#14 Women's Basketball Battles IUSB to 61-54 Victory
The No. 14 Purdue University Calumet women’s basketball team overcame a slow shooting start with a strong second half to top host Indiana South Bend, 61-54, in a road league contest Wednesday.
Junior Darien Thompson (Anderson, Ind./Anderson) led all scorers with 18 points and added four assists and two steals, senior Patrice McBee (Culver, Ind./Culver) had 15 points, seven boards and three blocked shots and junior Cassidy Deno (Otterbein, Ind./Benton Central) added 10 points and six rebounds in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference win.
Purdue Calumet (7-2, 3-1) made just 7-of-26 field goals (26.9 percent) in the first half, but still managed to hold a 31-26 lead at the break after a 17-point second quarter. McBee dominated the frame by scoring 11 of her 15, including four-straight buckets in the pain – the last which was a three-point play.
IUSB (7-5, 2-2) responded in the second half by outscoring the Peregrines 18-14 in the third quarter, leaving the Peregrines up just one, 45-44, with 10 minutes to play. A Dariyan Morris (Merrillville, Ind./Merrillville) free throw at the 9:18 mark kick-started a 10-2 run to start the final frame, as Thompson added a coast-to-coast layup, a Morris steal led to a Deno triple, and freshman Michaela Kikendall (Morristown, Ind./Morristown) chipped in two layups to extend the Peregrines’ lead.
Morris added three steals and two assists and sophomore Katie Wampler (Scottsburg, Ind./Scottsburg) had nine points for the Peregrines in the road win. The Peregrines shot 70.6 percent (24-of-34) from the free throw line to help seal it.
Paige Avery led the Titans with 16 points and nine rebounds and Courtney Smith had 15 points for IUSB, which finished the game 36.4 percent (20-of-55) from the field compared to 36.0 percent (18-of-50) for the Peregrines.
The Titans also won the rebounding battle, 39-33, and outshot Purdue Calumet at the 3-point line, hitting 8-of-28 (28.6 percent) from downtown compared to the Peregrines’ 9.1 percent (1-of-11).
Purdue Calumet returns to action Saturday, when the Peregrines travel to Trinity International for a road conference game in Deerfield, Ill. The Peregrines’ next home action is Thursday, Dec. 10, when they host Robert Morris Illinois at the Fitness and Recreation Center.
Men's Hoops Falls to IUSB Despite Second Half Comeback Efforts
After trailing in the first half by as much as 13 points, the Purdue University Calumet’s men’s basketball team fought back and took a lead late in the second half.
The Peregrines comeback fell just short, as Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference foe Indiana University South Bend countered the Black and Gold’s comeback efforts to defeat the Peregrines 67-64 Wednesday night.
The Peregrines (4-6, 0-5) were led by LaBradford Sebree (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo) who finished the game with 20 points and connected on four three-point field goals while freshman Chandler Spring (Covington, Ind./Covington) came off the bench and added 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting including four trifectas.
Junior guard Darric Obinger (Munster, Ind./Calumet Christian) notched 11 points, five rebounds and two steals while senior big man Ryan Rader (Lombard, Ill./Willowbrook) recorded 10 points, five rebounds and a pair of blocks.
After the Titans (8-2, 3-1) leaped out to a 21-8 lead early on in the opening half, the Black and Gold battled back to get within five points, after a Sebree layup made it 29-24.
The Peregrines would hang with the Titans for the rest of the period, heading in to the locker room down eight points, 34-26.
Spring led the Peregrines to start the second half, recording five points in the first three minutes to even the score at 36-36.
Joe Bannister would give the Titans a one point lead on a free throw, but Spring would continue his impressive second half performance and give Purdue Calumet their first lead of the game, 39-37.
The Peregrines would continue to add on, after a Sebree three-point field goal extended the Black and Gold’s advantage to five points, 42-37.
IUSB would answer back to even the score at 42-42, but the Peregrines fought back after two more trifectas by Sebree made it 48-44 with just over ten minutes remaining.
Both teams would trade buckets for the next five minutes until a layup by Obinger gave the Peregrines a three point lead with five minutes left in the second half.
Purdue Calumet would lead by one, 59-58 with over one minute remaining, but the Titans would answer the Peregrines run, regaining the lead and holding on to take a 67-64 win over the Black and Gold.
The Peregrines return to action Saturday, Dec. 5, when they travel to Deerfield, Ill. to take on Trinity International in a CCAC match up at 3 p.m. (CT).
Purdue Calumet Adds Lake Central Standout Emma Weissbeck to 2016-17 Class
Purdue University Calumet Cross Country Head Coach Stephanie Beck added her first female runner to her 2016-17 recruiting class, with the recent signing of Lake Central High School standout Emma Weissbeck.
“I am pleased that Emma chose to continue her running career locally with our university,” Beck said.
“Not only is she a good student, but the way she has progressed in her running career shows that the best is yet to come. I am excited to get Emma here and get things going.”
Weissbeck helped lead the Indians to a sectional, regional and semi-state championship, en route to a sixth-place team finish at the IHSAA state championships.
She finished the season with a personal best time of 19:02, and placed 65th at the state championship meet.
Weissbeck was also a member of the track and field team at Lake Central, where she recorded a personal best 4 feet, 10 inch mark in the high jump during her junior season. Additionally, Weissbeck was named Rookie of the Year on her gymnastics team in her sophomore campaign.
The daughter of Sharon and William Weissbeck, Emma plans to major in business next fall at Purdue Calumet.