HAMMOND, Ind. – The Purdue Northwest women's basketball team is set to open the 2021-22 campaign this weekend against familiar non-conference foes at the Midwest Region Crossover, hosted at the Melvin Price Convocation Center in Lebanon, Ill. PNW will open against Illinois-Springfield Friday at 3 p.m., before matching up against host McKendree at 1 p.m. Saturday.
HOW TO WATCH
Both games this weekend will be streamed live on the GLVC Sports Network
HERE. Fans can also follow
live stats during both games, courtesy of McKendree Sports Information.
THE RUNDOWN
PNW is coming off a shortened season where it finished 4-15 overall. Head Coach/Senior Woman Administrator
Courtney Locke, officially in her third season but only entering her second campaign with a full slate of games, believes the foundation is in place for making a leap forward as a program this year.
"I'm so excited to compete and see this team grow this season," Locke said. "I can't believe this is year three, time has flown by. I'm so thankful we were able to compete last year but this truly feels like my second year with a full preseason and competing against non-conference opponents."
Under Locke, the Pride return five upperclassmen that have all held starting roles over the past two seasons. The group is experienced and has played a lot of minutes together. All-GLIAC performer
Savaya Brockington leads the way for the Pride after averaging 15.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists last season. The junior has started every game as a member of the Pride women's basketball program.
"They know our culture and how we want to do things, on and off the court," Locke mentioned when discussing the returners. "It helps tremendously. We had a lot of close games last year and I think the experience will come into play when we get into those late-game moments, this season.
We also added six newcomers, including three transfers, that should contribute to our success right way. Our strength this year is our competitiveness and roster depth. I'm really looking forward to working with this group and getting the season underway."
SERIES HISTORY
PNW played both upcoming opponents to begin the 2019-20 and 2018-19 seasons. The Pride are 2-4 in all-time meetings against UIS and 0-2 against McKendree.
Purdue Northwest vs. Illinois Springfield; UIS leads 4-2
11/23/19, 68-59 UIS (home)
11/9/19, 65-52 UIS (away)
11/24/18, 72-61 PNW (away)
11/10/18, 71-70 PNW (home)
11/25/17, 80-72 UIS (home)
11/10/17, 79-72 UIS (neutral)
Purdue Northwest vs. McKendree; MU leads 2-0
11/8/19, 60-46 MU (neutral)
11/9/18, 75-69 MU (home)
PNW IN SEASON OPENERS
PNW carries a 1-4 record in season openers and will look to snap a streak of four consecutive defeats in the opening contest. The Pride last claimed a season-opening win in 2016-17 when they defeated Cornerstone 58-43 at the Westville Campus.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Here is the complete Midwest Region Crossover schedule for this weekend:
Friday, November 12
1 p.m. - Tiffin vs. McKendree
3 p.m. - Illinois-Springfield vs. Purdue Northwest
Saturday, November 13
11 a.m. - Illinois-Springfield vs. Tiffin
1 p.m. - McKendree vs. Purdue Northwest
FOLLOW THE PRIDE
For all the latest information on Purdue Northwest women's basketball, please visit PNWathletics.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Pride (@pnwathletics and @pnwwbb) on Twitter. You can also find the Pride on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
