The Purdue Northwest Men's Basketball team fell in the final minute of a back-and-forth game against Wayne State in GLIAC action on Thursday night, 73-69.

The Basics

• Records: Purdue Northwest (4-15,1-10 GLIAC), Wayne State (10-9,6-5 GLIAC)
• Location: John Friend Court – Hammond, Indiana
• Attendance: 800

Laborers' Local 41 Player of the Game: Junior Quinton McCullough (Champaign, Ill./Mahomet Seymour) - gave great energy off the bench leading the Pride with 19 points and nine rebounds.

Inside The Numbers

• Freshman Will Ashford (Aurora, Ill./Metea Valley) went perfect from field going 6-for-6 scoring 16 points and shooting 4-for-4 from the three-point line.
• Junior Collin Albert (Cleveland, Ohio/Lutheran Highschool East) tallied 13 points and two assists.
• As a team, the Pride ended the game shooting 27-of-58 (46.6%) from the floor and went 8-of-26 (30.8%) from deep. The team also notched 12 assists with two steals and four blocks on the defensive side.
• Tomario Adley led Wayne State with a game-high 20 points and recorded six rebounds.
• Three other players added double-figures for Wayne State.
• As a team, the Warriors finished the contest going 23-of-52 (44.2%) from the field and shot 8-of-17 (47.1%) from behind the arc. They recorded 14 assists and four steals with one block.

The Breakdown

• The Warriors started fast taking a 14-4 lead within the first four minutes of the game.
• Purdue Northwest responded with a 12-0 run to take their first lead of the game, 16-14, with 13 minutes left in the first half.
• Both teams went back-and-forth for the rest of first and Wayne State took a slim 36-33 lead into halftime.
• Wayne State came out of the half with another quick start taking a 47-39 lead with 16 minutes remaining.
• The Pride once again didn't quit and fought back to take the lead, 51-49, with less then 12 minutes left in the game.
• Purdue Northwest grew their lead into 58-51 with less then 10 minutes left.
• It was the Warriors turn to answer with an 11-3 run to regain the lead 62-61.
• The next few minutes were hard fought for both teams, trading baskets and leads, and saw the Pride hold a 69-66 lead with two minutes left in the contest.
• Wayne State knocked down two free throws to cut their deficit to 69-68 with one minute remaining.
• After a Pride turnover, Adley hit a layup with a foul and complete the three-point play to give the Warriors a 71-69 advantage with 30 seconds left.
• Purdue Northwest tried to take the lead with a three-point shot but couldn't connect. Wayne State hit two more free throws in the end to seal the game, 73-69.
• The Pride bench outscored the Warriors, 29-19.
• Purdue Northwest ended with a slim advantage in second chance points, 16-11.
• The Pride outshot Wayne State in points in the paint, 30-24.
• Wayne State outrebounded the Pride slightly, 32-31.

Post-Game Quote from Head Coach Boomer Roberts:
"We had a great atmosphere and it was a great game, we just didn't finish. Q and Will played great, CA made some big plays, and Jules was guarding his tail off. I was confused about the free throw disparity, but if we finish a couple possessions with loose balls we find a way to that done." 

 Up Next
The Pride continue their home action when they host Saginaw Valley State in GLIAC play on Saturday, February 1. Tip-off is set for 3:00 PM CT at John Friend Court in Hammond, Indiana