Big Rapids, Mich. – Senior Torrance Johnson (Chicago Heights, Ill./Chicago Hope Academy) scored 15 points and pulled down five rebounds, but the Purdue Northwest men's basketball team fell behind early to No. 3 Ferris State University (Mich.) and never recovered in a 117-66 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) road loss Thursday evening at Jim Wink Arena in Big Rapids, Mich.  FSU shot 62 percent (49-for-79) from the field for the game, including 74 percent (26-for-35) in the first half alone, to help pull away for the conference win.

Senior Caleb Brannon (Lebanon, Ind./Lebanon) and freshman Richard Robertson (Fort Wayne, Ind./Fort Wayne Northrup) each finished with 10 points for PNW, while junior Chris Nunn (Anderson, Ind./Liberty Christian) added nine points and team-leading five assists.  As a team, Purdue Northwest shot just 35 percent (23-for-66) from the floor Thursday.      

The Bulldogs started the game on fire outscoring the Pride, 23-4, over the game's first seven minutes.  A pair of three-pointers by senior Tyree Coe (Fishers, Ind./Fishers) helped pull PNW within 16 at 26-10 near the midpoint of the first half.  However, Ferris State used another offensive surge to push its lead up to 42-13 before Johnson scored six straight points to help trim the big deficit to 23 (49-26) with 4:43 left to play in the half. 

FSU finished the period strong and took a 64-32 lead into the locker room at the break.  The second half proved to be more of the same as the Bulldogs got the new period off to a hot start and continued to build on their lead.  The Bulldogs improve to 28-1 overall and 18-1 in conference play with Thursday's victory.   

Purdue Northwest (2-25 overall/2-17 GLIAC) heads to Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., for its regular season finale on Saturday, February 24, against Lake Superior State University.  The GLIAC road game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. CT start at Bud Cooper Gymnasium.