Box Score GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.- In their season opener, the Purdue Northwest Men's Basketball Team suffered a loss at the hands of William Jewel College. In a tough-fought game, the Pride fell to the Cardinals 96-77. PNW Head Coach Boomer Roberts attributes Friday's loss to early season mistakes, but sees room for improvement looking ahead to tomorrow's game.
 
"We looked like it was our first game with a lot of new guys today," said Roberts. "We were tight early, and missed a lot of shots at the rim. Their transition offense was a lot better than our transition defense. We had 20 offensive boards, which was great, but we didn't play well enough on defense to beat anyone tonight. We will need to be much better tomorrow against a tough and experienced Rockhurst team."
 
In a game that did not go as PNW had hoped, junior forward Jyrus Freels (Evansville, Ind.) finished the first game of the season with a double-double, scoring 25 points on 11-for-25 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds against the Cardinals. Jordan Doss (Chicago, Ill.) totaled 15 points on the game, with two steals and four rebounds.  Although the Pride did not gain a tally in the win column, they outscored the Cardinals in the paint (44-36), off the bench (24-20) and off of turnovers (23-13). The black and gold had nine players score in a well-rounded team effort.
 
PNW Men's Basketball return to the court tomorrow, November 9, against Rockhurst University.  The 11 a.m. game in Grand Rapids will continue play in the Cross-Conference Classic.