DETROIT – Purdue Northwest stormed back with a flurry of three's in the final minute, but Wayne State held on for a 92-89 triumph on Saturday.
 
PNW dropped to 5-6 on the year following the setback as the host Warriors improved to 6-3 overall.
 
"Our guys battled despite being short-handed, but we couldn't get stops down the stretch when we needed them," PNW head coach Boomer Roberts said. "Offensively, we were much better than Friday, but if you can't get stops you don't win GLIAC games. Logan continues to play better and better, and Tripps (Gregory Boyle), Ant (Athony Irvin), and Kell (Mikell Cooper) all made big shots in the second half. AB (Anthony Barnard) and Jyro (Jyrus Freels) rebounded well, and Stone (Jacob Stone) played with confidence."
 
Six Pride players scored in double figures with Logan Phillips leading the way. The freshman recorded a career-high 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting and he went 4 of 7 from deep.
 
Mikell Cooper had 16 points and team-high seven assists while Anthony Barnard notched a double-double with 15 points and team-best 10 boards. Jyrus Freels chipped in with 11 points and eight rebounds and Greg Boyle had 12 points.
 
PNW drained a season-high 15 three's on 36 attempts from beyond the arc while the Warriors did their damage from short range, outscoring the Pride 42-32 in points in the paint.
 
WSU's Darian Owens-White led the hosts with 27 points and 11 boards, finishing 8 of 14 from the field and a perfect 10 for 10 at the charity stripe.
 
Overall, the Warriors went 20 for 22 at the free-throw line including 10 of 12 in the final minute to fend off a furious comeback attempt by the Pride.
 
After trailing 32-24 at halftime and facing a 13-point deficit early in the second half, the Pride climbed back to take their first lead since the opening possession. Phillips buried a three and followed up with another jumper at the 14-minute mark to give PNW a 45-44 advantage.
 
WSU regained the lead, but PNW kept within striking distance as Anthony Irvin's 3-pointer with 5:21 left sliced the deficit to two with the Warriors in front, 66-64.
 
As the hosts went up by 11 with 35 seconds left in regulation, three's by Phillips, Barnard and Cooper made it interesting down the stretch. However, it was little too late for the Pride despite outscoring the Warriors 65-60 in a second-half shootout.
 
NEXT UP
PNW returns to the Fitness & Recreation Center next week for a pair of home games against Ashland on Friday-Saturday, Feb. 12-13.