PURDUE NORTHWEST 99, PARKSIDE 65
The Purdue University Northwest Men's Basketball (10-18, 5-15 GLIAC) team hosted the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Rangers (10-18, 6-14 GLIAC) for their 2019-2020 season finale. In an evening also honoring Hometown Heroes, the Pride got the dominant victory against their GLIAC foe with a final score of 99-65.

HEAR FROM COACH BOOMER ROBERTS
"This was a great way to end the year. We played well together, with 30 assists to ten turnovers. We did a better job on their best players, and we got out in transition after we got stops. Jyrus was fantastic, and both Xaviers did a great job finding him, Durante, and Gabe for easy shots. Doss, Chandler, and Greg shot it well, which helps. 

"I'm proud of the legacy our seniors left, and we're excited to build off this strong finish as we head into an important offseason."

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Rangers scored a deep three-pointer early in the game before both teams went on a scoring drought through the first few minutes of play. Another Parkside three was followed soon by a pair of shots from downtown from Jordan Doss, tying things up 6-6. The Pride would answer each of the Rangers' following layups with a driving score from Jyrus Freels, keeping this even until a steal for Chandler Spring gave Freels the chance to take PNW's first lead of the game at 12-10. A clear look from Spring and a layup from Durante Lee at the 14-minute mark would further help Purdue Northwest extend their lead, going into the first timeout of the evening with the score of 16-12. 

Parkside returned an almost entirely new lineup to the court in an effort to apply new defensive pressure on the Black and Gold. Freels continued the hot hand, putting up another layup of a quick assist from Xavier Hallinan. PNW led by as much as seven before the Rangers found the footing to push back, closing the lead to a manageable 21-18. Xavier Allison responded with a quick floating layup, followed by intense defensive pressure against the Rangers' shooters. It was not until the seventh minute that the Rangers managed to claw their way back, tying the game at 25 off a deep three-point shot. Continuing to battle for the lead, a trip to the free-throw line at the four-minute mark for Durante Lee followed by a downtown shot from Spring would help PNW extend their lead 35-30.
 

At the end of the first half, PNW headed to the locker room after a last second three-pointer from Doss pushed the score to 42-34. After twenty minutes of play, Freels led the way for the Pride with 21 points in the scorebook, shooting 10-14 from the field. The Black and Gold as a team shot 47% in field goals and 29% from downtown, holding the Rangers to 48% and 57%, respectively.
 

PNW came out strong in the second half with a deep three-pointer from Allison. Both teams would trade three-pointers through the opening minutes of the half until the first timeout, at which point PNW had extended their lead 55-41. Gabe Toombs followed by putting up his first points of the game, sinking two deep looks from downtown within a minute of one another. Spring added to the three-point barrage, pushing the Black and Gold's lead to 66-45 with 13:17 remaining on the clock.
 

In the final ten minutes of the season, Purdue Northwest continued to extend their lead with a number of downtown shots coming from Gregory Boyle, Timothy Gilmore, and Allison. Lukas Vilkovsky found the scoreboard with a layup followed by a driving layup from Franklin Nunn, bringing the score to 90-57 with just under four minutes remaining. 
 

The Pride would end the game and their season with all graduating seniors on the court -- Hallinan, Nunn, Lee, Michael Vukas, and Vilkovsky -- chipping away at the clock until the final whistle sounded, signaling Purdue Northwest's victory of 99-65.

 
WHO LED THE WAY FOR THE PRIDE
Jyrus Freels led the way, shooting 74% from the field to record a career-high of 29 points, pulling down eight boards and recording two assists as well. Jordan Doss recorded 12 points, shooting 4-10 from the field and 4-8 from behind the arc.

TEAM STATS
PNW shot 58% from the field (37-64), a season-high 16-32 (50%) from three and 69% from the free-throw line. They held the Rangers to 45%, 38%, and 71%, respectively.