HAMMOND, Ind. – The Purdue University Calumet men’s basketball team dropped an 89-88 decision to IU Northwest on Saturday, as the Peregrines’ potential game winner at the buzzer narrowly missed. Purdue Calumet falls to 0-2 on the season with the loss.

The age old saying that games are won and lost at the free throw proved to be right on the spot and much to the dismay of the Purdue Calumet faithful, as Indiana Northwest was able parlay a huge advantage from the charity stripe into a come-from-behind victory. The Redhawks attempted 20 more free throws than the Peregrines, a statistic that proved crucial in their one-point victory.

Despite such a disparity in the number of attempts from the line, the Black and Gold still had its chances to record the win. After shooting just 32.8 percent in a season-opening loss to nationally-ranked Indiana Wesleyan, head coach Dan Voudrie’s young squad started the game shooting a red-hot 45.5 percent from the field in the first half, largely due to their 28 points in the paint with 13 of those coming from the second chance variety. Leading by as many as 15 in the period, the Peregrines went into the locker room with a 48-37 advantage.

Purdue Calumet continued to push the issue in the second half, as Kedric Williams’ jumper with 13 minutes left gave the Peregrines their biggest lead of the game, 66-46. However, IU Northwest mounted a devastating comeback, using a 26-7 spurt over a six minute stretch to take its first lead, 87-84, since the first nine minutes of the first half.

The Peregrines would go on to score the next four points to regain the lead, as Kameron Bright’s pair of free throws and Bo Ray’s steal and breakaway layup put the Black and Gold out in front with 15 ticks remaining. However, Jesse Howell would spoil the day for Purdue Calumet, hitting what turned out to be the winning bucket with seven seconds left.

The Peregrines owned the boards in the contest, tallying a 15-rebound advantage with an impressive 20 offensive rebounds on the day. Bright led the team with 14 rebounds to go along with his 16 points, as the freshman recorded his first collegiate double-double.

Purdue Calumet used a balanced scoring attack to stay in the game, as five players reached double-figures in the contest. Neal Hudson finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Jordan Champion knocked down four of Purdue Calumet’s 10 treys on his way to a 12-point effort. Antonio McNeal and Kedric Williams also reach double-digits scoring 11 points apiece.

For his efforts, Bright was named to the Jimmy Johns All-Classic Team, averaging 15 points, nine rebounds and two blocks per game in Purdue Calumet’s two contests this weekend.

The Peregrines will return to action next weekend, Nov. 13-14, as they compete in the IU/PU Challenge in Richmond, Ind. They will face Indiana East on Friday night at 8 p.m. CST, before taking on Indiana Southeast at 2 p.m. CST on Saturday.