FORT WAYNE, Ind. --The Green Bay men's basketball battled hard, but fell on the road to the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons, 89-74. The hosts separated themselves in the first half, outscoring the Phoenix 50-35.
 
The Phoenix had three players score in double figures, led by Jeremiah Johnson, who had 20 points and seven rebounds. Marcus Hall added 13 points, and Ben Tweedy had a big day off the bench, finishing with 11 points and a career-high eight rebounds off the bench.
 
Purdue Fort Wayne shot just 6-of-24 from three but shot 49.2 percent from the floor. The Mastodons were led by Rasheed Bello and Jalen Jackson, who went for 25 and 22 respectively.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Ryan Wade started the game out on fire, knocking down his first three three point attempts and giving the Phoenix an early 9-6 lead. PFW played Green Bay back to a 20-all tie before an 18-7 run over the next four minutes helped them grab a 38-27 lead with 5:16 to go. That lead would continue to build at the end of the half, with the hosts taking a 50-35 lead into halftime.
 
Purdue Fort Wayne kept widening its lead after intermission, constructing an 82-61 advantage before Green Bay went on a 9-0 run, finished off by a Johnson's three, to shrink the deficit to 82-70 with 3:04 to go in the contest. That was as close as GB got, however, with PFW securing the 89-74 victory.
 
GAME NOTES
» The Phoenix shot well from three point range, knocking down seven of 16 attempts.
» Green Bay finished with a 36-31 rebounding advantage.
» Johnson's 20-point game is the second of his career.
» There were six lead changes and seven ties Saturday.
 
UP NEXT
Green Bay has a chance to get back in the win column next weekend when they host Northern Kentucky on Friday, Feb. 14 followed by Wright State on Sunday, Feb. 16.
 
###
 
For the latest and most up-to-date information on Green Bay Athletics and Green Bay Men's Basketball, please visit GreenBayPhoenix.com.
 
Follow us on Twitter: @GBPhoenix and @GBPhoenixMBB.
 
Follow us on Instagram: @gbphoenix and @gbphoenixmbb.
 
Like Green Bay Phoenix Athletics and Green Bay Phoenix Men's Basketball on Facebook.
 
If you'd like to receive Green Bay Men's Basketball news via email, please fill out this form.
 
---GreenBayPhoenix.com---