VALPARAISO, Ind. – Vincent Miszkiewicz produced a double-double effort with 17 points and 16 rebounds while Mikell Cooper scored 17 points in Purdue Northwest's 89-71 road setback against Valparaiso Thursday night.

COACH ROBERTS
"We're learning a lot about ourselves as we continue to play good competition," PNW head coach Boomer Roberts said. "Obviously, we have to do a better job taking care of the ball because we struggled to find a flow with so many turnovers.

Defensively, our effort was there but they shot 32 free throws to our nine and got out in transition when we turned it over. We cut it to five by getting stops and creating pace, but Valpo made some big plays around the rim defensively that swung the momentum back in their favor."

GAME SUMMARY
PNW got off to a slow start in its third exhibition with a Division I opponent, trailing by as much as 20 in the first half after a flurry of turnovers, but the Black and Gold clawed back within five points in the second period. Anthony Barnard drilled a 3-pointer with 13 minutes left to make the score 50-45 and capped a 13-3 spurt that included three PNW treys.

The Pride hung around and were able to limit the deficit to single digits until the host Crusaders strung together a late 18-4 run to put the game out of reach.

Miszkiewicz produced his second double-double in three outings while adding four assists and three steals. The sophomore from South Elgin, Illinois went 6 of 10 from the field including 2 of 3 from beyond the arc. He's averaging 14.3 points and 12.0 rebounds through three exhibition showings.

Cooper recorded a team-high 12 points in the second half with a pair of three's while Barnard also reached double figures in the contest with 15 points, four boards, four steals and two assists. Gregory Boyle chipped in with seven of his nine points coming in the first half. Boyle started the game with a jumper on the opening possession to give PNW its only lead of the night.

"Vince was great again, and Greg gave us great minutes despite being in foul trouble. Kell and AB were much better in the second half as they found their rhythm, and I'm excited to see what that lineup can do as they play more together," Roberts stated.

PNW shot 38 percent overall as a team and Valpo posted a shooting clip of 54 percent while attempting 20 fewer shots. The Pride fell victim to 28 turnovers and only attempted nine free throws while the Crusaders took advantage at the charity stripe by going 26 for 32. PNW also logged a 43-31 edge on the glass, including 21 offensive boards but only 11 second-chance points to show for it.

Valpo's Nick Robinson led all scorers with 21 points on 7-of-8 shooting including 14 first-half points. Three others also scored double digits for the Crusaders including Ben Krikke and Connor Barrett each with 12. Jacob Ognacevic chipped in with 11 points to lead a Valpo bench unit that outscored PNW, 44-9.

The Crusaders improved to 3-4 overall on the season. The final result doesn't count against PNW's record.

UP NEXT
PNW will open the GLIAC regular season at Michigan Tech on Friday, Jan. 8, following the winter break.