HAMMOND, Ind. – Anthony Barnard (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo) scored 26 points to lead Purdue Northwest in Wednesday's 68-65 win over Northwood at the Fitness & Recreation Center. The matchup was a makeup contest from an originally scheduled game last month.
With the victory, PNW improved to 6-19 (3-14 GLIAC) overall on the season and snapped a six-game slide. Each win this season has been recorded in Hammond. The Pride are slated to play two more home games this week, including Thursday against Lake Superior State and Saturday against Ferris State.
Barnard led the way with his season-best scoring total. The junior from Kokomo, Ind. shot 10 of 20 from the field with a team-high seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. Sophomore
Logan Phillips (Chandler, Ariz./Valley Christian) recorded 17 points for the second straight game, including 15 coming in the second half.
HEAD COACH BOOMER ROBERTS:
"I'm proud of our guys for finding a way to win. It wasn't the prettiest game, but we buckled down late and got it done. AB stayed out of foul trouble and played great tonight, and Logan continues to play with confidence. Ant and Kai did a nice job on their best player, and we got a good win to start a three-game week."
How it happened: PNW faced an early 10-point deficit after Northwood (4-17, 2-12 GLIAC) jumped out to a 19-9 lead with 12 minutes until halftime. However, the Pride closed the opening half on a sizzling 22-5 run while shooting 8 for 14 from the field. Barnard, who ignited the run with a 3-pointer, accounted for 11 points during that span as the Pride entered the locker room with a 31-24 advantage – their first halftime lead against a GLIAC opponent this season.
The Pride would then move ahead by as much as nine shortly after the break when
Piotr Gago's (Chicago, Ill./Taft) free throws made it 33-24. But Northwood didn't go away as the teams went back-and-forth in a contest that stayed within one or two possessions. The Timberwolves shot over 50 percent in the second half and would eventually claim their first lead of the period with a minute left, 65-64.
Then, Barnard was fouled on a layup attempt and he calmly knocked down a pair of free throws with 43 seconds to go. The Pride got a pair of defensive stops and held on in the first meeting between the two teams this year. Both squads will meet again in next week's regular-season finale in Midland, Mich.
Free throws were huge for PNW in the second half where it went 14 for 17. The Pride ended up going 18 for 24 (75%) at the line overall in the game.
PNW also outscored Northwood 27-6 in points from turnovers as the visitors gave the ball away 18 times, and the Pride limited the Timberwolves to only two made shots from three-point range.
Northwood received a big night from DeSean Munson who recorded a double-double with 21 points and 15 rebounds.
UP NEXT
The Pride are slated to host Lake Superior State in a 7 p.m. tipoff on Thursday, and will play the home finale at the FNRC against Ferris State at 3 p.m. Saturday. The Bulldogs are ranked 19th in this week's national DII media poll and 20th in the coaches poll.
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.
