The Purdue Northwest Men's Basketball team battled toe-to-toe with No. 13 Michigan Tech for 40 minutes but came up just short in a 63-61 heartbreaker Thursday night in GLIAC action at the PNW Fitness & Recreation Center.

The Basics

• Records: Purdue Northwest (10-12, 6-9 GLIAC), Michigan Tech (21-4, 12-3 GLIAC)
• Location: PNW Fitness & Recreation Center – Hammond, Indiana
• Attendance: 350

Inside The Numbers

• Purdue Northwest shot 23-of-49 (46.9%) from the field, 7-of-15 (46.7%) from three-point range, and 8-of-9 (88.9%) from the free-throw line.
• Michigan Tech finished 22-of-50 (44.0%) overall, 7-of-21 (33.3%) from beyond the arc, and 12-of-17 (70.6%) at the line.
• The Pride held a 35-24 rebounding advantage and scored 32 points in the paint.
• Purdue Northwest added 11 second-chance points and received 16 points from the bench.
• Michigan Tech scored 13 second-chance points, 15 points off turnovers, and 10 fast-break points.
• The contest featured 18 lead changes and seven ties.
• Senior Kyle Ross (Saint John, Ind./Lake Central) led the Pride with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting while grabbing nine rebounds.
• Freshman Garrett Clark (Portage, Ind./Portage) added nine points and four rebounds, while graduate student Kevin Taylor (Acworth, Ga./Allatoona) contributed seven points and two assists.
• Junior Kwat Abdelkarim (Lincoln, Neb./North Star) provided seven points off the bench, and senior Davontae Hall (Chicago, Ill./Hyde Park Academy) chipped in six points in 12 minutes.
• Michigan Tech was led by Dawson Nordgaard with 20 points and six rebounds, while Marcus Tomashek added 16 points.

The Breakdown

• Purdue Northwest came out sharp, shooting 50.0% from the field in the first half to take a 28-21 lead into the break.
• The Pride connected on four first-half three-pointers and controlled the glass early to build the advantage.
• Michigan Tech responded in the second half, shooting 54.2% from the floor and 12-of-16 from the free-throw line over the final 20 minutes.
• The game seesawed throughout the second half with multiple lead changes before the Huskies made key plays in the final possessions including the game-winning shot by Nordgaard in the final 20 seconds to edge ahead.
• Despite efficient shooting and a strong rebounding performance, Purdue Northwest was unable to get the final bounce in the 63-61 loss.

Up Next

• Purdue Northwest continues GLIAC play and return to home action when they host #17 Northern Michigan on Saturday, February 14. Tip-off is set for 3:00 PM CT at the Fitness and Recreation Center in Hammond, Indiana.