HAMMOND, Ind. – The Purdue Northwest men's basketball team defeated Northwood 90-76 Friday afternoon inside the Fitness & Recreation Center.
PNW improved to 4-4 and claimed its fourth straight victory over Northwood, who also moved to 4-4 on the season.
The Pride shot 62 percent in the contest while six players reached double figures in the scoring column.
Jyrus Freels led with 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting, along with
Vincent Miszkiewicz who filled the stat sheet with 14 points, nine rebounds and team-high four assists.
"Credit to our guys for stepping up the defensive effort. Nobody was pleased about how we had competed at the end of the past two games, and tonight we saw a more locked-in group," PNW head coach
Boomer Roberts said.
"Offensively, Tripps, Jyro, and Ant got us going early, and then the ball really moved which allowed us to get great shots. Logan played with confidence, and Vince and Kell helped us get great flow with their passing. Northwood is a tough team and will be ready to go again tomorrow, so we're going to have to bring our own energy and be prepared for another hard fought game."
Northwood opened the game with a seven-point lead with an 11-4 advantage in the first four minutes. However, the Pride responded with a run to climb back.
Anthony Irvin's four-point play put the hosts in front for the first time, 15-14.
The freshman Irvin sparked PNW off the bench, finishing with 10 of his 12 points in the first half. He hit back-to-back threes to put the Pride up by double digits with six minutes to go until the break.
Then, PNW continued to hit on all cylinders and rattled off a 19-4 run to lead by as much as 14 near halftime.
A highlight-reel play capped a 13-0 spurt as Freels ran the fastbreak and dished to Miszkiewicz for a dunk. The Black & Gold held a 47-36 advantage at the break after shooting a blistering 67 percent (18-27) in the first 20 minutes.
PNW carried the momentum over with a
Mikell Cooper three to open the scoring, and the Pride cruised the rest of the game as the lead stayed in double digits the entire second half.
PNW outscored the Timberwolves 48-34 on points in the paint and limited the visitors to 46-percent shooting. The Pride shot 17 of 18 at the free-throw line while holding a slight edge on the glass, 30-
27.
Cooper and
Anthony Barnard each recorded 10 points while freshman
Logan Phillips registered a career-high 11.
Gregory Boyle also chipped in with nine points.
Northwood's Quentin Richardson led the visitors with 17 points. Richardson shot 7 of 10 from the floor with three 3-pointers. Evan Lowden and Jack Ammerman scored 16 and 15 points, respectively.
NEXT UP
These two teams are back in action tomorrow for a 3 p.m. CST tipoff at the Fitness & Recreation Center.
