Former Hebron guard, Freund, signs with Lady Peregrines

HAMMOND, Ind. (August 7, 2007) – Sophomore Heidi Freund, a 5-8 guard from Hebron, officially signed to play with Purdue University Calumet for the coming basketball season. Freund was among statistical leaders in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals during her senior year in high school.

Freund was an all area honorable mention player, and she ranked fourth overall in the area with 4.2 steals per game and seventh overall handing out 4.2 assists per game.

Freund is the seventh player to commit to the PUC women’s basketball team since the conclusion of the 2006-07 season. Lady Peregrine head coach Tom Megyesi was pleased with the late signing.

“Were very excited to have another guard with Heidi’s abilities,” Megyesi said. “She brings depth to our guard positions. We are fortunate to land such an athlete at this stage of the recruiting season.”

Six recruits in the Lady Peregrines fold are former Merrillville teammates guard Jamesha Harris and forward Chrissy Lobodinski, guards Amanda Moes of Highland and Jenny Britton of Lake Central, as well as forward Cortney Robinson of Hebron and junior college transfer Rhiannon Howard, a 6-5 center.

Bunnell named new AD, Megysis officially named women's head coach

HAMMOND, Ind. (June 28, 2007) – Click on the link to view the full story. http://www.calumet.purdue.edu/news/releases/07-06-27_athletics_head_wbb_coach.html

Lady Peregrines sign sixth recruit, Merrillville's Lobodinski

HAMMOND, Ind. (May 4, 2007) – Merrillville High School senior forward Chrissy Lobodinski has committed to continue her basketball career at Purdue University Calumet during 2007-08.

The 5-feet-8 Lobodinski averaged 7.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game last season for the Lady Pirates and received honorable mention all-area recognition, according to Purdue Calumet acting women’s coach Tom Megyesi.

“Chrissy is an outstanding athlete who is very strong and an excellent defender,” Megyesi said. “She will help us become a better pressing team.”

Lobodinski is the sixth member of Megyesi’s recruiting class for next season. Also in the Lady Peregrines fold are Merrillville teammate and guard Jamesha Harris of Merrillville, guards Amanda Moes of Highland and Jenny Britton of Lake Central, as well as forward Cortney Robinson of Hebron and junior college transfer Rhiannon Howard, a 6-5 center.

Lady Peregrines sign 6-5 junior college transfer, Rhiannon Howard

HAMMOND, Ind. (April 6, 2007) – The Purdue University Calumet’s women’s basketball team has secured its fifth recruiting commitment for the 2007-08 season in 6-foot-5 community college transfer Rhiannon Howard.

The University Park, Ill. resident played this past season at Moraine Valley Community College, where she averaged 7.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.4 blocked shots per game. She also earned Skyway All-Conference honors and completed her Moraine Valley career as the No. 2 shot blocker in school history.

“Rhiannon certainly provides an intimidating defensive presence with her 6-foot, 5-inch frame,” Purdue Calumet acting women’s coach Tom Megyesi said. “She is an excellent shot blocker and rebounder. Her offensive skills are improving on a daily basis. She is most definitely an outstanding recruit and a welcomed addition to our program.”

Howard joins guards Jamesha Harris of Merrillville, Amanda Moes of Highland and Jenny Britton of Lake Central, as well as forward Cortney Robinson of Hebron in the Lady Peregrines recruiting fold.

Lady Peregrines sign four local prep standouts for the 2007-08 season

HAMMOND, Ind. (March 28, 2007) – Purdue University Calumet acting women’s basketball coach Tom Megyesi has received commitments from his first four recruits. Agreeing to attend Purdue Calumet and join the Lady Peregrines program for the 2007-08 season are guards Jamesha Harris of Merrillville, Amanda Moes of Highland and Jenny Britton of Lake Central, as well as forward Cortney Robinson of Hebron.

“I’m very excited that these high quality players and people have made decisions to attend Purdue Calumet,” Megyesi said. “They bring welcome offensive skills and athleticism to our program.”

Harris, a 5-foot-4 guard, averaged 10.2 points, 2.5 steals, 2.5 assists and some two rebounds per game last season, while earning second team all-region recognition by The Times. The 5-4 Moes also received Times second team all-region honors after averaging 9.1 points and 2.4 assists for the Lady Trojans.

Times All-Region first team honoree Britton scored at an 11.5 game clip last season. She also connected on 40 percent of her 3-point deliveries and nearly 85 percent of her free throws. She added two steals a game, as well. The 5-10 Robinson, an All-Porter County Conference selection, averaged 13 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.3 steals for the Lady Hawks.

Former Lake Central coach Megyesi hired as PUC women's coach

HAMMOND, Ind. (March 12, 2007) – Click on the following link for the full story. http://www.calumet.purdue.edu/news/releases/07-03-14_tom_megyesi.html

Dennis Smith resigns as Lady Peregrines' head basketball coach

HAMMOND, Ind. (March 9, 2007) – Click on the following link for the full story. http://www.calumet.purdue.edu/news/releases/07-03-08_smith_resigns.html

Hamman, Smith named to CCAC Honorable Mention squad

HAMMOND, Ind. (March 9, 2007) – Senior Jessica Hamman (Highland) and junior Linsey Smith (Lake Central) each earned a spot on the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Honorable Mention team. It was the second consecutive time Smith was named to the Honorable Mention team.

