GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Kamari McGee and Manny Ansong had solid games for the Green Bay men's basketball team Friday night, but it wasn't enough as the Phoenix fell to Purdue Fort Wayne at the Kress Center.
McGee led Green Bay (4-22, 3-14) with 19 points, while Ansong chipped in with 12 points. Cade Meyer and Nate Jenkins helped out with eight points each.
Damian Chong Qui paced the Mastodons with 16 points, while Deonte Billups had 15 and Jalon Pipkins added 13.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Green Bay fell behind 6-0 early, but clawed back into the game after five straight points from Meyer. The true freshman scored seven of GB's first nine points. Purdue Fort Wayne went up by eight, but the Phoenix responded when Nate Jenkins drained a trey, making it 17-12 with 10:17 left in the first half. The Mastodons started to pull away after, going on a 10-0 run, capped by Jonathan Dejurnett's layup that put PFW up 27-12 with 3:51 to go before intermission. GB would pull within 10 by outscoring PFW 11-6 down the stretch, down 33-23 going into the break.
Coming out of intermission, both teams traded baskets. PFW would put their foot on the gas and start to pull away once again, ballooning the lead to 17 after JoJo Peterson splashed a three to make it 50-33 with 14:07 to go. A McGee three and Meyer free throw would bring it back within 13, but the Mastodons ensued with an 8-0 run that put PFW up 60-39 with 9:22 to go. The run was capped off with an emphatic Ra Kpedi dunk. From there, the two teams would play tug-of-war down the stretch. Neither team scored in the final 2:14 as PFW stood firm en route to the 74-55 win.
GAME NOTES
» Green Bay's defense forced 15 turnovers.
» Ansong and McGee were a combined 11-for-22 (50-percent) from the field.
» McGee was a perfect 5-for-5 from the charity stripe and led GB with four defensive rebounds.
» Purdue Fort Wayne grabbed 36 rebounds, compared to GB's 27.
» The Mastodons narrowly won the turnover battle, 15-14.
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Lucas Stieber led the Phoenix with three steals and notched six of the team's nine assists.
» Meyer led the Phoenix with 31 minutes. He was the only GB player to eclipse 30 minutes.
» The Phoenix defense was active on the defensive end, tallying five blocks as a team.
» Green Bay got a team-high six rebounds (three offensively) from Ansong.
» Each team had 26 points in the paint.
» GB finished with 13 second-chance points, while PFW finished with four.
UP NEXT
Green Bay will host Cleveland State on Sunday for their final regular season home game, with tipoff slated for 2 p.m. Following, the Phoenix will hit the road to wrap up the regular season, visiting UIC next Thursday before making a stop at IUPUI next Saturday.
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