Mastodons Look to Rebound Against Milwaukee

The Purdue Fort Wayne men’s basketball team (15-8, 8-4 Horizon) will hit the road for a quick four and a half hour road trip northwest to take on the Panthers of Milwaukee (15-7, 8-3) in the UWM Panther Arena on Sunday, February 2 at 3pm ET on ESPN Plus.

Last time out: Live by the three, die by the three. Late last Thursday night, on a nationally televised ESPNU broadcast, Purdue Fort Wayne’s three-point field goal percentage was more than abnormal… A team that shoots nearly 40% from behind the arc coming into the game (243-of-613, 39.6%) was completely stifled by a suffocating Cleveland State Vikings defensive showcase. The ‘Dons dropped the then No. 1 vs No. 2 team in the league battle by a score of 58-68. A team with five players currently averaging 40% or higher from the three-point line were only able to get 5 three balls to fall. (Volume wasn’t the issue. The team attempted 32 three-pointers, 15.6%). Maybe Green Bay’s coach, Doug Gottlieb, should’ve checked these rims before the game?

Credit given to Cleveland State’s offensive game as well. For a team that has attempted nearly 200 less three-pointers on the season than PFW, the Vikings were able to find their groove early and often from behind the arc finishing the game 8-of-19 as a team.

On a very positive note, the ‘Dons were led in scoring by 13 points from Eric Mulder. Mulder, who had been sidelined since the Michigan game (Dec. 22) made his return to the hardwood Thursday night – and hasn’t missed a beat. The junior from Oskaloosa, Iowa totaled 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 block in 24 minutes off the bench. Mulder was matched in scoring by his senior teammate Rasheed Bello. Bello played a huge part in the Mastodons winning the turnover battle (PFW – 6, CSU – 14) with his perimeter defense resulting in 6 steals.  Mid-season Horizon League Player of the Year Jalen Jackson and Chandler Cuthrell added 12 and 10 points, respectively.

For the Vikings, senior guard Chase Robinson had his way with the ‘Dons offensively. Robinson led all scorers with 20 points, 9 of which came from being the arc and 5 came from the free throw line on 5 attempts. The seemingly workhorse for this Cleveland State team, Dylan Arnett, made his case for HLPOY Thursday night as well. The junior posted 15 points and matched his points with rebounds, bringing in 4 offensive rebounds and 11 rebounds in 37 minutes.

Guard Tevin Smith (4-for-4, 16 points) and guard Tahj Staveskie (9 points) added to the scoring column as well. Coach Daniyal Robinson’s squad padded their first place standing in the Horizon League with the win. The Vikings now sit 2.5 games above second place Milwaukee. The ‘Dons take a small tumble from second, now tied in third with Robert Morris and Youngstown State 3 games back from first place.

Know Your Foe: The ‘Dons task on Sunday doesn’t get much easier than Thursday night. The Milwaukee Panthers (15-7, 8-3 HL) were co-preseason favorites to take home the 2025 crown – sharing the honor with the Mastodons. The Panthers are led offensively by the Louisiana Monroe transfer Themus Fulks (15.1 ppg, 5.1 apg), and he his helped by forward Jamichael Stillwell (13.7 ppg, 11.1 rpg) and Kentrell Pullian (13.3 ppg). Milwaukee can score, and it can come from anyone. The Panthers have 5 players averaging 10 or more points per contest (McKee and Pratt round out the list). Milwaukee are winners of 4 of their last 5, including 2 back-to-back statement road wins – 95-79 @ Wright State and 79-59 @ Northern Kentucky. Head Coach Bart Lundy should have his guys fired up and ready to go to defend their home court and avenge the earlier league loss to the Mastodons.

Round 2: This is the second time that Purdue Fort Wayne and Milwaukee have met this season. The first matchup between these two teams was back on January 8^th in Fort Wayne. The Mastodons were able to grind out a tough 78-73 win on their home court. Jalen Jackson led all scorers with 25 points. His backcourt duo Rasheed Bello also had a big game scoring 23 points, on 50% shooting from the field and a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line.

Those free throws proved to be critical as Milwaukee pawed and clawed their way back from down 13 points early in the second half to tying it 3 separate occasions late in the game. The Mastodons made 5 more free throws than the Panthers on the game, one of very few discernable differences between the two squads. Also, not surprisingly, the ‘Dons won the turnover margin at +5.

 ‘Dons Keys to a Dub: These two teams are about as evenly matched as you can get. Purdue Fort Wayne averages 4 more points per game as a team, but allows 4 more points per game defensively. The difference in FG% is less than a percent (PFW – 47.9%, MILW – 47%.), and the assists, blocks, and steals are all similar as well. There is only one glaring disparity – rebounding. The ‘Dons need to rebound to win this game. As one of the smallest lineups by height in the country, Purdue Fort Wayne needs to use grit and shear determination to get those offensive rebounds and keep Milwaukee at bay.

Luckily enough, the ‘Dons just returned some big help – insert Eric Mulder. Mulder returned to action last Thursday after missing 8 straight games with injury. And he got busy right away collecting 3 OREB, something the ‘Dons desperately need. However, his absence has left a space for the emergence of Chandler Cuthrell. Cuthrell recorded 6 offensive rebounds in the losing effort against Cleveland State. If this is a sign of things to come – the ‘Dons are going to be putting up a lot more 3’s. The law of averages say that means they’re going to start making a lot more 3’s. Expect some periods of run-and-gun offense and then expect some periods of grind it out tough man basketball. This should be a close one.

Series History: This matchup marks the 10th ever meeting between the two squads, and just like everything before – it’s evenly matched. The Mastodons hold the slight edge at 5-4. The teams have never played each other until the Mastodons joined the Horizon League. The Mastodons took home the first four meetings in 2021 and 2022 but then dropped the next four in 2023 and 2024 before winning the 9th meeting in 2025.