Purdue Fort Wayne
Youngstown State
Mastodon MBB Picks Up Key #HLMBB Win Over YSU on Homecoming
2/4/2024 4:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The Purdue Fort Wayne men's basketball team picked a up a big Horizon League win on Sunday (Feb. 4), topping Youngstown State 82-78 in the Gates Sports Center.
Jalen Jackson led all scorers with 23 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Anthony Roberts pitched in 16 on 7-of-11 shooting and Rasheed Bello added 11.
YSU took a 37-34 lead into the halftime break.
The Mastodons had a 19-5 run over seven minutes in the second half that ballooned the lead to 14. Six different 'Dons scored in the run. Jackson started the run with a triple, then Roberts had a breakaway dunk. Shortly after, Maximus Nelson drilled a 3-pointer. Eric Mulder and Johnathan DeJurnett got buckets inside later on, then Destin Whitaker joined in with a triple.
YSU responded with a 10-2 run heading into the under-8 media timeout, cutting the Mastodon lead down to six. The Mastodons silenced the run when Jackson scored on a driving layup followed by a Roberts steal and breakaway layup. After a Quinton Morton-Robertson steal, Jackson had a nifty spin move to get his defender jumping for an easy floater in close.
With under a minute to play, the 'Dons led 75-71. Jackson drilled a triple from the weak-side corner to put the game out of YSU's reach. YSU had fouls to give before the double-bonus, but Morton-Robertson and Roberts hit the front end of the one-and-ones to keep the Penguins at bay.
As a team, the Mastodons shot 50.7 percent from the floor (29-of-57) and 38.1 percent from 3-point range (8-of-21). They held YSU to 23-of-61 (37.7 percent) from the floor and 8-of-27 (29.6 percent from 3-point range.
Homecoming festivities saw the 2024 Hall of Fame class honored during half time. The 2023 men's golf team that won the Horizon League title received their rings on Sunday and were honored at a media timeout.
Purdue Fort Wayne improves to 15-8, 6-6 Horizon League. Youngstown State falls to 17-7, 9-4. The Mastodons are back in action on Wednesday (Feb. 7) at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum when they welcome Cleveland State.
~ Feel the Rumble ~
