HAMMOND, Ind. — The Purdue University Northwest men's basketball team fell 83-66 to Union University (TN) in a rare 2 p.m. midweek contest inside the Fitness & Recreation Center on Wednesday.
PNW suffered its second straight loss in non-conference play while dropping to 2-4 overall. Union remained unbeaten at 6-0 on the year. The Bulldogs entered the matchup receiving votes in this week's national Top 25 coaches' poll. It was the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
HEAD COACH BOOMER ROBERTS:
"Union is undefeated and a national contender for a reason. They don't beat themselves, and they know their identity. We are definitely growing as a program, but we are not consistent enough. It's a very similar script each game for us. I have to do a better job as a leader helping our guys find a way to win."
STAT LEADERS
- Jyrus Freels logged his third double-double in four games with 11 points and 12 rebounds, including five on the offensive glass, with two assists
- Anthony Irvin led the Pride in scoring with 13 points and four boards
- Gregory Boyle reached double figures in his first outing of the season with 11 points, four rebounds and three assists
- Jonte Coleman scored 10 points with four boards and three assists, as well
- Logan Phillips chipped in with six rebounds and five points
How it happened: PNW jumped out to a 6-1 lead at the start of the contest and went up 12-7 on a fast-break three made by Boyle at the 13-minute mark in the first half.
The Black & Gold had the momentum on its side for most of the opening period. PNW led by as much as nine after an old-fashioned three-point play recorded by Irvin, which gave the Pride a 22-13 lead, but the Bulldogs would start to climb their way back. After Union tied the game at 30-30, Coleman completed a four-point play after getting fouled on a made 3-pointer to keep the Pride in front.
However, Union got hot from the field and took the lead back on a pair of back-to-back threes from Tyree Boykin - who led all scorers with 24 points in the contest. The Bulldogs would close out the first half on a 14-3 run while shooting a perfect 5 for 5 during the three-minute span to lead 45-38 at the halftime break.
Coming out of the locker room, Boyle got the second-half scoring started with a three on the opening possession. But the four-point deficit was as close as the Pride would get the rest of the game. The Bulldogs made 5 of 7 shots including a pair of treys to move ahead by double digits before the first media timeout of the period.
PNW chipped away as Zurliene trimmed the deficit to five after getting fouled on a made basket and completing the three-point play. Then, a three from Irvin before the under-8 media timeout kept Union's lead to single digits with the Bulldogs leading 69-62.
Then, the Pride went cold from the field and the visitors were able to close out the game in the same fashion as the first half, putting together a 14-4 run over the final seven minutes.
PNW held the rebounding edge 45-38, including a 16-6 margin on the offensive glass. But, the Bulldogs outscored the Pride 15-6 in points off 15 PNW turnovers. The Pride shot 33% overall in the game while going under 30% in the second half. Union shot 48% overall from the field.
UP NEXT
PNW travels to Division I Illinois State on Saturday night - which counts as an exhibition game for the Pride. PNW returns to the Fitness & Recreation Center less than 24 hours later on Sunday to host Calumet College of St. Joseph at 4 p.m. CST.
FOLLOW THE PRIDE
For all the latest information on Purdue Northwest men's basketball, please visit PNWathletics.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Pride (@pnwathletics & @PNWBasketball) on Twitter. You can also find the Pride on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
