HAMMOND, Ind. –

IWU wasted no time gaining control of the game, grabbing a 28-6 advantage after the first nine minutes of the contest. The Wildcats would continue to stretch their lead over the remainder of the half, heading into the break with a 53-20 advantage.

The second half proved to be a different story, as Purdue Calumet’s young team came to life with 35 points on 50 percent shooting from the field in the final stanza. Freshman Kameron Bright (Fort Wayne, Ind./Wayne) led the charge for the Peregrines, scoring all of his team-high 14 points in the period.

Fellow frosh Mark Sutter (Elkhart, Ind./Memorial) dropped in a eight points and a team-high eight boards, while Neal Hudson (Gary, Ind./Hobart) finished with nine points and four caroms.

The Tip-Off Classic will resume play tomorrow, Nov. 7, as tonight’s victors Indiana Wesleyan and East-West face off at noon. Purdue Calumet and Indiana Northwest will take on each other in the classic’s finale at 4 p.m., following the completion of Peregrines’ women’s contest against Spring Arbor at 2 p.m.

Purdue Calumet’s Homecoming festivities will be going on throughout the closing day of action, including the Peregrines’ Hall of Fame ceremony at halftime of the Purdue Calumet and Indiana Northwest game. The Black and Gold’s 2009-10 class of inductees Ed Blackmon, Lee Ann DeYoung, Bob Hayes, Larry Liddle and Rod Weingart will have their Purdue Calumet Hall of Fame banners unveiled during the ceremony.

HAMMOND, Ind. –

Indiana Northwest and East West play in the classic’s opening game on Friday evening at 5 p.m. in a contest that figures to be a high-scoring affair.

Purdue Calumet kicks off its 2009-10 season in Friday’s nightcap at 7 p.m., when it takes on Mid-Central Conference power Indiana Wesleyan. Most of the Peregrines’ youth-laden roster will get their first taste of collegiate basketball, as head coach Dan Voudrie will have 11 players making their Purdue Calumet debut.

Saturday expects to be an exciting day, as the Tip-Off Classic will wrap up play during Purdue Calumet’s homecoming festivities. East West and Indiana Wesleyan will meet up in the day’s opening contest at noon, before the Peregrines’ women’s basketball team joins the fun with a game against Spring Arbor at 2 p.m.

Cross-town rivals Indiana Northwest and Purdue Calumet will battle for bragging rights in the classic’s final game, which is expected to start at 4 p.m.

Single-day passes can be purchased at the gate. Admission will be five dollars for adults and three dollars for all individuals under the age of 18. All Purdue Calumet students will be admitted free of charge with their student ID.

Tip-Off Classic Homepage

HAMMOND, Ind. –

Antonio McNeal, the team’s lone senior, comes back for his final campaign as one of the squad’s top scoring threats, after averaging just over 15 points per game in PUC’s final ten contests last season. The Hammond, Ind. native’s leadership will be invaluable for a team that should see 12 players make their Purdue Calumet debut.

McNeal will be joined in the starting lineup by athletic forward Michael Patton. Patton has established himself as one of the top rebounders in the CCAC, and after adding 20 pounds to his frame over the summer should improve upon his near double-double numbers of 8.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game from a year ago.

Rob Williams also returns, after averaging 8.4 points per game with 80 assists. The success of Williams, who can play either guard position, will be helped by the arrival of point guard Aaron Evans, which will allow the junior to get more minutes at his natural position, shooting guard.

Despite several key components returning, Purdue Calumet’s success will most likely hinge on the play of its newcomers. Evans, Neal Hudson and Eric Summers headline a promising recruiting class that will bolster the Peregrine’s lineup with both ability and athleticism.

Evans is the probable starter at the point, as the savvy floor general’s high basketball IQ and ability to distribute the ball should help him make an immediate impact for Purdue Calumet. Evans will be joined in the starting lineup by fellow frosh Summers, who not only gives the team a scoring threat in the low post with his 6-foot-8 frame, but also provides some flair with his impressive passing abilities. Hudson, a junior forward, enters the season as one’s of the team’s most accomplished players on the roster, after a highly decorated two-year stint at national power Joliet Junior College.

Voudrie will have a number of options off the bench, as he will be able plug in players with a wide variety of skills. Jordan Champion and Kedric Williams give PUC intensity off the bench with each having the ability to put points on the board. Mark Sutter gives Voudrie a hard-nosed athlete that can play a number of positions, while Kameron Bright and Brant Stockamp should provide the Peregrines with a strong rebounding presence. Bo Ray, Joel Gotshall and Will Schenkel round out the Peregrines’ group of newcomers.

Purdue Calumet will be tested early and often this season, as the team will play nine games against opponents that received votes in the NAIA’s 2008-09 final poll. The Peregrines will open the 2009-10 campaign at their own Tip-Off Classic when they face nationally-ranked Indiana Wesleyan, before closing out the classic against IU Northwest during Homecoming festivities.

