'Dons Welcome Omaha Thursday Night for Men's Hoops Contest

Thursday, February 20

Fort Wayne, Ind.

7 PM

Purdue Fort Wayne

Omaha

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Matt Holba

Photo by: Rachel Von Art

'Dons Welcome Omaha Thursday Night for Men's Hoops Contest

2/19/2020 12:33:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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FORT WAYNE, Ind. - It is always interesting when the Mavericks and Mastodons play. Thursday could be the final Omaha-Purdue Fort Wayne matchup for a while as the 'Dons will exit the Summit League after this season.

What: Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons (12-16, 5-8 Summit League) vs. Omaha Mavericks (13-14, 6-6 Summit League)
When: Thursday, February 20 | 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Fort Wayne, Ind. | Gates Sports Center
All-Time Series: Purdue Fort Wayne leads 11-8
Talent: Brett Rump Listen
Online Video: www.YouTube.com/GoMastodons
Game Notes (PDF): Purdue Fort Wayne | Omaha

KNOW YOUR FOE
Omaha sits at 6-6 in the league on the year. They broke a four-game losing streak with an 85-62 win over Denver last week. Matt Pile had 20 points and 11 rebounds in the contest for his third straight double-double.

THE SERIES
Purdue Fort Wayne leads the all-time series 11-8. The average margin of difference has been 5.5 points in the series. The last 12 games have each been decided by single digits. Five games in the series have gone to overtime. The 'Dons are 6-2 at home against Omaha. The Mavericks have won the last five games in the series, including a 61-60 win over the 'Dons in the Summit League Tournament last year. Purdue Fort Wayne lost 75-71 in Omaha earlier this year.

'DONS AND ENDS
• DeMierre Black recorded a career-high five steals on Sunday at South Dakota State. He also tied a career-high with five assists in the game.
• Matt Holba is shooting 51.3 percent (19-of-37) from three in the last seven games.
• Dylan Carl is fifth in the league in total blocks with 24.
• Marcus DeBerry is second in the league in assist/turnover ratio at 2.4.
• The 'Dons have recorded double-digit offensive rebounds in 16 games this season. That includes a stretch of nine consecutive games at one point this year.
• Brian Patrick has 17 games of double-digit points this season.
• Matt Holba has only eight turnovers in conference play.
• Seven different Mastodons have led the team in scoring for a game (Jarred Godfrey, Brian Patrick, Dylan Carl, Marcus DeBerry, Matt Holba, Deonte Billups and DeMierre Black) this season.
• In all games the 'Dons rank second in the league in 3-pointers per game (8.4).
• Dylan Carl has 90 career blocks. He is in sixth place all-time in school history. In fifth place is Sean Gibson, he had 94 blocks from 1989-93.
• The Mastodons' 75.0 percent shooting (18-of-24) in the second half against UNLV is the best half of shooting by a Summit League team this season.
• Marcus DeBerry owns 976 points in his career. This total combines his time at Northern Arizona and Purdue Fort Wayne.
• In wins, Jarred Godfrey is averaging 18.3 points per game and shooting 47.5 percent (29-of-61) from three.
• In wins, the 'Dons are giving up 60.5 points per game.

BILLUPS CAN FILL IT UP
• Deonte Billups has finished in double-digits in seven of his last 11 games. This stretch, which starts with the Jan. 8 game at Western Illinois, has seen him twice score 19 points.
• Deonte Billups recorded his first career double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds at Denver.
• Deonte Billups' 8.5 points per game stands as the most a Mastodon freshman has averaged since John Konchar averaged 13.0 as a freshman in 2015-16. Worth noting, Konchar was a redshirt freshman in 2015-16 while Billups is a true freshman. The last true freshman to best Billups' mark was Mo Evans' 9.6 points in 2013-14.
• Deonte Billups entered the starting lineup for the first game of league play. In Summit League competition he is averaging 11.4 points per game, second best on the team in league play.
• Deonte Billups has 14 games this season with five or more rebounds, including 12 of his last 16 games. He has five times recorded seven or more rebounds in a game.

IN GODFREY WE TRUST
• Jarred Godfrey owns 666 career points, going over the 500-point total on Jan. 8 at Western Illinois.
• Jarred Godfrey picked up his first career Summit League Player of the Week honor on Dec. 2. He helped the 'Dons to wins over Niagara and Grand Canyon. He finished with a career-high 28 points against Grand Canyon.
• Jarred Godfrey is 8th in the league in total points (443).
• His 443 points this season has him nearing 500 points in a season. Only 19 times in program history has a player scored 500 points in a season.
• He is 3rd in the league in assists (94).
• The Mastodons are 6-3 when Godfrey scores 20 points or more.
• Jarred Godfrey has two double-doubles on the season.

DEFENSE, DEFENSE
• The Mastodons have held six opponents to 60 or fewer points this season.
• The 54 points the Mastodons allowed to Niagara earlier this year is the Mastodons' best defensive effort against a Division I opponent since allowing 51 to UIC on Nov. 18, 2017.
• Against Judson, the Mastodons allowed 11 points in the first half. It was the fewest points the Mastodons have allowed in a half since Judson scored 11 in each half against the Mastodons on Nov. 20, 2012.
• The 'Dons have nine games of double-digit steals this season.
• The 'Dons lead the league in steals per game at 7.2. They are first in league games only at 6.9 per contest.

IN THE RANKINGS
• Jarred Godfrey is 25th in the nation in total minutes (950).
• Jarred Godfrey is 75th in the nation in made field goals (161).
• In the nation, the 'Dons rank 22nd in 3-point field goal attempts (714).
• In the nation, the 'Dons rank 31st in made 3-pointers (236).
• In the nation, the 'Dons rank 51st in total steals (202).
• In the nation, the 'Dons rank 83rd in total rebounds (974).

~ Feel the Rumble ~