Purdue Fort Wayne
Oakland
'Dons Put Seven-Game Win Streak on the Line at Oakland
2/23/2022 2:43:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Game Day Information
Who: Purdue Fort Wayne (18-10, 13-6 Horizon) at Oakland (18-10, 11-6 Horizon)
When: Thursday, February 24 | 7 p.m. ET
Where: Rochester, Mich. | O'Rena
Listen: 1380 The Fan
Live Stats: Link
Watch: ESPN+
Game Notes: Purdue Fort Wayne (PDF) | Oakland
KNOW YOUR FOE:
// Leading scorer: Jamal Cain (20.4 ppg)
// Head coach: Greg Kampe
// Oakland has lost two straight coming into Thursday's game. They enter the final weekend of games in fifth place in the standings. They are looking to move up into a top four spot.
// Jamal Cain is averaging 20.4 points per game while Jalen Moore is averaging 15.3 points and 8.2 assists per contest.
// Oakland leads the all-time series 20-6. The Golden Grizzlies have won four straight in the series and all three Horizon League games between the two teams. The last time 'Dons defeated Oakland was in 2013 when the 'Dons defeated them three times, including a Feb. 10, 2013 victory in the Summit League Tournament.
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
// A win over Oakland would clinch a top four spot in the 2022 Keeps Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship. A loss and a win at Detroit Mercy on Saturday could do it too, provided Oakland, Wright State and Northern Kentucky don't all go 2-0 this weekend. A top four spot means the 'Dons earn a bye in the first round and would host a postseason game on Thursday, March 3 at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. Should the 'Dons not earn a top four spot, the 'Dons would play a first round contest on Tuesday, March 1 at the Gates Sports Center.
ON THE SEVEN-GAME WIN STREAK:
// The last time the 'Dons won seven straight league games was in January and February of 2015 when they also won seven in a row. The 1992-93 team also won seven consecutive league games as a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference in NCAA Division II. The Mastodons have never won eight league games in a row.
// All seven wins have come in February, it is the first time the 'Dons have won seven games in February as a Division I member. The last time they did it was in February 1993 when the 'Dons went 8-1.
// The 'Dons are giving up only 62.5 points per game in regulation in the seven wins, this excludes the 15 minutes of overtime against Cleveland State.
// The 'Dons are shooting 41.0 percent (68-of-166) from three.
// Four 'Dons are averaging in double-digits: Jalon Pipkins (17.4), Jarred Godfrey (13.7), Damian Chong Qui (11.4) and Deonte Billups (11.0).
// The 'Dons are forcing 17.0 turnovers per game and recording 10.1 steals a game.
// The 'Dons are out-rebounding opponents 32.9 to 31.4.
// The Mastodons overcame double-digit deficits in three games, to Milwaukee at home (10), UIC (11) and Cleveland State (14).
'DONS AND ENDS:
// The 'Dons are receiving votes in the latest College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 Poll.
// The 'Dons finished the regular season 13-2 at home this season. The last time the 'Dons won 13 games at home in a season was 2017-18 when they went 13-3 in the Summit City. A year prior in 2016-17, the 'Dons were 14-3 at home.
// Cameron Benford set a new program record for games played when he entered the game on Feb. 10 against IUPUI. Benford has now played in 138 games. The previous record holder was current Memphis Grizzlies member John Konchar at 133.
// When Cameron Benford started on Senior Night on Monday, it broke a streak of the same starting five for 25 straight games. The 'Dons entered the contest as one of seven teams in the nation to make it that far in the season with the same starting five.
// Johnathan DeJurnett, who scored 12 total points last season in his freshman season, has 64 this season. He played a season-high 19 minutes on Feb. 18 at Green Bay.
// The 'Dons have held a lead for at least five minutes in every game this season except for losses at SIUE and at Wright State.
// Seven different players have led the team in scoring for a game this season. That ties a single-season high for a Mastodon team under head coach Jon Coffman. The 2019-20 team also had seven scoring leaders.
// When Jalon Pipkins shoots better than 50 percent from the floor, the 'Dons are 9-0 this season.
// Freshman JoJo Peterson scored a career-high 11 points at Milwaukee (Feb. 20). Over the last four games he is 7-of-10 from three.
// Per KenPom, the 'Dons are the 20th most experienced team in the nation.
// The Mastodons rank 20th in the nation in 3-pointers per game (9.6).
// The 'Dons are the only team in the league with three players in the top 10 in made 3-pointers: Jarred Godfrey (2nd, 62), Deonte Billups (61, 3rd) and Bobby Planutis (9th, 49).
// Per KenPom, the Mastodons recorded the highest Effective field goal percentage in program history (77 percent) in the home win over Robert Morris (Jan. 21).
A FEW NOTES ON THE HOME CLEVELAND STATE WIN:
// KenPom's excitement ranking is "a measure of how much the win probability changed over the course of a game." The Cleveland State victory had a value of 4.01, the third highest of every game played in the nation this season.
// Jalon Pipkins played a career-high 51 minutes in the game, making him the 12th player in NCAA Division I this year to play 51 or more minutes in a game.
// The 'Dons forced a season-high 24 turnovers against a Division I opponent.
// The 'Dons recorded 15 steals. The last time the 'Dons recorded 15 steals against a Division I program was Jan. 10, 2019 at home against Oral Roberts.
DO GET DEFENSIVE:
// In league play only, the 'Dons own a 97.6 defensive efficiency according to KenPom, the best in the Horizon League.