In his senior season, Summers averaged 14.5 points hitting 59.3 percent from the field, grabbed 9.1 rebounds and

Eric Summers signs contract after a workout.

dished out 4.5 assists per game. He led Lake Central in scoring and rebounding in his junior and senior seasons and started on the varsity all four years. Summers was a First Team All-Area player, the NWI Times Region Rumble Player of the Game last season and a two-year captain.

Summers’ size and basketball skills will be a significant factor helping the Peregrines in a rebuilding season, according to Voudrie.

“We are excited to have another young man of such high quality character and talent join the PUC basketball family,” Voudrie said. “The addition of Eric Summers to our basketball program greatly accelrates the process of building a championship program at Purdue Calumet.

“He is an outstanding capstone to the previously strong foundation of this recruiting class.”

At the free throw line, Champion hit 77.6 percent finishing in the top ten in the conference. He earned a spot on the all conference second team, was the most valuable player of the Cass County Tournament, and also played in the Hoosier Select All-Star Classic.

Champion’s addition to the roster gives Peregrine Head Coach Dan Voudrie more depth and scoring off the bench.

“We’re really excited to have Jordan Champion join our program with his solid athletic background,” Voudrie said. “Having played at a high level during high school, the transition to the college game will be a quick and successful one.

“Like our previous recruits Jordan’s commitment in the classroom is at an extraordinary level.”

“We are pleased to have this collection of young men as our initial recruiting class. As basketball players, most of these guys believe they were overlooked by many other colleges and have the right kind of attitude about working to prove it,” Voudrie said.

Junior Neal Hudson (Hobart), a 6-6 transfer from Joliet Junior College, Ill., averaged 14.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game last season. He was an all-conference player in the North Central Community College Conference and an all-area player in Region IV of the National Junior College Athletic Association.

A second local player, Markus Starks, 6-6 from Gary Wirt, averaged 15.2 points and 9.6 rebounds per game last season. He was all conference in the Northwest Conference and named to all area teams for the Northwest Indiana Times and Post Tribune.

Six-foot-one point guard Aaron Evans (Roncalli, Indianapolis) averaged 18 points and four assists last season, and in three seasons at the point Evans helped Roncalli to a 51-14 record. Evans earned several post-season awards, including First Team status in the Hoosier Basketball Magazine, an all-state honorable mention for the Associated Press and Indiana Basketball Coaches Association and a nominee as a McDonald’s All-American.

Kedric Williams, the only player from Illinois, played at Normal Community High School and averaged 13.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists last season. Williams was an Associated Press Honorable Mention in Class 4A, a First Team All-Big 12 Conference player and named a First Team All-Area player by the Bloomington Pantagraph.

Kameron Bright, 6-6, and Bo Ray, 5-10, both played at Wayne High School, Fort Wayne, Ind., in the Summit Athletic Conference. Bright averaged 14.9 points and 10.6 rebounds and Ray averaged eight points and 4.8 assists. Bright, who finished as Wayne’s all-time second leading rebounder, earned first team status in the conference, and Ray earned honorable mention.

Logansport’s Joel Gotshall, 6-3, averaged 12.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game earning First Team honors in the North Central Conference. Mark Sutter (Elkhart Central) averaged 10.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game and was an Honorable Mention and All-Star player in the Northern Indiana Conference.

Will Schenkel (Huntington North) shot 83 percent from the foul line and earned honors on the North Central Conference’s All-Academic Team.  And Brant Stockamp who played at LaPorte La Lumiere last season, also committed to the Peregrines.

The Peregrines finished 3-26 in Voudrie’s first season, and the roster shrunk to eight eligible players in early January. Voudrie was confident about recruiting solid athletes and students to help rebuild the men’s basketball program.

“It is a group of student athletes that first and foremost are committed to graduating from Purdue University Calumet,” Voudrie said. “They each have also made commitments to personal growth, giving to the team and going the distance. The character of these individuals is what excites me.

“The commitment they have made on and off the court is why we recruited them. As a collective group the average of their high school GPA is 3.048.”

Peregrine center Kevin Thomas (Highland) scored off an offensive rebound, was fouled and finished off the 3-point play nailing the free throw bringing his team to within one, 64-63, with 3:44 left to play. That was as close as the Peregrines would get in the closing minutes of the game.

The Trolls connected on their next five possessions, including a pair of 3-pointers, while the Peregrines could only muster one field goal during two-plus minutes of action. That stretched the one-point lead to 76-65 Troll advantage with 90 seconds left.

Peregrine guard Robert Williams (Gary West Side) nailed a 3-pointer just beyond the top of the key to finish the scoring with 33 seconds left on the clock.

Antonio Hurt (Michigan City) led the Peregrines with 14 points, including two from the 3-point stripe. The sophomore hit 54 percent from the field and 66 percent from 3-point line.

