PNW Hoops Earns 69-63 Victory Over IUSB
The Purdue University Northwest men’s basketball team earned a 69-63 victory over Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference opponent IU South Bend Wednesday night at the Student Services and Activities Complex.
The Pride (3-5, 2-2) picked up its second-straight CCAC win in a row, after defeating the Titans (6-4, 1-2) thanks to a trio of double-digit scorers which led the Black and Gold.
Junior guard Tyree Coe (Fishers, Ind./Fishers) led the way for the Pride, recording a team-high 19 points on 6-of-14 shooting with two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Franklin Nunn (Anderson, Ind./Liberty Christian) notched a career-high 16 points with eight rebounds while Torrance Johnson (Chicago Heights, Ill./Chicago Hope Academy) recorded a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
After the Titans took an early 15-7 advantage, the Pride went on an 8-0 run led by a pair of trifectas from Coe which evened the score at 15-15.
Both teams would go back and forth for the rest of the half, with the Black and Gold taking a 28-27 lead heading in to the break.
With just under 10 minutes remaining and both teams being tied at 48-48, PNW would jump out to a 57-52 advantage later in the period.
The Titans would try and make a comeback, but the Pride would hold on and pick up the 69-63 victory.
IUSB shot 39.7 percent from the field compared to 33.8 percent from the Pride, but PNW would force 16 turnovers and outrebound the Titans 45-39.
The Black and Gold return to action Saturday, Dec. 3, when they host Trinity International at the Fitness and Recreation Center at 3 p.m. (CT).
Rhonehouse leads Purdue Northwest in 66-56 Win over IUSB Freshman Shae Rhonehouse led the way as the No. 15 Purdue University Northwest women’s basketball team held off visiting Indiana South Bend, 66-56, Wednesday night at the James B. Dworkin Student Services and Activities Complex.
Rhonehouse (Fremont, Ind./Fremont) netted a game-high 17 points on 7-of-16 from the floor and added seven rebounds and two assists to lead help the Pride (8-3, 4-0 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference) remain undefeated in conference play.
Seniors Darien Thompson (Anderson, Ind./Anderson) and Cassidy Deno (Otterbein, Ind./Benton Central) added 13 points and seven boards each, with Thompson dishing out five assists.
Junior forward Ellie Michalski (Mukwonago, Wis./Mukwonago) finished with eight points and a team-best nine boards and senior teammate Katie Wampler (Scottsburg, Ind./Scottsburg) added nine points to round out the PNW leaders.
The Pride led at the break, 30-23, thanks to Thompson’s jumper at the buzzer, but IU South Bend (5-7, 1-3) would respond in the third quarter, outscoring Purdue Northwest by a 22-17 margin to cut PNW’s lead to just two, 47-45, heading into the final frame.
But the Pride would rattle off five-straight points to open the fourth with a Jessica Kiser (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) lay-up and Rhonehouse three-point play. The Titans didn’t go away though, cutting the lead back down to two, 58-56, with four minutes left. PNW maintained its composure down the stretch, though, outscoring IUSB 8-0 in the final minutes, with the help of a 6-of-8 performance from the free-throw line.
Both teams struggled from the field, with the Titans finishing 38.2 percent (21-of-55) from the field compared to 38.1 percent (24-of-63) for PNW. The Pride edged IUSB on the boards, 39-36, and recorded 16 point off 12 Titan turnovers.
PNW also won the battle in the paint, 38-24.
Paige Avery led Indiana South Bend with 16 points and Vicki Gard added 13 points in the loss.
Purdue Northwest returns to action Saturday, Dec. 3, when the Pride host Trinity International in a CCAC contest beginning at 1 p.m. CT at Hammond’s Fitness & Recreation Center. Saturday is also Kids & Alumni Day, as PNW invites those two categories for free admission and free kids t-shirts, bouncy houses, and more.
Purdue Northwest's Torrance Johnson Named CCAC Player of the Week After a career-performance that helped lead the Purdue University Northwest men’s basketball team to its first conference win, junior forward Torrance Johnson has been named the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Week.
Johnson (Chicago Heights, Ill./Hope Academy) netted career-highs in both points (34) and rebounds (14) in the Pride’s 87-84 CCAC win over Olivet Nazarene Nov. 22. The 6-foot-6 junior shot just over 70 percent from the floor, hitting 12 of his 17 shots and 10-of-15 from the free-throw line, including two that helped hold off ONU with just under four seconds to play.
He added two steals and two assists in 34 minutes on the court.
The award marks Johnson’s first CCAC weekly award and the first for PNW men’s basketball this season.
Purdue Northwest returns to action Wednesday when the Pride host CCAC foe Indiana South Bend in the second game of a doubleheader with the women’s teams at the James B. Dworkin Student Services and Activities Complex in Westville, Ind. Game time for the men is set for 7 p.m. CT.
