FERRIS STATE 57, PURDUE NORTHWEST 50
The Purdue University Northwest Pride hosted the Ferris State Bulldogs for their Homecoming matchup on Thursday, February 20. Celebrating the "Roaring 20's", the Hammond Fitness and Recreation Center was packed with students, alumni, and fans for the Mane Event. Against the GLIAC North division leaders, the Pride kept the game close all evening long, but ultimately fell in the final minutes with a final score of 57-50.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Pride came out the gate strong, closing the first quarter of play tied up at 12 against the visiting Bulldogs. Anjel Galbraith drained a last second three-pointer to end the first. By halftime, the Bulldogs managed to pull ahead by five, ending the first 20 minutes of play with a score of 26-21. PNW ended the half shooting 9-23 from the field with Ferris State shooting 10-23 themselves.
The third quarter opened with a bit of a drought for both teams until a three-pointer from Savaya Brockington at 8:38 closed the Bulldog's lead to a score of 26-24. The Bulldogs responded with a quick layup before a trip to the free-throw line for Molly DeValkenaere kept it a two-point game. A driving layup from Galbraith with 3:31 remaining in the quarter tied up the game at 32-32 before a Kennedy Jackson scored an additional five points to give PNW the lead at 37-32. By the end of the third, the Black and Gold managed to hold off the Bulldogs' rally, entering the final 10 minutes of play with a two-point lead at 40-38.
The final quarter of the evening would define the game for the Bulldogs, who closed the gap on the Pride early while also sending the Black and Gold into foul trouble. With five minutes remaining, Ferris retook a one-point lead at 46-45. The remainder of the game saw the lead change several times until the Bulldogs took hold of a late lead that was too much for PNW, draining what little time remained on the clock before stepping off the court with the tight victory of 57-50.
WHO LED THE WAY FOR THE PRIDE
Brockington led the way with 18 points, shooting 7-10 from the field and 4-7 from downtown. She also recorded seven rebounds, four assists, and one steal. Jackson played a huge part for the Pride, putting up nine points of her own with Galbraith and Elexah Roepke each adding seven.
TEAM STATS
PNW finished the night shooting 19-52 from the field and 6-20 from behind the three-point arc. The Bulldogs shot 19-50 and 5-16, respectively. The Pride scored 11 points off the bench, 16 in the paint and 12 off turnovers.
WHAT'S NEXT
Purdue Northwest will next be in action at home on Saturday, February 22 to take on the Lake Superior State Lakers as they honor the graduating seniors on Senior Day. The afternoon will also see the induction of the Graegin Family, Stephanie Beck and Ben Simmons into the PNW Athletics Hall of Fame. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. (CST).
