Saturday, December 21
Fort Wayne, Ind.
2 PM
Purdue Fort Wayne
vs
.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
Western Michigan
Taeya Steinauer
Photo by: Tristen Bronaugh
Mastodon Women's Hoops Plays Host to Western Michigan on Saturday
12/20/2024 3:07:00 PM | Women's Basketball
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The Purdue Fort Wayne women's basketball team will play host to Lauren Ross' former squad, the Western Michigan Broncos, on Saturday (Dec. 21) at 2 p.m.
Admission will be free for fans that come dressed in ugly sweaters.
Game Day Information
Who: Western Michigan Broncos
When: Saturday, December 21 | 2 PM
Where: Fort Wayne, Ind. | Gates Sports Center
Live Stats: Link
Watch: Link
Tickets: Link
Game Notes: Purdue Fort Wayne | Western Michigan | Horizon League
Know Your Foe
Western Michigan is 3-6 this season with wins over Arkansas State, Cleary and Prairie View A&M. In the Broncos' most recent game against PVAM, they scored a season-high 87 points on 50.9 percent shooting, including 12 3-pointers. Marina Asensio is leading Western Michigan with 11.8 points per game, but is relatively inefficient at 35 percent from the floor.
The Series
Western Michigan leads the all-time series 6-1 over the Mastodons, but the two teams have only played twice in Fort Wayne. The Mastodons won the first meeting 81-77 in 2001. Last year, WMU trailed by 17 before coming back to win in the final moments.
Fresh!
Taeya Steinauer was named the Horizon League Freshman of the Week on December 16, becoming the first Mastodon to earn the honor this season. She averaged 10.5 points, 3.0 steals and 2.5 rebounds per game to help Purdue Fort Wayne to a 2-0 week with wins over IU Indy and Aquinas.
Go Syd Go!
In Sydney Graber's first start of her career, she scored a career-high 12 points against Aquinas on 6-of-8 shooting.
We'll Take that!
Sydney Freeman and Taeya Steinauer both had five steals against Aquinas, becoming the first Mastodon duo to both have five steals in a game since Rachel Rinehart and Josie Fisher in 2015 against Milwaukee.
Pouring It On
Purdue Fort Wayne hit 15 3-pointers against Green Bay on December 7. Two games later, the Mastodons hit 16 triples against Aquinas. The 16 against Aquinas ranks as the third-most in a game in program history and the 15 tie for the eighth-most.
Thief!
Sydney Freeman is second in the Horizon League and top-150 nationally with 23 steals this season. Her 1.92 per game mark ranks just outside the top-200.
Ross Has the Sauce
Through 12 games, Lauren Ross is shooting 49.3 percent from the floor, 51.2 percent from 3-point range and 91.8 percent from the line. With a slight uptick in field goal percentage, she could be the first player to ever shoot 50/50/90 since the 3-point line was added to college basketball.
Free Assists Here!
Sydney Freeman has 491 assists in her career, needing just nine to reach 500 for her career. She ranks in the top-25 nationally among active players in that category.
League Leaders
Through the early portion of the Horizon League slate, Purdue Fort Wayne is one of two 3-0 teams. There are four teams without a league loss, Detroit Mercy, Cleveland State, Purdue Fort Wayne and Oakland, but the Mastodons and Vikings are the only two at 3-0.
Offensive Threat
Per College Basketball Reference, Lauren Ross has an offensive rating (points scored per 100 possessions) of 132.0, the highest on the team among rotation players. She also has an effective field goal percentage of 65.1 percent, a team-best. She is taking 61.8 percent of her shots from 3-point range. She also has the highest plus/minus on the team among rotation players with +8.6 per game.
Fill It Up
Purdue Fort Wayne is averaging 79.2 points per game, which ranks first in the Horizon League and top-40 nationally. The Mastodons' 38.8 3-point shooting percentage and 10.3 3-point makes per game both rank top-15 nationally.
Our Ball!
Purdue Fort Wayne's 7.17 turnover margin ranks first in the Horizon League and is a top-25 mark nationally.
Chasing 1,000
Audra Emmerson has a chance to reach 1,000 points for her career. She has 790 points, needing 210 to reach the milestone. She scored 343 last season.
Saving the Best for Last
Lauren Ross is shooting 49.3 percent from the floor, 51.2 percent from 3-point range and 91.8 percent from the charity stripe, while grabbing 5.0 rebounds per game. All of those marks are the best of her career. Ross' 3.58 triples per game ranks sixth in the country and 51.2 percent from beyond the arc ranks fourth.
Last Time Out
Purdue Fort Wayne hit 16 3-pointers to rout Aquinas 115-41. Taeya Steinauer and Lauren Ross led the way with 19 points each.
Coming Up
Purdue Fort Wayne will return to Horizon League action on December 28 when the Mastodons visit Wright State. The Mastodons have won five of the last six meetings against the Raiders.
