REC CENTER — Kevin Thomas’ fade-away jumper in the lane over 6-9 Crimson Wave center Tom Radtke tied the game at 58-58 with 8:16 to play. And when freshman Antonio Hurt (Michigan City) connected on a two-footer a minute later, the Peregrines (3-16, 1-2 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference) grabbed a lead that they never gave up.

Thomas (Highland) led all scorers with 20 points, 15 in the second half, as the Peregrines knocked off Calumet College of St. Joseph 78-67 in a CCAC matchup Saturday. It was the first conference win of the season for the Peregrines.

PUC trailed 42-37 at the half and were down by as many as seven points twice in the second half. But a 12-5 run during a five-plus-minute stretch with 14 minutes to play put the ball in Thomas’ hands to tie the game.

Peregrine forward Charles Cruz (Gavit), who leads the team scoring 15.7 points per game, scored 17 shooting 57 percent from the floor. The junior also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out three assists.

Starting sophomore guard Antonio McNeal (Gavit) also grabbed seven rebounds and scored nine points. Off the bench, Hurt scored 10 points in 10 minutes of action. Guards Kris Krstevski (Lake Central) and Michael Patton (West Side) each scored seven points. Patton led the Peregrines with eight rebounds in the win.

The Peregrines took advantage of Crimson Wave (12-9, 2-2) turnovers scoring 19 points off 15 miscues. PUC also held the edge in rebounding finishing with 43 to 35 for Cal College. The Peregrines shot 20 percent better in the second half hitting 59 percent, while Cal College was miserable hitting only 28 percent, including 3-of-22 from the 3-point stripe.

Purdue University Calumet hosts sister school Purdue North Central on Wednesday with the tip scheduled for 7 p.m. PUC’s athletic staff will challenge PNC’s staff to games of skill at halftime. Fans can win Purdue souvenirs and sweatshirts among other prizes. Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for ages 12-18, and free for ages under 12 and Purdue students with current school photo IDs.