The Purdue Northwest Men's Basketball team opened its home slate on Saturday afternoon with a high-scoring battle against Upper Iowa, but the Pride fell just short in the end, 92-86.

The Basics

• Records: Purdue Northwest (0-3, 0-0 GLIAC), Upper Iowa (3-1, 0-0 GLVC)
• Location: PNW Fitness & Recreation Center – Hammond, Indiana
• Attendance: 200

Inside The Numbers

• PNW shot an efficient 27-of-49 (55.1%) from the field, 10-of-22 (45.5%) from three, and 22-of-26 (84.6%) at the free-throw line.
• Upper Iowa countered with 30-of-56 (53.6%) shooting, 9-of-21 (42.9%) from deep, and 23-of-28 (82.1%) at the line.
• The Pride collected 30 rebounds, 20 points off turnovers, 26 points in the paint, and 26 bench points.
• Upper Iowa finished with 24 rebounds, 32 points off turnovers, 38 paint points, and 45 points from the bench.
• Senior Kyle Ross (Saint John, Ind./Lake Central) powered PNW with 25 points on 10-of-12 shooting while grabbing 11 rebounds and tallying three assists.
• Sophomore Aaiden Ashton (Mount Pleasant, Iowa/Mount Pleasant) added 16 points on 4-of-9 shooting, including two threes, while going 6-of-7 at the line.
• Senior Kevin Taylor (Acworth, Ga./Allatoona) scored eight points and added four rebounds and an assist.
• Junior Kwat Abdelkarim (Lincoln, Neb./North Star) posted seven points, four rebounds, and three assists, adding a block and three steals.
• Senior Davontae Hall (Chicago, Ill./Hyde Park Academy) contributed four points, four assists, and a steal in 25 minutes.
• Freshman Garrett Clark (Portage, Ind./Portage) and senior Andres Arellano Jr. (Aurora, Colo./Gateway) combined for 15 key points off the bench, with Clark scoring nine on a perfect shooting night and Arellano knocking down two threes.
• Upper Iowa was led by Kyle Hrncir with 20 points and six assists, while Trey Lewis added 16 points.

The Breakdown

• PNW opened the game with strong shooting efficiency, hitting 59 percent of its first-half attempts and draining six threes to take a 50-37 halftime lead.
• Ross dominated early with post scoring and second-chance finishes, while Ashton and Taylor sparked the perimeter attack.
• Upper Iowa surged out of the locker room with a blistering 76 percent shooting effort in the second half, using threes and transition opportunities to flip momentum.
• Turnovers proved costly for the Pride as Upper Iowa converted several giveaways into fast-break points during a key mid-half run.
• Despite Upper Iowa taking control, PNW stayed within striking distance behind steady free-throw shooting and timely buckets from its bench unit.
• The Pride cut the deficit to two possessions in the closing minutes, but the Peacocks answered with clutch perimeter shooting and late free throws to seal the game.

Up Next

• Purdue Northwest continues its early-season homestand next week as they host Truman State on Tuesday, November 25. Tip-off is set for 5:00 PM CT at John Friend Court in Hammond, Indiana.