No. 7 Mastodons Play No. 6 North Dakota In Summit League Semifinals

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The No. 7 Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons are one game away from a trip to the Summit League Championship. No. 6 North Dakota stands in the Mastodons' way.

What: Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons (14-18) vs. North Dakota Fighting Hawks (14-17)
When: Monday, March 9 | 9:30 p.m. ET
Where: Sioux Falls, S.D. | Denny Sanford PREMIER Center
All-Time Series: Purdue Fort Wayne leads 4-2
  Talent: Brett Rump Listen
Online Video: ESPN+
Television: Midco
    Talent: Tom Nieman, Brad Newitt
    Sideline: Jay Elsen

Game Notes (PDF): P urdue Fort Wayne | North Dakota

KNOW YOUR FOE
• North Dakota topped South Dakota 74-71 on Sunday in the Summit League Tournament Quarterfinals. All five starters finished in double-digits. Marlon Stewart connected on a jumper with 10 seconds left to put the Fighting Hawks up for good.
• Morton Stewart is averaging a league-best 18.9 points per game.
• Filip Rebraca is grabbing 9.0 rebounds per contest, third best in the league, while scoring 14.5 points per game. He also has 31 blocks.

ON THE NORTH DAKOTA SERIES
• This will be the first time the two teams meet in the Summit League Tournament. It will also be the only time since the 'Dons are joining the Horizon League next season.
• The 'Dons lead the all-time series 4-2. The two teams split their meetings this year. North Dakota won in Grand Forks 83-69 on Jan. 5. Then the 'Dons won 72-68 on Jan. 30 in Fort Wayne. Marcus DeBerry had 23 points thanks to a career-high seven 3-pointers in the game.
• Four of the six meetings with North Dakota have come in Summit League play, but the prior two came in 2009 and 2010 when the two teams were both independents.
• None of the six meetings have been decided by a single possession but three have been by 10 points or fewer.
• With North Dakota joining the Summit League last season and Marcus DeBerry starting his carer at Northern Arizona, DeBerry has played in a league that featured North Dakota for all four seasons of his career.

ON THE WIN OVER SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
• The win was just the third time this season the 'Dons have won when their opponent shot a better percentage.
• Jarred Godfrey tied a career high with seven assists. He did so with only one turnover.
• Matt Holba had a season-high 21 points and tied a career high with six 3-pointers.
• The last No. 7 seed to beat a No. 2 seed happened in 2009, when South Dakota State beat Oral Roberts 72-69 in overtime.
• The 77 points the Mastodons scored matched a season high for points against a Summit League opponent. The 'Dons scored 77 points at Western Illinois on Jan. 8.
• The 'Dons had a season-high 22 assists.
• The Mastodons' 36 3-point attempts were a season high against a Division I opponent.
• The 35 points Noah Freidel scored against the 'Dons marked the most by an opponent this season.

JUST A FEW TOURNAMENT THOUGHTS
• The Mastodons are the last non I-29 school to play in the Summit League Championship game (2014).
• The Mastodons are the last non I-29 school to win a regular season Summit League title (2016).
• The only non South Dakota State or North Dakota State student-athlete to be named Summit League Player of the Year since 2013 was Max Landis of the Mastodons in 2016.

'DONS AND ENDS
• Jarred Godfrey was named to the 2020 All-Summit League Honorable Mention Team and Deonte Billups was named to the All-Summit League Newcomer Team.
• The Mastodons are 8-12 all-time in the Summit League Tournament.
• Purdue Fort Wayne has 17 games this year with double-digit second chance points.
• Matt Holba shot 40.5 percent (32-of-79) from three in league play.
• Dylan Carl is sixth in the league in total blocks with 27.
• Marcus DeBerry is third in the league in assist/turnover ratio at 2.4.
• The 'Dons have recorded double-digit offensive rebounds in 19 games this season. That includes a stretch of nine consecutive games at one point this year.
• Matt Holba had only 11 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.
• Dylan Carl has 94 career blocks. He is tied for fifth place in program history with Sean Gibson (1989-93). In fourth place is Brent Calhoun (109) with 109.
• 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 988 points in his career. This total combines his time at Northern Arizona and Purdue Fort Wayne.
• In wins, the 'Dons are giving up 60.8 points per game.
• In wins, Matt Holba is shooting 43.5 percent (37-of-85) from three.

BILLUPS CAN FILL IT UP
• Deonte Billups recorded his first career double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds at Denver on Feb. 8.
• Deonte Billups' 9.0 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 averaged 11.6 points per game, second best on the team in league play.
• Deonte Billups has 17 games this season with five or more rebounds, including 15 of his last 20 games. He has seven times recorded seven or more rebounds in a game. His 5.8 rebounds in league play led the team.

IN GODFREY WE TRUST
• Jarred Godfrey owns 724 career points, going over the career 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 9th in the league in total points (489).
• At 501 points this year, it is the 20th time in program history a player has scored 500 points in a season.
• He is 1st in the league in steals (39).
• He is 3rd in the league in assists (113).
• Jarred Godfrey has two double-doubles on the season.

DEFENSE, DEFENSE
• The Mastodons have held seven opponents to 60 or fewer points this season.
• Purdue Fort Wayne limited Denver to 14 first half points on Feb. 26. It set a new Mastodon program record for fewest points allowed in a half to a Division I school. The previous low to a Division I school was 15.
• The 51 points Denver scored Feb. 26 stands as the Mastodons' best defensive effort against a Division I opponent since allowing 51 to UIC on Nov. 18, 2017.
• The Mastodons are giving up 70.2 points per contest. It is the best defensive performance for a Mastodon team since the 2014-15 team allowed 67.1 points per game.
• 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 10 games of double-digit steals this season.
• The 'Dons lead the league in steals per game at 7.3.
• Only one of the Mastodons' last 10 opponents scored their season average against the Mastodons.

IN THE RANKINGS
• In the nation, the 'Dons rank 28th in 3-point field goal attempts (836).
• In the nation, the 'Dons rank 51st in made 3-pointers (268).
• In the nation, the 'Dons rank 64th in total steals (235).

~ Feel the Rumble ~

No. 7 Mastodons Play No. 6 North Dakota In Summit League Semifinals

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Deonte Billups

DeMierre Black

Dylan Carl

Marcus DeBerry

Jarred Godfrey

Matt Holba

John Konchar

Brian Patrick

Purdue University Fort Wayne Athletics