Detroit, MI – On Valentine’s Day, the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons (16-10, 10-6 Horizon League) showed plenty of love on the scoreboard, cruising to an 84–68 win over the Detroit Mercy Titans (5-20, 3-13 Horizon League). From the tip, Purdue Fort Wayne’s offense was in full cupid mode, making shots fall like arrows and keeping a top three Horizon League tournament seed well in sight. While the expected Mastodons individuals contributed, a team love story and collective chemistry made Detroit Mercy’s heart skip more than a beat.
The first points of the game came by way of two Lauren Lee free throws, and Anna Lassan responded with two offensive rebounds and a made shot on the other end. This would be the last time the Titans would be tied or, quite frankly, look like they had a chance to win this game. Rylee Bess got her first three-pointer of the game on the following possession to take the lead for the remainder of the game for the Mastodons. Jordan Reid and Alana Nelson worked in tandem over the rest of the first quarter to build the Purdue Fort Wayne lead out to as much as 11. Bess then hit a three-pointer after a Detroit Mercy made basket to give PFW a 23-11 lead after 10 minutes of play.
Unfortunately for Detroit Mercy fans, the second quarter didn’t fare much better. The Mastodons scored the first three baskets of the quarter to inflate their lead to 20 points. The 31-11 lead would come via yet another Detroit Mercy turnover that led to a layup from Nelson. From here, Detroit Mercy would feel a spark and try their best to claw back into the game. Junior Makayla Jackson and senior Aaliyah McQueen put together enough baskets to get the lead back down to 11 with less than a minute to go in the half. The Mastodons, however, crushed the spirits of any sort of comeback with a basket from Reid and a three-pointer from Lauren Lee before the buzzer to bring the halftime lead back up to 16 by a score of 44-28.
The Mastodons would yet again win the third quarter 27-18, shooting an impressive 63.2% (12-of-19) from the floor with 18 of their 19 shots coming inside the three-point line. Reid scored half of her points in the game in the third quarter, and Lili Krasovec scored more than half of her points with nine in the third quarter.
The Titans were led in scoring by Jackson’s season high and career regular season high 22 points on her 16 attempts. Three other Titans finished in double digits, including McQueen’s 17 points off the bench. Jasmine Edwards added 12 points and a team high six rebounds, and Lassan was the final starter in double figures with 11. Reid’s layup on a pass from Lee with 30 seconds left in the quarter would bring the Mastodon lead all the way to 25, and the Mastodons led 71-46 heading into the final frame.
In the fourth quarter, the Titans strung together a 10-0 run to get the lead down to 13, but it would be too little too late in this one. The 10 points in the run by Detroit Mercy took nearly five minutes to score, and the large Mastodon lead was more than enough to survive. The Mastodons would respond and build the lead back to 18 with 30 seconds in the game, and Jasmine Edwards would score the final two points of the game from the line for Detroit Mercy to win the quarter 22-13. However, the Mastodons had the sweet victory 84-68 and sweep the season series against the Titans.
The Mastodons were led in scoring by Reid for the fourth time this season with 20 points. Reid shot over 50% from the floor (9-of-16), though she was 0-for-3 from beyond the arc. Nelson continued her Player of the Year case, scoring just under her league leading average (16.6 ppg) with 16. Bess and Krasovec each added 15 of their own. As a team, the Mastodons made just under half (49%) of their shots from the floor, going 34-of-70 overall and 7-of-22 from deep. The Mastodons did not leave many points at the line either, shooting above their team average, 9-of-12 (75%).
Krasovec led the team in rebounding with a career-high 10 boards to help her secure her first career double-double. As a team, the Mastodons outrebounded the Titans 40-38. Nelson, Reid, and Ella Riggs each chipped in five rebounds a piece. In their last meeting, the Mastodons also won the rebounding battle. On the season, the Mastodons still have a 3.3 rebound per game deficit against their opponents.
The Mastodons were passing out assists faster than candy at an elementary school Valentine’s Day party. The ‘Dons finished with 24 assists on their 34 made shots. Lee led the charge with an impressive seven assists, and Nika Lokica dished out five of her own off the bench. Bess, Krasovec, and Lee were stealing more than hearts on the court Saturday afternoon as well. Each of those three ended with three steals for nine of the team’s 13 steals in the game. The 13 steals were part of 21 total turnovers by Detroit Mercy. Purdue Fort Wayne was able to turn those 21 turnovers into 34 points, including 20 fast break points. On the other side, the Titans only had four fast break points and four more points on turnovers on the Mastodons’ 13 giveaways.
Purdue Fort Wayne returns home for their next two games. On Wednesday, February 18, the Mastodons will take on Oakland (8-18, 5-11 Horizon League). In their last matchup, the Mastodons took care of the Grizzlies in Rochester without much of an issue, winning 84-64. The game is set to start at 7:00pm ET and will be broadcast on ESPN+ and locally on radio on WELT 95.7 FM.
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