REC CENTER — Kevin Thomas spun into the low post, slipped away from his defenders, sometimes three, and shot the ball off the glass for a field goal. He did it successfully 11 times and only missed once all night. The 6-8 co-captain led the Peregrines with 26 points and helped them gain their first win of the season, 61-48, beating backyard rival Indiana University Northwest.

Thomas (Highland) led all scorers, all rebounders with 13, nearly one third of the team’s total, and finished with more blocked shots, two, than any other player. The junior center was also credited with one steal for the most complete Peregrine performance of the season.

“He’s our leader and the guy we need to go to often,” Head Coach Grayling Gordon said. “K.T. works his tail off and he really went to work in tonight’s game.”

The Peregrines (1-6) scored 30 points in the paint compared to 14 for the Redhawks (1-8). On the boards, PUC also had the edge 40-34.

The Peregrines got offensive help from Justin Latimore (Indianapolis North Central). The freshman forward connected on a pair of 3-pointers and finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. Josh Collins (San Antonio, Tex.) popped in nine points and added a pair of assists. Delriko Curtis (Benton Harbor, Mich.) led the team with seven assists. He also scored five and grabbed four rebounds.

IUN had a slim 32-31 lead at the half hitting 54 percent from the field. But the Redhawks were miserable from the field in the second half connecting on only 3-of-21, 14 percent, scoring only 16 points.

The Peregrines travel to Columbia Kentucky for a Saturday visit with Lindsey Wilson College (4-4) at 2 p.m.