Junior Ryan Rader recorded his first double-double of the year to lead the Purdue University Calumet men’s basketball team to its first win this season, 76-69, over Michigan Dearborn in the final day of the Tip-Off Classic Saturday afternoon.
Rader (Lombard,Ill./Willowbrook) finished with a game-high 22 points on 8 of 12 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds, while senior forward Kaspars Brencans (Riga, Latvia/Florida Air Academy) netted 18 points, six rebounds and three assists.
Senior Noah Allen (Flora,Ind./Carroll) continued his defensive dominance with five steals to go along with his 13 points and a game-high six helpers.
The Peregrines (1-1) started off hot, jumping out to a 21-7 lead early on in the first half. A 3-point field goal by Darric Obinger (Munster, Ind./Calumet Christian) increased the Black and Gold’s lead to 27-12 with just under 10 minutes to go before the Wolverines answered back with a run of their own.
Four straight trifectas by four different Wolverine players cut the U-M Dearborn (0-3) deficit to just four points before eventually cutting the lead to one, 33-32, to end the first half.
Michigan Dearborn came out of the break strong, as a layup by Paul Standke gave the Wolverines their first lead of the game in the opening minute of the second half. Dearborn would continue to pressure the Peregrines, increasing their lead to 13 points, 63-50 with just less than 10 minutes remaining.
The Black and Gold would battle back thanks to three consecutive jumpers by Brencans followed by a monstrous dunk from Rader to lead the Peregrines on a 20-0 run in a five minute span down the stretch.
In that span, the Peregrines would out-rebound the Wolverines 9-0 and force three turnovers.
Purdue Calumet finished the game with 50.0 percent (26 of 52) shooting from the field compared to 49.1 percent (26 of 53) for the Wolverines. The Peregrines also posted a 36-31 advantage on the glass. The Peregrines’ defense forced Dearborn to 20 turnovers and scored 19 points off the mishandles.
Senior Aaron Davis (Peoria, Ill./Richwoods) added four assists and five steals and 6-foot-10 junior Andis Malahovskis (Cesis, Latvia/Cesis City) added six points off 2 of 3 shooting from the floor.
Victor Mattison led the visiting Wolverines with 15 points and Jamiel Strickland and Darrly Mobley added 11 points apiece.
Purdue Calumet returns to action Friday, Nov. 14 as they travel to Huntington, Ind. for the Ness Bros. Hall of Fame Tournament. The Peregrines will face Asbury University at 5 p.m.