Mastodons Make a Run too Late Against GCU

Phoenix, AZ – The Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons (0-1) stepped into one of, if not the hardest arenas to play in season after season. The Grand Canyon University Antelopes (1-0) play in front of 7,000 of the craziest, die-hard basketball fans named the Havocs. The Havocs looked to wreak havoc on the Mastodons all night long. An early shoot-out turned into a one sided affair until the Mastodons came soaring back in the middle of the second half. The run was then stomped out, and the Lopes coasted the final minutes to a 90-71 win over the ‘Dons.

Game Recap: The first points of the game belonged to the Mastodons with a smooth jumper from Fort Wayne native Mikale Stevenson. Stevenson, after breaking out in his home “debut” in the exhibition against Ball State, looks to be another Fort Wayne native guard who transferred back home, who can fill up the scoring line, and has explosive tendencies that could take the ‘Dons far… Sounds familiar…

Then the lid on the basket was lifted for the Lopes, and everyone had the green light. Nana Owusu-Anane, Jaden Henley, and Dusty Stromer of GCU all hit three-pointers on consecutive trips down the floor to give the Mastodons an appetizer of the full-course meal coming for the next 37 minutes of play.

After another mid-range shot by Stevenson, new Mastodon Ebrahim Kaba hit his first three point attempt on a nice assist from new Mastodon EJ Mosley. Another new Mastodon, Darius Duffy, made his presence known downlow with a block and an offensive rebound the following possession before passing it out to Stevenson who was fouled on the shot attempt. He would go on to make both free throws to make the score 9-12 in favor of GCU.

After a layup by one of the few returners for the ‘Dons, Deangelo Elisee, the Lopes would go on a run that would be too much for PFW to overcome. GCU would extend their 15-11 lead to a 35-13 lead over the next six and a half minutes of the game. Purdue Fort Wayne’s Corey Hadnot II would need nearly 12 minutes of play to record his first basket of the night with a three-point shot that hit nothing but net. To end the half, Hadnot would get two layups to bring his first half total to seven points, and it would bring the seemingly insurmountable deficit a little closer as the Lopes held on to a 49-27 lead as the teams went into the locker room.

The second half of the game gave Mastodon fans, who hadn’t went to bed at this point with the 9:00pm ET tip, a lot more good feelings about the team and the season to come. The Mastodons used two good stretches over the first 12 minutes of the half to get the deficit down to a single-digit nine point game. In the second period, DeAndre Craig showed why head coach Jon Coffman looked to grab the Denver transfer out of the portal. Craig scored all of his game-high 18 points in the second half. Hadnot and Stevenson also showcased their scoring abilities with blowing by their defenders on easy layups or quick mid-range shots to start to worry the GCU crowd. A Darius Duffy powerful two hand slam would bring the game within three possessions, and Craig and Maximus Nelson each had an answer for GCU to keep the game at nine.

The Mastodons’ woes of last season, not being able to stop a larger offensive player in the paint, followed them into the first game of the season. While they didn’t take over the first half, 7-1 Efe Demirel, 6-8 Nana Owusu-Anane, and 6-10 Wilhelm Breidenbach gave the Lopes the responses to the ‘Dons shots they desperately needed to thwart any serious comeback. Demirel and Owusu-Anane combined for seven of the last nine made field goals for GCU and stepped up defensively not allowing PFW to get any good looks or second chances. What was a nine-point game quickly turned to a 19-point deficit again, and the ‘Dons couldn’t dig themselves back again. A three-point shot from GCU’s Jaden Henley would seal the game and give the Lopes their first win as members of the Mountain West Conference by a score of 90-71.

Stats and Leaders: The Antelopes were led in scoring by seniors Nana Owusu-Anane and Jaden Henley each with 17 points. Demirel (11 points), Stromer (10 points), and Caleb Shaw (10 points) were the others in double figures for GCU. Owusu-Anane led all players with nine rebounds with four offensively. The Lopes dominated the rebounding category 39-27. As a team, GCU shot 56.1% from the field (32-57) and 45.8% from beyond the arc (11-24). The Lopes also used 15 made free throws on 20 attempts to keep their lead.

The Mastodons were led in scoring by the guard trio of Craig (18), Hadnot (16), and Stevenson (15). Hadnot and Craig were efficient with their shooting as well, each shooting over 50% from the floor. No Mastodon recorded more than four rebounds with Hadnot leading that category. The Mastodons won the turnover margin by forcing 15 turnovers for GCU and only coughing it up 13 times. As a team, PFW shot a respectable 42.2% from the floor (27-64) but only 26.7% (8-30) from beyond the arc. The game may have been closer if the ‘Dons had more opportunities at the line as they went a near perfect 9-10 from the stripe.

What’s Next: GCU will stay home and welcome another Horizon League opponent, Youngstown State, into Global Credit Union Arena on Friday, November 7. The game is scheduled to start at 9:00pm ET and will be broadcasted on ESPN+.

The Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons’ next game won’t be any easier. The Mastodons will travel to Columbus to face the Ohio State Buckeyes on Friday, November 7. The Buckeyes got a little bit of a scare at the hands of IU Indy Monday night. The Jaguars were able to score 102 points against OSU. With enough pace and speed (which the ‘Dons have), the game might be a little closer than the books say. The game tips off at 6:30pm ET and will be broadcasted on the Big Ten Network.