MISHAWAKA, Ind. — For 20 minutes the Peregrines hung with Division II No. 6-ranked Bethel College and were locked at half, 27-27. But in the second half, the unbeaten Lady Pilots warmed to their opening night fans hitting 51 percent from the field leading to a 76-51 win.

In the opening half, the Peregrines (1-5) went on a 13-4 run moving out to a 25-16 lead with under six minutes remaining. But Bethel knotted the score at 25 with a 9-0 run just before the half.

Lady Pilot Head Coach Jody Martinez said his squad was sluggish and distracted in the first half with the Thanksgiving break taking center stage. He got their attention as they opened the second half with a 22-6 run. 

Freshman point guard Meme Harris (Merrillville) led the Peregrines with 16 points in 33 minutes of action. Junior LaKeisha Hurst (Dover, Del.) and sophomore Sara Keilman (Morton) each scored 10 points.

Leading rebounders for the Peregrines were freshman Chrissy Lobodinski (Merrillville) with seven and senior co-captain Shannon Dugan (Mother McAuley) with six. Dugan led the squad with five assists.

In the first half, the Peregrines hit 39 percent from the field, including three 3-point buckets to keep pace with the Lady Pilots (6-0). The offense struggled in the second 20 minutes connecting on only 26 percent (7-of-27) of its shots.

The Peregrine bench outscored the Lady Pilots 26-15, and PUC finished with more fast-break points, 10-4. But Bethel held the edge in every other category, including 22 points off turnovers and 23 second chance points.

PUC heads to Iowa over the Thanksgiving weekend for a two-day tourney at Ashford University. The Peregrines face the host school on Saturday at 1 p.m. and St. Ambrose on Sunday at 3 p.m. 

For current team statistics click on the following link: http://www.ccacsports.com/stats/2007-08/WIIBKB/puc.htm