Johnson Shines; Purdue Northwest Men Fall to Wayne State, 73-66
Hillsdale, Mich. – Senior Torrence Johnson (Chicago Heights, Ill./Chicago Hope Academy) led all scorers with 21 points and posted five rebounds, but the Purdue Northwest men’s basketball team fell to Wayne State University (Mich.), 73-66, Saturday afternoon on John Friend Court at the Fitness & Recreation Center in Hammond, Ind. The Pride trailed by three, 61-58, with five minutes to play in regulation, but a late surge by the Warriors allowed them to stay in front to secure the road victory.
Junior Chandler Spring (Covington, Ind./Covington) scored 14 points and pulled down five rebounds for PNW, while senior Tyree Coe (Fishers, Ind./Fishers) added 13 points. Junior Chris Nunn (Anderson, Ind./Anderson) also scored in double figures for Purdue Northwest Saturday with 11 points.
A three-pointer by Spring and a pair of lay-ups by Johnson helped PNW open the game on a 12-2 run over the first seven minutes of action. The Warriors fought back though and used a 17-2 run to take a 19-14 lead at the 8:53 mark of the first half. WSU extended its lead to 31-20 with four minutes left to play in the first half, but a late lay-up by Johnson with just seconds remaining in the period pulled PNW to within nine (37-28) at the break.
Trailing by 12 points early in the second half, another lay-up by Johnson sparked a big 16-4 surge that tied the game at 44-44 after a dunk by Spring. The game stayed tight until the final five minutes of regulation when Purdue Northwest missed some key opportunities to score in the closing minutes allowing Wayne State to build a 69-60 edge with less than three minutes left to play. A pair of free throws by Coe with 21 seconds remaining brought PNW to within five, 69-64, but the Pride could draw no closer the rest of the game.
Purdue Northwest (0-7 overall/0-2 GLIAC) continues GLIAC play on Thursday, December 7, with a home game against Northern Michigan University. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip-off on John Friend Court at the Fitness & Recreation Center.
