Box Score HAMMOND, Ind. – Sophomore Shae Rhonehouse (Fremont, Ind./Fremont) had a team-high 12 points as Purdue Northwest could not overcome a slow start and fell 80-52 to Northern Michigan University Thursday evening in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) women's basketball action on John Friend Court at the Fitness & Recreation Center in Hammond, Ind. The Pride fell behind 17-3 in the game's first five minutes and never recovered from the big early deficit.
Senior Jessica Kiser (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) was the other PNW player to score in double figures Thursday with 10 points. Freshmen Taylor Vauters (Rockville, Ind./Riverton Parke) and Lanie Allen (East Noble, Ind./East Noble) each recorded eight points for the Pride in the game. PNW shot 32 percent (20-for-62) from the field, while NMU connected on 51 percent (33-for-65) of its shot attempts.
After a lay-up in the opening minute by senior Ellie Michalski (Mukwonago, Wis./Mukwonago), Purdue Northwest went cold from the floor as Northern Michigan scored 14 unanswered points to take a 17-2 lead. PNW finished the quarter tough and trailed 23-7 at the end of the frame.
A jumper by Allen with six minutes left to play in the second quarter brought the Pride to within 14 at 27-13, but the Wildcats responded with an 8-0 run to push their lead up to 22 at 35-13. A lay-up by Vauters with 26 seconds left in the half made the halftime score, 39-21.
Northern Michigan started the second half strong with another 8-0 run to go up, 47-21, before Rhonehouse made a jumper to end the surge. Unfortunately, the Pride could not chip into the big deficit much more the rest of the third quarter and trailed 64-40 heading into the final period.
A three-pointer by Kiser in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter further cut into the NMU lead, but that would be as close as the Pride got over the remaining nine minutes of regulation.
Purdue Northwest (1-6 overall/1-2 GLIAC) hosts Michigan Tech in a GLIAC match-up on Saturday, December 9, at the H.D. Kesling Gymnasium in the James B. Dworkin Student Services & Activities Complex in Westville, Ind. The conference game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. CT start.