Purdue Fort Wayne
Southern Indiana
'Dons Make First Visit to Southern Indiana Since 2000
12/4/2023 10:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Game Day Information
Who: Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons (8-1) at Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles (2-7)
When: Wednesday, December 6 | 8:00 p.m. ET
Where: Evansville, Ind. | Screaming Eagles Arena
Live Stats: Link
Video: ESPN+
Radio: 1380 AM
Series Record: USI leads 23-14, series dates back to 1984
Game Notes: Purdue Fort Wayne (PDF) | Southern Indiana (PDF)
'DONS & ENDS
// Quinton Morton Robertson is sixth in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage at 52.0 percent (26-of-50). Maximus Nelson is shooting 51.2 percent (21-of-41) from three. Nelson doesn't appear on the national rankings as he is shy of the 2.5 made 3-pointers per game required to make the list.
// The Mastodons' 23.8 points off turnover this season are up from 13.2 last season.
// The 'Dons have had fewer turnovers than their opponent in all but one game this season (at Oakland, Dec. 2).
// The 'Dons are ranked No. 21 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major 25 Poll. The 'Dons received votes last week and were ranked 21 two weeks ago.
// The first NET rankings released on Monday (Dec. 4) saw the 'Dons come in at No. 57, the highest ranking in program history
// Corey Hadnot II has earned three Horizon League Freshman of the Week honors this season. Rasheed Bello and Quinton Morton-Robertson each have a Horizon League Player of the Week pick.
// The Mastodons' 8-1 start is their best start to a season over the first nine games during the NCAA Division I era of the Mastodons.
// The Mastodons' 5-0 start was their longest undefeated stretch to start a season as a NCAA Division I program. It was their longest stretch to start a season since the 1992-93 team opened 9-0. That team earned a bid in the NCAA Division II Tournament, the only NCAA bid (Division I or II) in program history.
// Thanks to wins over Northern Arizona (Nov. 17) and South Dakota (Nov. 18), the 'Dons won the Arizona Tip-Off. Quinton Morton-Robertson was named the MVP of the event and selected to the All-Tournament Team with Rasheed Bello.
// The 'Dons are averaging 88.4 points per game, up from 73.9 last season.
// Purdue Fort Wayne's 10.0 steals per game are up from 7.3 last year. The Division I era program high for steals per game was the 8.8 mark in 2021-22.
// 26.9 percent of points have come off turnovers (214-of-796).
// Rasheed Bello is sneaking up on 1,000 career points. Combined with his scoring at NCAA Division II UW-Parkside, he has 928 career NCAA points.
// Four Mastodons are averaging better than 13.0 points per game: Rasheed Bello (15.2), Anthony Roberts (14.4), Jalen Jackson (14.3) and Quinton Morton-Robertson (13.6).
// The 'Dons have partnered with Team IMPACT to add Bolton Richardson to the squad in 2023-24. Added to the team at a signing ceremony in July, Bolton will be at games, practices and other team activities.
NATIONAL RANKINGS:
// 1st in the nation in turnover margin (+8.4)
// 7th in the nation in effective field goal percentage (59.3 percent)
// 7th in the nation in turnovers forced per game (18.33)
// 9th in the nation in points per game (88.4)
// 10th in the nation in fast break points per game (19.22)
// 11th in the nation in scoring margin (+20.9)
50-POINT HALVES THIS SEASON:
68 (1st) vs. Andrews (Nov. 9)
62 (2nd) vs. Andrews (Nov. 9)
57 (2nd) vs. South Dakota (Nov. 18)
50 (2nd) vs. Wittenberg (Nov. 25)
52 (2nd) vs. Oakland (Dec. 5)
VS. OAKLAND:
// The 'Dons shot 66.7 percent (38-of-57) from the floor. It was the third-best shooting percentage in their DI era and the second-best against a DI opponent. The Mastodons' 68.2 percent performance against Centenary on Feb. 18, 2003 is the only better performance against a DI foe in program history.
// The 'Dons shot 17-of-26 from range (65.4 percent) from three, the best ever percentage in Division I era program history when taking 20 or more attempts.
// The 'Dons had 24 assists, their most against a DI opponent since recording 24 at Eastern Illinois on Nov. 28, 2018.
// Eight Mastodons shot 50 percent or better in the game with Jalen Jackson making 7-of-7 from the floor.
// 13-of-21 field goals in the second half were either a 3-pointer or a dunk. The 'Dons shot 72.4 percent (21-of-29) in the second half and 7-of-10 from three).
// Quinton Morton-Robertson's five 3-pointers was a career-high against a Division I program.
Players Mentioned