// The 'Dons have 13 games of double-digit steals this season, including nine in the last 12 games.
// The 'Dons have given up 70 points in only four of the last 12 games.
// The Mastodons allowed 74.0 points per game through the first 11 contests of the season. Over the last 16 the 'Dons are giving up 65.9 per game.
// The 'Dons are giving up 69.1 points per game on the season. Only nine times in program history have the 'Dons finished a season giving up less than 70.0 points per game. They've done it only five times as a Division I program.
// The 55 points the Mastodons allowed to Green Bay on Feb. 6 and Feb. 18 stand as their best defensive performance of the season against a Division I team.
// The 'Dons are 18th in the nation in steals per game (9.0) and 9th in total steals (252).
FROM THE LINE:
// The 'Dons are 33rd in the nation in the Horizon League in free throw shooting (76.3 percent). The program record for single-season free throw percentage came in 2010-11 at 77.2 percent.
// Free throw shooting in league play: Jarred Godfrey (42-of-50), Jalon Pipkins (50-of-56), Bobby Planutis (21-of-22), Damian Chong Qui (39-of-47) and Deonte Billups (18-of-25).
// The Mastodons shot 16-of-16 from the free throw line on Dec. 2 against Wright State. It stands as the most free throws the Mastodons have made in a Division I contest while connecting on 100 percent of their attempts.
TURN, TURN, TURN:
// The 'Dons have six single-digit turnover games this season.
// The Mastodons are forcing 16.11 turnovers per game, 24th best in the nation and first in the league.
// The Mastodons' 2.3 turnover margin ranks 54th in the nation
JALON PIPKINS... :
// ... is 37th in the nation in free throw percentage (87.1 percent).
// ... recorded a career-high 27 points with 10 field goals against Cleveland State (Feb. 14). He tied the game with a layup in regulation with six seconds left.
// ... has eight games of 18 or more points this season.
// ... owns 888 career points with NCAA Division I stops at CSUN and Loyola-Chicago prior to Fort Wayne.
// ... recorded a career-high five steals on Jan. 28 at NKU.
BOBBY PLANUTIS... :
// ... is 27-of-28 from the free throw line this season.
// ... has been at his best in league play, averaging 9.5 points in Horizon League play compared to his 7.0 in non-league games.
// ... has 15 games of two or more 3-pointers this season.
// ... recorded a career-high 18 points on Jan. 28 at Northern Kentucky. He tied a season high with four 3-pointers.
// ... has scored 825 career points in NCAA Division I when his time at Purdue Fort Wayne, St. Bonaventure and Mount St. Mary's are combined.
JARRED GODFREY... :
// ... has started every game since the start of his sophomore year for 87 starts in a Mastodon uniform.
// ... is second in the league in made 3-pointers (62).
// ... owns 1,537 career points, 4th place in program history. In 3rd place is Sean Gibson with 1,765 points from 1989-93.
// ... is 5th in program history in made field goals (548). In 4th place is Sean Gibson with 588 field goals from 1989-93.
// ... is 7th in program history in assists (344). In 6th place is Zach Plackemeier (362) from 2007-11.
// ... is 5th in program history in steals (155). In 4th place is Bruce Roland with 210 steals from 1986-89.
// ... scored 35 points against Western Michigan (Nov. 27) on 13-of-18 shooting. His 13 field goals tied a career high.
// ... made seven 3-pointers at home against Oakland, tied for the second most 3-pointers made by a Horizon League student-athlete this season.
RA KPEDI... :
// ... is having the best season of his career, averaging 8.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
// ... is 49th in the nation in offensive rebounds per game (2.93).
// ... has 11 games of seven or more rebounds.
// ... has six games of five or more offensive rebounds.
// ... picked up his first career double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds at Florida Gulf Coast.
// ... leads the Horizon League in two-point field goal percentage at 65.0 percent.
DEONTE BILLUPS... :
// ... is looking like the leader for Horizon League Sixth Man of the Year, he leads the league in scoring among players without a start this season thanks to his 9.0 points per game.
// ... has 18 games of two or more 3-pointers in a game this season and has made four or more six times this season.
// ... is third in the Horizon League with 61 3-pointers.
// ... owns a defensive rating of 96.3 from sports-reference.com, fourth best in the Horizon League.
DAMIAN CHONG QUI... :
// ... raced down the court with just seconds left to make a 3-pointer at the buzzer of regulation to force overtime with Cleveland State on Feb. 14. The 'Dons would win in triple overtime 102-98.
// ... has nine double-digit points games in the last 12 games. Prior to this span he had six in the entire season.
// ... joined the Mastodons this season. He helped Mount St. Mary's to an NCAA Tournament berth last season. He averaged 15.1 points per game for The Mount last year on his way to All-NEC First Team honors.
// .... is the second Mastodon to join the 'Dons after playing at Mt. Saint Mary's. Bobby Planutis spent his freshman season of 2017-18 at The Mount.
// ... has a pair of 20-point games.
// ... scored 14 points against Florida Gulf Coast (Nov. 28) and went over 1,000 career points. He scored 950 points at Mount St. Mary's before transferring to Purdue Fort Wayne this season.
DUNKS FROM MASTODONS THIS SEASON:
// Ra Kpedi 26, Jalon Pipkins 16, Johnathan DeJurnett 13, Bobby Planutis 6, Deonte Billups 4, RJ Ogom 3, Jarred Godfrey 3, JoJo Peterson 3
~ Feel the Rumble ~
