HAMMOND, Ind. -- The Purdue University Northwest women's basketball team dropped a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game to Ferris State, 79-64, at the Fitness and Recreation Center, with a huge crowd for the Homecoming contest presented by Purdue Federal Credit Union, Thursday.

Junior Shae Rhonehouse (Fremont, Ind./Fremont) led the way for the Pride as she scored a team-high 20 points. Junior Bayley Goodman (Fowler, Ind./Benton Central) recorded 12 points and freshman Molly DeValkenaere (Milwaukee, Wis./Brookfield) recorded her third double-double of the season as she scored 11 points in the setback and grabbed 10 rebounds.

Ferris State made a run to start the game before Goodman hit a three-pointer to make it 11-8 in favor of the Bulldogs with 3:52 left in the opening quarter. Ferris went on a 9-0 run to end the period to go ahead 20-8. However, PNW cut it to five thanks to another three by Goodman which helped the Pride outscore the Bulldogs 18-17 in the second quarter but Ferris scored the next six to go ahead 37-26 at the halftime break.

Back-to-back baskets by sophomore Danielle Nennig (Wrightstown, Wis./Wrightstown) and Rhonehouse started the second half to cut it 37-32. Ferris State had the answer outscoring the Pride 19-10 before Rhonehouse hit a layup before the quarter ended as the Bulldogs led 58-44 at the end of the third period.

Starting at the 9:29 mark, PNW made a 9-0 run with pair of free-throws by DeValkenaere, a three-pointer by Rhonehouse and back-to-back layups by freshman Karissa Hucke (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead) and DeValkenaere made it 58-53 with 6:47 left in the game. Ferris State went back ahead by eight but Rhonehouse hit another three-pointer to make it 61-56 at the 5:13 mark but that was the closest the Pride got the rest of the way as the Bulldogs made an 18-8 run to close out the game to win 79-64. 

PNW returns to action Saturday, February 23 as the Pride host Lake Superior State on the Westville Campus starting at 3 p.m. CT.