HAMMOND, Ind. — Purdue Northwest came up short in a tight, back-and-forth affair Thursday night against visiting Parkside, 83-76, at the Fitness & Recreation Center.
PNW (3-12, 0-7 GLIAC) controlled a good portion of the first half, but didn't get enough defensive stops in the final period to outlast the Rangers (6-8, 3-4 GLIAC). Neither team led by double digits the entire night during a contest that featured 13 lead changes.
HEAD COACH BOOMER ROBERTS:
"In a tight game, the little things are magnified. Simple reads. Loose balls. Talk on the defensive end. And Parkside won more of those little plays that ultimately decided the game."
How it happened: Anthony Barnard's (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo) jumper with 12-plus minutes remaining gave PNW its first lead of the second half, 57-56, but it was short-lived as Parkside never trailed again the rest of the way.
The game was tied at 60-60 with over eight minutes to play after a made jumper from
Mikell Cooper (Milwaukee, Wis./Bradley Tech). However, the Rangers were able to come up successful on three straight possessions and put together a 12-5 run to gain the momentum. Barnard sliced the deficit to just two points when the junior knocked down a trey near the five-minute mark, but Parkside immediately answered with a three to stay out in front.
Barnard led all scorers with a season-high 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting, while Cooper dialed up 21 points with four assists and four steals.
Parkside had four players score in double digits, led by Rasheed Bello's 20 points.
UP NEXT
These two teams are slated to meet again Saturday afternoon in Kenosha, Wis. for a 3 p.m. CST tipoff. PNW will host a pair of games next week against Saginaw Valley State (Thursday, Jan. 20) and Wayne Sate (Saturday, Jan. 22).
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.
