W. Illinois rallies by IPFW 73-67 in Summit opener

MACOMB, Ill. (AP) Jabari Sandifer scored a career-high 22 points to lead four into double figures as Western Illinois defeated preseason conference favorite Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne 73-67 in the Summit League opener for both schools Friday night.

Sandifer hit just 4 of 11 field goals, but sank 12 of 16 foul shots - including 7 of 10 at the line in the final 1:25 to hold off Fort Wayne. Garret Covington added 17 points, going 11 of 12 on free throws, Mohamed Conde notched a second straight double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds and Mike Miklusak scored 11 points.

The Leathernecks (6-6, 1-0) trailed by a point at halftime, but shot away with runs of 14-4 and 12-2 to lead by as many as 16 after.

The Mastodons (7-7, 0-1), whittled the lead to six, 51-45, inside five minutes, led by 20 from Joe Reed, and 12 by Isaiah McCray.