REC CENTER — Bench players were essentially rewarded with the day off Saturday as the starting five did the most damage for the Peregrines in the 83-64 win against Illinois Institute of Technology. PUC hit 43 percent of its shots in the first half and held a 10-point advantage heading into the locker room.

In the second 20 minutes, the Peregrines (5-8) added more fuel to their offensive tank and drained 7-of-8 from the 3-point stripe (87 percent) blowing the game open. The team also increased their overall shooting performance hitting 52 percent in the second half.

Senior LaKeisha Hurst (Dover, Del.) led all scorers with 18 hitting 50 percent from the field, and she led the Peregrines with nine rebounds just missing a double-double in consecutive games. Hurst is averaging 7.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.

Sophomore guards Jenny Britton (Lake Central) and Meme Harris (Merrillville) each scored 15 points, Britton canned 5-of-6 from the 3-point stripe, and Harris shot 55 percent from the field and led the team with four steals.

Freshman Stephaine Beck (Mishawaka) and sophomore Chrissy Lobodinski (Merrillville) scored 14 points each. Beck finished with five rebounds, while Lobodinski, the team’s leading rebounder averaging 8.2 per game, grabbed six in the win.

The starting five accounted for 76 of the team’s 83 points. It was also the largest margin of victory for the Peregrines this season.