350 points away from breaking the school record, but had already broken the rebounds and steals record.

New Year's Special
Purdue Fort Wayne is playing on New Year's Day for the second year in a row. Last season to ring in 2020, the Mastodons played against No. 22 South Dakota in Fort Wayne (L, 62-41). The 'Dons have played three games on New Year's Days prior to 2021, with the previous meetings coming against IUPUI in 2016 (L, 69, 50) and Utah in 2005 (L, 62-42).

Let's Have a Block Party! (Socially Distant of Course)
Shayla Sellers is second in the Horizon League in blocked shots per game at 1.67. She only trails Jada Nneji of UIC, who holds a 2.00 average. Sellers had a season-high four blocks against SIUE, and has had at least one in five of her six games.

Now That's a First!
Purdue Fort Wayne freshman Jaida Wolfork recorded double-digit rebounds in her first two games as a Mastodon. Given available game-by-game records, she became the first freshman in program history to grab 10 boards in her first two collegiate contests. She was also the first Mastodon freshman to record 10 rebounds in back-to-back games since two players did it in the 1999-2000 season, but Wolfork is the first to do so in the Division I era.

Hess of a Marksman
While she doesn't get to the line all that often, Hannah Hess is excellent from the free throw line. For her career, Hess is a 89.3 percent free throw shooter with a 93.8 percent clip as a junior. She has only missed five of her 47 freebies in her career.

I'll Take That Basketball, Thank you!
Purdue Fort Wayne is 28th in the country in steals per game, clocking in at 11.3 swipes per game. The Mastodons are also are also 35th in the nation in total steals. The 'Dons had 18 steals against SIUE and 14 at Evansville.

For Dessert I'd Like an Apple Turnover
Purdue Fort Wayne is 26th in the nation in turnovers forced this season, forcing its opponents to cause 21.9 turnovers per contest. The Mastodons are also top-40 in the country in turnover margin with a 4.67 per game margin. In five of their six games, the 'Dons' foes have committed at least 22 turnovers, while the 'Dons have only committed over 20 in one game.

**Cough Cough**... It Up
In the Mastodons' season opener against SIUE, the 'Dons forced SIUE to commit 28 turnovers. That was the most a Mastodon team has forced since Milwaukee coughed up 29 turnovers against the 'Dons on December 28, 2015.

Last Time Out
Purdue Fort Wayne dropped two games to Northern Kentucky. Riley Ott scored 20 points in the second game.

Coming Up
Purdue Fort Wayne will hit the road to face Milwaukee in Wisconsin on January 8 and 9. Those games will be on ESPN+ with 7 p.m. ET tip times for both games.

~ Feel the Rumble ~

Cleveland State Will Visit Purdue Fort Wayne on New Year's Day

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Players Mentioned

Amellia Bromenschenkel

Hannah Hess

Riley Ott

Shayla Sellers

Jaida Wolfork

Purdue University Fort Wayne Athletics