'Dons and Saints Square Off on Friday

Friday, December 19

Fort Wayne, Ind.

2 PM

Purdue Fort Wayne

Aquinas (Mich.)

Buy Tickets

Ella Riggs

Photo by: Josh Gales

12/18/2025 11:28:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Live Stats Watch Listen Tickets

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Purdue Fort Wayne women's basketball will play its final non-league game of the season when the Aquinas Saints come marching into the Gates Sports Center on Friday (Dec. 19) for a 2 p.m. tip.

Game Day Information
Who: Aquinas Saints
When: Friday, December 19 | 2 PM
Where: Fort Wayne, Ind. | Gates Sports Center
Live Stats: Link
Watch: ESPN+
Radio: WELT 95.7
Tickets: Link
Game Notes: Purdue Fort Wayne | Aquinas | Horizon League

Know Your Foe
Aquinas is 6-6 this season and 4-3 in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. The Saints have already made a trip to Fort Wayne this year with a visit to Indiana Tech, which the Saints lost 71-49. Aquinas beat UNOH on Wednesday night behind 18 points from Rhema Dozier.

Series History
Purdue Fort Wayne is 4-0 against Aquinas, with the series dating back to 1991. The Mastodons and Saints have played twice in the last two seasons, with the 'Dons winning 77-43 in 2023 and 115-41 in 2024. Aquinas' best player from that game, Claire Gregwer, scored 12 points, but will be a Mastodon in two weeks.

Another Week of Alana
Alana Nelson was selected as the Horizon League Player of the Week for the second week in a row on December 15. She led the Mastodons to a 2-0 week with wins over Milwaukee and Northern Illinois. She became the first Mastodon to be named Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks since Amanda Hyde in the Summit League in 2014.

Marchesano Madness
Maria Marchesano was selected for the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame's Silver Anniversary Team, which recognizes high school graduates from the 2001 class. The team will be honored on April 25 at the Hall of Fame Museum in New Castle.

In the Polls
Purdue Fort Wayne was receiving votes in the first Mid-Major Top 25 Poll on December 16. The Mastodons spent eight weeks in the Top 25 last season and received votes in all but the first poll of the 2024-25 season.

Lili Love
Lili Krasovec scored a career-high 16 points against Northern Illinois after going 7-of-10 from the floor. She has scored in double-digits seven times this season after doing so just twice at Boston College.

Lock In Lili
Lili Krasovec has scored 15+ points four times this season (Purdue, Eastern Michigan, Wright State, Northern Illinois). In those games, she was a combined 22-for-34 (64.7 percent) from the floor and 17-of-20 (85.0 percent) from the free throw line.

3-0 Starts
The Mastodons are 3-0 to start Horizon League play. There have only been seven other Mastodon teams to start 3-0 in league play, three of which were under Maria Marchesano: 2024-25 (Horizon), 2023-24 (Horizon), 2021-22 (Horizon), 2009-10 (Summit), 1995-96 (GLVC), 1993-94 (GLVC) and 1989-90 (GLVC).

3-Ball Fun
The Mastodons are 2-0 this season when they hit 10 or more 3-pointers this season. Under Maria Marchesano's leadership, the 'Dons have had 51 such games with a 40-11 record in those games.

20-20-20 Vision
Alana Nelson scored 20+ points in three games in a row (IU Indy, Wright State and Milwaukee). She joined an elite group of Mastodons to do so in the Division I era.
Amy Gearlds (twice) - 2002-03, 2003-04
Johnna Lewis-Carlisle - 2005-06
Ashley Johnson - 2006-07
Stephanie Rosado - 2011-12
Amanda Hyde (five times) - 2012-13, 2013-14
Lauren Ross - 2024-25

A Week of Alana
Alana Nelson was selected as the Horizon League Player of the Week on December 8. After the first week of league play, Nelson averaged 24.5 points per game, which led the league by 7.0 points per game. She had 23 points at IU Indy, then followed it up with 26 against Wright State.

Career Points Tracker
Let's take a look at the career scoring numbers for the three former NAIA All-Americans on the roster regardless of level.
Alana Nelson - 2,468 (482 at Northwood, 1,787 at Spring Arbor, 199 at PFW)
Jordan Reid - 1,784 (1,395 at Indiana Wesleyan, 389 at PFW)
Lauren Lee - 1,666 (1,630 at Campbellsville, 36 at PFW)

All Signs Point to Nelson
Of all players currently at the Division I level, Alana Nelson has the most career points when counting all levels of play. She owns 2,468 points in her six years of college basketball at Northwood (2), Spring Arbor (3) and Purdue Fort Wayne (1).

She's Playing a Lot, Huh?
Alana Nelson (35.1) leads the Horizon League in minutes played per game.

Look at Lee!
Through three Horizon League games, Lauren Lee leads the HL with 5.0 assists per game. She also has a 3.8 assist to turnover ratio, which is second-best.

In the HL
Alana Nelson's 16.6 points per game leads the Horizon League and her 49.0 field goal percentage ranks second in the league. Her 39.1 3-point percentage is fourth. In a small sample size of league play, she leads the league with 23.0 points per game.

Reid About Jordan
Jordan Reid is the only player in the Horizon League in the top-six in both rebounding (6.1) and steals (2.4) per game.

I'll Take That
Jordan Reid is averaging 2.4 steals per game, which ranks second in the Horizon League and top-90 nationally. If that average holds for a season-long mark, it would be second-best in the program's Division I era and sixth-best overall.

Inside The Arc? Guaranteed Bucket
Lili Krasovec is shooting 65.3 percent from the floor this season (49-for-75). If she qualified for the leaderboard with enough attempts, she would lead the Horizon League in the field goal percentage category. Once she reaches 75 made baskets, she would qualify for the season mark in Mastodon history. Her 65.3 percent would rank first, topping Jazzlyn Linbo's 58.3 from last season.

Home Sweet Gates
Purdue Fort Wayne is 48-21 (69.6 percent) at home under head coach Maria Marchesano and 33-6 (84.6 percent) over the last three seasons.

Magic Numbers 70 and 80
Under head coach Maria Marchesano, the Mastodons are 53-8 when they score 70 points or more and 24-2 when they hit 80.

Bench Mob
Purdue Fort Wayne's bench is out-scoring its opponents' benches 233-195 this season. The Mastodon bench has led in bench points in eight of its 12 games.

Last Time Out
Purdue Fort Wayne took down future Horizon League foe Northern Illinois 67-44 behind 16 points from Lili Krasovec and a double-double from Alana Nelson.

Next Time Up
The Mastodons will resume Horizon League play for the major portion of the schedule when Northern Kentucky comes to Fort Wayne on December 29. After the New Year, the Mastodons will visit Oakland on January 2.

~ Feel the Rumble ~