Ben Botts paced a balanced IPFW attack with 16 points Tuesday night in a 71-61 victory over North Dakota.
Zach Plackemeier scored 15 points, including 3 of 7 on 3-pointers, and had six assists for Mastodons (2-2). Trey McCorkle also had 15 points, including 9 of 10 free throws, and Frank Gaines scored 14 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
The Fighting Sioux (2-2) got 15 points from Jamal Webb and 11 from Derek Benter, plus a game-best 10 rebounds from Patrick Mitchell.
IPFW led 12-2 early and then 40-30 at the half. North Dakota, which trailed by as many as 17 points, fought back within 65-61 on two Aaron Anderson free throws with 1:36 left, but IPFW held on.
The Fighting Sioux shot just 62.5 percent (15 of 24) from the line compared to 79.3 percent (23 of 29) for the Mastodons. North Dakota outrebounded IPFW 39-34.
