Purdue Fort Wayne was able to pull off the sweep against Milwaukee led by Jarred Godfrey once again. On Friday, the Mastodons won 81-72, followed by an 81-74 victory on Saturday.
The Mastodons are the best 3-point shooting team in Division 1 basketball, shooting a staggering 43.9% from deep. They are firing on all cylinders, and their fearless leader, Jarred Godfrey, is making his case to be the Horizon League player of the year.
Dominating the paint
The Mastodons can shoot the ball with any team in the country, but Friday’s 81-72 win was a sign of how complete their offense can be. They got to the rim at will and they were able to finish at the rim all game long. They finished the game with 44 points in the paint, with 32 of them coming in the second half.
Godfrey took this game over with his aggressiveness in drawing fouls, and hit 7 of 8 from the free throw line. He ended with a near triple-double, with 23 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists. Dylan Carl was in foul trouble throughout the game, but he was still able to put his stamp on this victory, with 12 points on 5-5 from the field, and 4 assists.
The Mastodons can win in a variety of ways and they continue to show that they belong in this conference. They ended up shooting 53.4% from the field, while only hitting seven 3-pointers. They are still struggling with turning the ball over, but they are playing with a lot of confidence as the win streak continues.
Maybe offense wins championships
After a down game shooting the long ball on Friday, Saturday was the complete opposite in the Mastodons 81-74 win. Their offense simply can’t be stopped after shooting the lights out in their win over Milwaukee. Purdue Fort Wayne finished the game 12-17 from deep and shot 62.8% from the field.
Friday’s win was all Godfrey, but Saturday was a different story with four starters finishing with double figures. Jalon Pipkins was huge in this win with 16 points, hitting 4-4 from long range, and 6 defensive rebounds. The hot shooting seems to be contagious as Bobby Planutis was on fire as well. Planutis had 15 points and shot 3-5 from deep.
Godfrey had another excellent all around game with 18 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds. He turned the ball over 8 times, with 4 in each half, but he was still critical in closing out this win for the Mastodons. Opponents are realizing how unstoppable he can be, but there isn’t much that can be done to slow him down.
Turnovers and poor free throw shooting are holding this offense back from becoming elite, but even with those struggles, they are able to outscore and outshoot every team in their way. The Mastodons will look to continue the winning streak and to keep climbing in the conference standings against a struggling Green Bay team on the road next weekend.