Michael Patton (Gary West Side) hit 60 percent of his shots scoring 13 points. He led the team with a pair of shot blocks, had four assists and two steals in the loss.

Two seniors, Thomas and Vince Johnson (Bishop Noll) closed out their collegiate careers scoring 10 points each. Thomas was 4-of-8 from the field and grabbed seven rebounds, while Johnson grabbed five rebounds and had one shot block and one steal.

A third senior, Kris Krstevski (Lake Central) hit three 3-pointers for nine points and had four assists and three rebounds. Williams finished with eight points, five rebounds and four assists.

The Peregrines led at the intermission, 36-35, hitting 50 percent from the 3-point arc and 44 percent from the field overall. The two teams exchanged the lead 14 times and were tied six times during the tournament opener.

CCAC Player-of-the-Year Kurt Gruppen led all scorers with 24 points, including three from the 3-point line and two in the final three minutes of the game. Gruppen led the conference averaging 21.4 points per game, and hit 51 percent of his 3-point attempts.  

PUC had a six-point, 36-30, lead at the half, but PNC amped up its offense scoring 43 in the second 20 minutes of action. The Peregrines (3-25 overall, 3-9 CCAC) couldn’t get their offense rolling for most of the second half, including a 2-of-10 success rate from the 3-point stripe.

Sophomore Robert Williams (Gary West Side) led the Peregrines in scoring for the third time this season. Williams was 5-of-7 (71 percent) from the field, including a 3-pointer, and was perfect at the charity stripe 6-of-6 for 17 points in the contest, more than doubling his season average of 8.4 per game.

Antonio McNeal (Hammond Gavit) scored double figures for the tenth time in 15 games. The junior, who leads the Peregrines with a 13.1 per game average, scored 15 and added six rebounds.

Two seniors, Kevin Thomas (Highland) and Kris Krstevski (Lake Central), each scored eight points. Thomas grabbed six rebounds in the loss, while Krstevski had three of the team’s six steals.

The Peregrines opened the game on a 6-0 run and built the lead to eight, 26-18, when senior Kris Krstevski hit his first 3-pointer of the night. But the Wolves closed the half with a 19-9 run of their own taking a 37-35 lead into the locker room.

Four-and-a-half minutes into the second half, the Wolves (20-7 overall, 10-2 CCAC) pushed the lead to double digits hitting four of their first five shots. The Peregrines’ offense struggled out of the intermission connecting on 2-of-9 (22 percent) through the first seven minutes and never got hot enough to match the Wolves.

Sophomore Michael Patton (Gary West Side) nabbed his first double double of the season grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds, while scoring a dozen points. Patton leads the CCAC averaging 8.4 rebounds per game and leads the Peregrines with a 7.7 rpg average.

Junior Antonio McNeal (Hammond Gavit) led the Peregrines in scoring with 18 hitting 66 percent from the field. McNeal leads the Peregrines averaging 12.9 points per game and ranks eighth in the CCAC with a 14 point average. 

Off the bench, sophomore Antonio Hurt (Michigan City) scored 14 hitting 60 percent from the field, grabbed four rebounds, had three swipes and a pair of shot blocks. Hurt is the team’s second leading scorer averaging 11.5 per game.

Krstevski (Lake Central) finished with 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Krstevski, Kevin Thomas (Highland) and Vince Johnson (Bishop Noll) were all honored in pre-game ceremonies on Senior Day. Thomas added six points and six rebounds and Johnson scored nine points and had five rebounds before fouling out of the contest.

PUC heads to Michigan City this Saturday at 2 p.m. to battle sister school Purdue North Central (2-26, 0-11) for the final regular season game for both teams. The Peregrines (3-24, 3-8) beat the Panthers, 67-64, in their first conference meeting last month.  

Through the first 13 minutes of the second half, the Peregrines only scored a dozen points, but were still within five points of the Bees. And when guard Robert Williams (Gary West Side) nailed his second 3-pointer of the game, the Peregrines trailed 58-56 with six-plus minutes to play.

But in the final six minutes the Peregrines could only connect on two more shots, while the Bees hit four-of-seven (57 percent) including a 3-pointer to seal the win. The Peregrines (3-23) led 41-33 at the half, but the sluggish offense only registered 21 second-half points in the loss.

Williams scored a season-high 19 points, hitting 61 percent from the field, including three 3-pointers, to lead the Peregrines. The sophomore also had five rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Senior Kevin Thomas (Highland) and sophomore Michael Patton (Gary West Side) each scored a dozen points. Thomas, who shot 83 percent from the field, also had four rebounds, while Patton nailed three 3-pointers for a 50 percent success rate from the arc.

Antonio Hurt (Michigan City) tied for game-high honors grabbing 12 rebounds and scored nine. Vince Johnson (Bishop Noll) scored seven, had four rebounds and a pair of blocked shots.

The Peregrines host the Cardinal Stritch University Wolves in a basketball doubleheader on Wednesday beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the final regular season home game.