REC CENTER — In the first half, the Golden Eagles blistered the nets hitting 62 percent from the field and led by 18 at the half. Cornerstone University cooled in the second half and finished shooting 51 percent for the game in a 76-49 win over the host Peregrines.

Cornerstone (9-2) opened with a 7-0 run, but the Peregrines clawed back during the next seven minutes and closed the gap to 15-13 after 6-5 center Rhiannon Howard (Lourdes) dropped in a 2-footer from the paint. But the Peregrine offense sputtered in the remaining minutes of the first half, while the Golden Eagles went on a 31-15 run closing out the opening period.

In the second half, Cornerstone continued to show its offensive muscle extending its lead to 25 points in the first four minutes of action. The deficit grew to 32 points for the Peregrines who just couldn’t find the answer defensively and couldn’t unlock the lid on the basket on the offensive end of the court.

Senior co-captain Linsey Smith (Lake Central) led the Peregrines (3-9) with 17 points. Smith leads the team in scoring averaging 13.5 points per game.

No other Peregrine cracked double digits in the contest. Freshman point guard Meme Harris (Merrillville) finished with nine points and four assists. Junior forward LaKeisha Hurst (Dover, Del.) led the team with seven rebounds and scored seven points. In her second game of the season, Howard scored six points and had a season-high three blocked shots.

The Peregrine offense was stiffled all night hitting 27 percent from the field, 20 percent from the 3-point stripe, and 55 percent from the foul line. Cornerstone owned the paint scoring 46 points compared to 28 for the Peregrines.

PUC is on the road for its next three games, including a date with Olivet Nazarene on Saturday for a 1 p.m. tipoff, a trip to South Bend against the Lady Titans on Dec. 15, and a Thursday night contest against the Illinois Institute of Technology on Dec. 20.

The Peregrines return home Friday, Dec. 21 to face the University of Michigan-Dearborn in a 2 p.m. afternoon tilt. Last Minute Holiday Shopping is the promotional theme for the game. Fans in attendance will receive holiday prizes.