Photo by: MaCabe Brown at courierpress.com
Men's Hoops Secures Road Victory Against Southern Indiana
12/6/2023 10:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Anthony Roberts finished with a line of 19 points, seven rebounds and four steals in Purdue Fort Wayne's 70-57 victory at Southern Indiana on Wednesday (Dec. 6).
Roberts represented one of three Mastodons who finished in double figures. Jalen Jackson scored 15 points, including eight from the charity stripe, and Rasheed Bello had 12 points with five boards.
The win for the Mastodons is their first road win over Southern Indiana since January 11, 1992. The two sides were longtime rivals back when they were both in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, but the 'Dons have now won games over USI in each of the last two seasons.
The 'Dons trailed by as many as 12 in the first half, but closed out the final 10 minutes on a 26-15 run to head into the half. Roberts led all scorers with 14 in the first half. Purdue Fort Wayne forced just six turnovers in the first half, the same amount they allowed. But in the second half, the 'Dons forced 12 turnovers with eight steals and scored 17 points off those turnovers.
Bello was the Mastodons' leading scorer in the second half with 10 points. He also was a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line down the stretch. He put in extra effort on defense by blocking a shot in an unconventional way: with his shoe. Bello lost his shoe on a defensive possession, but picked it up and continued playing defense with the shoe in his hand. As a USI player pulled up for a jump shot, Bello blocked the shot with a shoe in his outstretched hand.
The 'Dons found a way to win despite a poor shooting night. They finished at 34.9 percent (22-of-63), their lowest percentage of the season. They limited the Eagles to a 36.1 percent night and allowed just four 3-pointers. Jeremiah Hernandez led USI with 14 points.
Purdue Fort Wayne finished the game forcing 18 turnovers while committing only nine.
The 'Dons improve to 9-1 on the season and continue their best stretch to start a season during the program's NCAA Division I era. Southern Indiana falls to 2-8. Purdue Fort Wayne returns home on Saturday (Dec. 9) to host Southeast Missouri at 7 p.m. It will be a doubleheader with the women's basketball team. The Mastodon women will host St. Thomas at 4 p.m. One ticket will get you admission to both games.
Roberts represented one of three Mastodons who finished in double figures. Jalen Jackson scored 15 points, including eight from the charity stripe, and Rasheed Bello had 12 points with five boards.
The win for the Mastodons is their first road win over Southern Indiana since January 11, 1992. The two sides were longtime rivals back when they were both in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, but the 'Dons have now won games over USI in each of the last two seasons.
The 'Dons trailed by as many as 12 in the first half, but closed out the final 10 minutes on a 26-15 run to head into the half. Roberts led all scorers with 14 in the first half. Purdue Fort Wayne forced just six turnovers in the first half, the same amount they allowed. But in the second half, the 'Dons forced 12 turnovers with eight steals and scored 17 points off those turnovers.
Bello was the Mastodons' leading scorer in the second half with 10 points. He also was a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line down the stretch. He put in extra effort on defense by blocking a shot in an unconventional way: with his shoe. Bello lost his shoe on a defensive possession, but picked it up and continued playing defense with the shoe in his hand. As a USI player pulled up for a jump shot, Bello blocked the shot with a shoe in his outstretched hand.
The 'Dons found a way to win despite a poor shooting night. They finished at 34.9 percent (22-of-63), their lowest percentage of the season. They limited the Eagles to a 36.1 percent night and allowed just four 3-pointers. Jeremiah Hernandez led USI with 14 points.
Purdue Fort Wayne finished the game forcing 18 turnovers while committing only nine.
The 'Dons improve to 9-1 on the season and continue their best stretch to start a season during the program's NCAA Division I era. Southern Indiana falls to 2-8. Purdue Fort Wayne returns home on Saturday (Dec. 9) to host Southeast Missouri at 7 p.m. It will be a doubleheader with the women's basketball team. The Mastodon women will host St. Thomas at 4 p.m. One ticket will get you admission to both games.
~ Feel The Rumble ~
Team Stats
Pur-FW
USI
FG%
.349
.361
3FG%
.258
.222
FT%
.720
.563
RB
42
45
TO
9
18
STL
13
5
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
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