Hardy Tough; PNW Women Suffer Home Loss to Wayne State, 93-61
HAMMOND, Ind. – Junior Kaylee Hardy (Saranac, Mich./Saranac) came off the bench to score a team-high 14 points, but the Purdue Northwest women’s basketball team fell to Wayne State University (Mich.), 93-61, in its Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) home opener Saturday afternoon on John Friend Court at the Fitness & Recreation Center in Hammond, Ind. The Pride struggled offensively connecting on just 28 percent (19-for-67) of their shot attempts from the field.
Senior Ellie Michalski (Mukwonago, Wis./Mukwonago) recorded a double-double of 11 points and game-leading 13 rebounds, while sophomore Bayley Goodman (Fowler, Ind./Benton Central) also scored 11 points for PNW. Junior Michaela Kikendall (Morristown, Ind./Morristown) added eight points and eight rebounds.
The Warriors got off to a hot start building a 23-6 lead over the first eight minutes of play. WSU led 31-9 at the end of the first quarter, but Purdue Northwest came out strong in the second quarter using three-pointers by Goodman and Hardy to fuel an 8-3 run. However, Wayne State regrouped and closed out the final six minutes of the first half on a 14-5 run to take a 48-22 lead into halftime.
A pair of three-pointers by Hardy early in the third quarter helped cut into the big deficit, but the Warriors responded and pushed their lead up to 30 points, 65-35, with 3:15 left in the frame. Goodman hit a trey in the final minute of the quarter, but PNW trailed 76-47 heading into the final period. Another three by Goodman capped a 7-2 run by the Pride to open the fourth quarter, but WSU answered with a 10-2 surge to go back ahead by 30 (86-56) with 3:28 to play.
Purdue Northwest (1-5 overall/1-1 GLIAC) continues GLIAC play on Thursday, December 7, with a home game against Northern Michigan University. The game is scheduled for a 5 p.m. tip-off on John Friend Court at the Fitness & Recreation Center.
