FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Purdue Fort Wayne forced 21 turnovers on Saturday (Jan. 9) evening at the Gates Sports Center in an 88-55 Horizon League victory over UIC. The 33-point margin is the Mastodons' largest over a league opponent since defeating IUPUI by 38 points on March 8, 2014 85-47 in the Summit League Tournament.
After an overtime game on Friday, Saturday's contest was all Mastodons from the start. The 'Dons opened the game with 10 consecutive defensive stops. Purdue Fort Wayne took a 24-10 lead and forced UIC to miss all nine 3-pointers they attempted in this stretch.
The Mastodons held a 37-23 lead at half with Jarred Godfrey scoring 11 of his team-high 16 points in the first half.
The second half was highlighted by a pair of back-to-back alley oops by Jalon Pipkins. The first was a two-handed throw down and the second was a smooth one-handed slam. Demetric Horton supplied perfect passes on both dunks.
The 'Dons held an 11-3 edge in offensive rebounds and scored 29 points off turnovers in the game. The Mastodons shot 11-of-18 from three while limiting UIC to 6-of-24. Purdue Fort Wayne held UIC's leading scorer Teyvion Kirk to eight points and nine turnovers. The 'Dons out-rebounded UIC 38-25.
Deonte Billups had 15 points with five rebounds and three assists while making 5-of-6 from three. Pipkins added 14 points, four steals, three assists and two blocks. Bobby Planutis had 12 points, going 5-of-6 from the floor.
UIC falls to 5-4 (2-2 Horizon). Purdue Fort Wayne improves to 4-5 (3-5 Horizon). The 'Dons are at Milwaukee next Friday and Saturday.
