Purdue Calumet Falls Short in 66-62 Loss to Roosevelt Wednesday

PUC-PeregrinsThe Purdue University Calumet men’s basketball team fell to Roosevelt University 66-62 in a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference matchup Wednesday evening at the Fitness and Rec Center.

Senior Aaron Davis (Peoria, Ill./Richwoods) led all scorers with 23 points and three steals while Duron Ivery (South Bend, Ind./Washington) netted 15 points on 5 of 11 shooting.

The Lakers (12-6, 6-2) took control during the first part of the opening half, jumping out to a 16-6 (12:05) lead thanks to two trifectas by Roosevelt’s Tyree York.

The Black and Gold (8-9. 3-4) fought back with an 8-0 run of its own, after a 3-point field goal by Ivery put the Peregrines within two points, 23-21, with 6:07 left in the half.

Roosevelt never trailed in the period, closing out the first half with a 32-29 lead heading in to the break.

The Lakers jumped out to their largest lead of the game after a trio of three-point baskets made by Ryan Korey and Joe Harks gave Roosevelt a 58-43 advantage with just under 10 minutes to go in the contest.

Purdue Calumet fought back, attacking the basket en route to a 16-2 run after a Davis three-point play made the score 60-59 with just more than two minutes remaining.

The Lakers would close out the game by connecting on four clutch field goals down the stretch which helped seal the victory.

Senior Kaspars Brencans (Riga, Latvia/Florida Air Academy) added nine points and five rebounds while sophomore big man Danny Paschen (Schererville, Ind./Lake Central) recorded a team-high eight rebounds for the Peregrines in the setback.

Purdue Calumet finished the contest 40.4 percent (21 of 52) from the field compared to 42.6 percent (23 of 54) for Roosevelt, which outscored the Peregrines in second-chance points, 22-9. The Lakers used nine makes (9-25) from behind the arc to help keep their distance, compared to just 3 of 15 3-point shooting for the home team.

Harks finished with 17 points and York added 13 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the Lakers.

The Peregrines return to action this Saturday as they travel to Deerfield, Ill. to take on Trinity International in a CCAC contest beginning at 3 p.m.