FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – Jon Coffman and Purdue Fort Wayne tipped off 2026 on a sour note with a 72-54 loss to Green Bay on Thursday at Memorial Coliseum.
The Mastodons gave up a 15-0 run to the Phoenix to open the game, trailing as much as 17 points with 7:34 to go in the first half. Purdue Fort Wayne punched back by outscoring Green Bay, 20-11, over the remainder of the first half to trail 30-24 at halftime.
Despite the strong close to the first half, the Mastodons struggled to keep pace with Green Bay in the second half. After closing the deficit to a 34-30 game, the Phoenix answered with a six point burst to extend the lead back to double digits. Purdue Fort Wayne trailed 62-54 heading into the final media timeout, but Green Bay closed the game with 10 unanswered points…