Admission will be free for fans that come dressed in ugly sweaters.
Game Day Information
Who: Western Michigan Broncos
When: Saturday, December 21 | 2 PM
Where: Fort Wayne, Ind. | Gates Sports Center
Live Stats: Link
Watch: Link
Tickets: Link
Game Notes: Purdue Fort Wayne | Western Michigan | Horizon League
Know Your Foe
Western Michigan is 3-6 this season with wins over Arkansas State, Cleary and Prairie View A&M. In the Broncos' most recent game against PVAM, they scored a season-high 87 points on 50.9 percent shooting, including 12 3-pointers. Marina Asensio is leading Western Michigan with 11.8 points per game, but is relatively inefficient at 35 percent from the floor.
The Series
Western Michigan leads the all-time series 6-1 over the Mastodons, but the two teams have only played twice in Fort Wayne. The Mastodons won the first meeting 81-77 in 2001. Last year, WMU trailed by 17 before coming back to win in the final moments.
Fresh!
Taeya Steinauer was named the Horizon League Freshman of the Week on December 16, becoming the first Mastodon to earn the honor this season. She averaged 10.5 points, 3.0 steals and 2.5 rebounds per game to help Purdue Fort Wayne to a 2-0 week with wins over IU Indy and Aquinas.
Go Syd Go!
In Sydney Graber's first start of her career, she scored a career-high 12 points against Aquinas on 6-of-8 shooting.
We'll Take that!
Sydney Freeman and Taeya Steinauer both had five steals against Aquinas, becoming the first Mastodon duo to both have five steals in a game since Rachel Rinehart and Josie Fisher in 2015 against Milwaukee.
Pouring It On
Purdue Fort Wayne hit 15 3-pointers against Green Bay on December 7. Two games later, the Mastodons hit 16 triples against Aquinas. The 16 against Aquinas ranks as the third-most in a game in program history and the 15 tie for the eighth-most.
Thief!
Sydney Freeman is second in the Horizon League and top-150 nationally with 23 steals this season. Her 1.92 per game mark ranks just outside the top-200.
Ross Has the Sauce
Through 12 games, Lauren Ross is shooting 49.3 percent from the floor, 51.2 percent from 3-point range and 91.8 percent from the line. With a slight uptick in field goal percentage, she could be the first player to ever shoot 50/50/90 since the 3-point line was added to college basketball.
Free Assists Here!
Sydney Freeman has 491 assists in her career, needing just nine to reach 500 for her career. She ranks in the top-25 nationally among active players in that category.
League Leaders
Through the early portion of the Horizon League slate, Purdue Fort Wayne is one of two 3-0 teams. There are four teams without a league loss, Detroit Mercy, Cleveland State, Purdue Fort Wayne and Oakland, but the Mastodons and Vikings are the only two at 3-0.
Offensive Threat
Per College Basketball Reference, Lauren Ross has an offensive rating (points scored per 100 possessions) of 132.0, the highest on the team among rotation players. She also has an effective field goal percentage of 65.1 percent, a team-best. She is taking 61.8 percent of her shots from 3-point range. She also has the highest plus/minus on the team among rotation players with +8.6 per game.
Fill It Up
Purdue Fort Wayne is averaging 79.2 points per game, which ranks first in the Horizon League and top-40 nationally. The Mastodons' 38.8 3-point shooting percentage and 10.3 3-point makes per game both rank top-15 nationally.
Our Ball!
Purdue Fort Wayne's 7.17 turnover margin ranks first in the Horizon League and is a top-25 mark nationally.
Chasing 1,000
Audra Emmerson has a chance to reach 1,000 points for her career. She has 790 points, needing 210 to reach the milestone. She scored 343 last season.
Saving the Best for Last
Lauren Ross is shooting 49.3 percent from the floor, 51.2 percent from 3-point range and 91.8 percent from the charity stripe, while grabbing 5.0 rebounds per game. All of those marks are the best of her career. Ross' 3.58 triples per game ranks sixth in the country and 51.2 percent from beyond the arc ranks fourth.
Last Time Out
Purdue Fort Wayne hit 16 3-pointers to rout Aquinas 115-41. Taeya Steinauer and Lauren Ross led the way with 19 points each.
Coming Up
Purdue Fort Wayne will return to Horizon League action on December 28 when the Mastodons visit Wright State. The Mastodons have won five of the last six meetings against the Raiders.
~ Feel the Rumble ~
.png&width=84&height=84&quality=100&type=webp)
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballPFW vs Cleveland State WNIT Great 8 Highlights
Tuesday, April 01
WNIT Super 16 PFW vs Butler Post Game and Highlights
Saturday, March 29
PFW vs Old Dominion Post Game and Highlights
Wednesday, March 26
WBB PFW vs Wright State Post game and Highlights
Friday, March 07
