Jada Buggs poured in 29 points and the No. 12 Purdue University Calumet women’s basketball team caught fire from the outside as the Peregrines downed league foe Indiana University South Bend 80-61 Friday night.
The Peregrines (9-2, 4-0) remained perfect in Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference play behind a 68.4 percent shooting performance from behind the arc, making 13 of 19 shot attempts from deep. Buggs (Elkhart, Ind./Elkhart Memorial), who finished 12 of 21 from the field, made 5 of 7 shots from downtown while sophomore teammate Cassidy Deno (Otterbein, Ind./Benton Central) added 17 points, hitting 5 of 8 attempts from 3-point land.
Junior forward Patrice McBee (Monterey, Ind./Culver Community) added 17 points and seven boards, shooting a crisp 80 percent (8 of 12) from the field to round out the Peregrines in double-figure scoring.
Purdue Calumet never trailed in the contest, though both teams battled in the early minutes, tied at 9-all at the 14:31 mark. That’s when the Peregrines made their run, outscoring the Titans (7-5, 1-1) 11-2 over the next four minutes, keyed by three 3s by Deno and one by Buggs.
IUSB would cut the lead to four (23-27, 4:46) on an Courtney Smith layup, but an Ellie Michalski (Mukwonago, Wis./Mukwonago) jumper kickstarted a 21-6 Peregrine run to close the half and put Purdue Calumet up, 48-29.
Purdue Calumet didn’t falter in the second frame, as the Peregrines led by as many as 24 and didn’t allow the Titans to come any closer than 14 (68-54, 5:58). Two straight Buggs’ 3-pointers erased any threat, as the Peregrines would go on to win by 21.
Buggs recorded an all-around game in her first contest close to home in a Peregrine uniform, adding seven boards and five assists in 30 minutes. Deno added five boards, four assists and a block and senior Kami Graber (Nashville, Ind./Brown County) added eight assists and four boards.
In the past two games – including Wednesday’s win at St. Francis (Ill.), Graber is averaging 9.0 assists per contest.
IUSB finished the game shooting 39.7 (23 for 58) percent from the field and 28.6 percent (6 of 21) from the 3-point line. Emily Peppers and Courtney Smith each finished with 12 points to lead the Titans.
Purdue Calumet returns to action Saturday, Dec. 13, when the Peregrines host Holy Cross (Ind.) in a doubleheader with the men’s teams beginning at 1 p.m. at the Fitness and Recreation Center. Saturday is also Kids Day, as Purdue Calumet offers free admission for all kids to go along with special activities including bouncy houses, face painting, autograph signing, free t-shirts, and more.