Smith led the Lady Peregrines in scoring averaging 12 points per game. The forward was the leading scorer in 13 of the team's 30 games this past season. In CCAC contests, Smith averaged 12.9 ppg, placing her as the 12th highest scorer in the conference. She led the conference and the Lady Peregrines in free throw shooting percentage; 84 percent in 12 CCAC games and 79 percent in 30 season games.

Hamman, who finished the season with a flourish averaging 14 points and 10 rebounds in her final four games, was the Lady Peregrines' second leading scorer with 11.6 points in 28 games and she averaged 12.4 points in CCAC action. In 11 conference games, Hamman averaged 7.4 rebounds per game, good enough for seventh place. The 6-0 center led the Lady Peregrines with eight rebounds per game finishing with 225 total on the season, 86 more than LaKeisha Hurst the team's second leading rebounder. Hamman was fifth best in the CCAC averaging 3.1 offensive rebounds and 4.1 defensive rebounds per game.

Freshman of the Year, Jacqie Storm, University of St. Francis, averaged 16.3 ppg to lead the CCAC, while Jenny VanderZanden, Indiana University South Bend, averaged 10.3 rpg to lead the conference. Conference season totals are available at http://www.stfrancis.edu/ath/ccaconline/WomensBasketballDivision1/stats/CONFONLY.HTM#conf.wki. 

University of St. Francis eliminates Lady Peregrines from tournament

JOLIET, Ill. (February, 27, 2007) – The University of St. Francis saved its best game against Purdue University Calumet this season for last. The Lady Saints (18-13) shot nearly 50 percent in the second half and cruised to a 77-50 win in the opening round of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament.

For the Lady Peregrines (6-24), it ended the 2006-07 campaign and the collegiate career of senior co-captain Jessica Hamman (Highland) who finished with a season high 20 points, including a 3-pointer, and 14 rebounds. Hamman ranks eighth in the CCAC averaging 7.4 rebounds per game and is averaging 12.6 points per game.

The Lady Peregrines trailed 13-12 after Hamman scored in the paint with 13 minutes to play in the opening half. But during the next six minutes, the Lady Saints went on a 13-4 run for a 10-point lead. U.S.F. shot at a 42 percent clip in the opening half and led 41-25 at the break.

The first eight minutes of the second half were brutal for the Lady Peregrine fans. While the Lady Saints were 11 of 19 (57 percent) from the field, good for 22 points, the Lady Peregrines couldn't find the bottom of the net connecting on only 2-of-10 from the field good for five points.

During that eight minute stretch, the Lady Peregrines also had difficulty controlling the ball losing it nine times accounting for 14 Lady Saint points. With 11:54 to play, the Lady Saints had a commanding 63-30 lead.

Junior guard Linsey Smith (Lake Central) was the only other Lady Peregrine to crack the double digit mark. She finished with 16 points, grabbed six rebounds and had a pair of steals in the loss. Smith averaged 12.9 points per game in the CCAC, three-tenths of a point ahead of teammate Hamman.

A combination of poor field goal shooting percentage for the Lady Peregrines, 28 percent for the game, and a high turnover rate, 27 in the game, was a mixture that could only lead to a season-ending loss. The Lady Peregrines won the rebounding battle, 45-41, largely behind Hamman's 14, but also got help from freshman Sara Keilman (Morton) who grabbed her season high nine.

PUC women open the 2007-08 season at home in the four-team Lady Peregrine Classic on Friday, Nov. 2. Participants include Calumet College of St. Joseph, the University of St. Francis and Illinois Institute of Technology.

• Box Score

Lady Peregrines to face U.S.F. in first round of CCAC tournament

HAMMOND, Ind. (February, 25, 2007) – Purdue University Calumet’s women’s basketball team will travel to Joliet, Ill., on Tuesday to face the University of St. Francis Lady Saints in the opening round of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference tourney. Tip-off is 5:30 p.m.

The Lady Peregrines (6-23 overall, 1-11 CCAC) lost twice this season to the Lady Saints (17-13, 8-4). Last Saturday, the Lady Peregrines were down 10 points at the half against the Lady Saints, but PUC fell behind during a 19-9 run and never recovered losing 69-47. In January, the University of St. Francis won on its home court, 82-57.

Lady Peregrines drop final home game; postseason begins Tuesday

REC CENTER (Feb. 24, 2007) – The Lady Peregrines closed out the regular season and said goodbye to the home faithful for the 2006-07 campaign. The University of St. Francis beat the Lady Peregrines, 69-47, in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference contest.

Both teams could be facing each other Tuesday in the first round of the CCAC tournament. As of press time, the place and time for the Lady Peregrines' next game had yet to be determined.

Trailing 36-26 at the break, the Lady Peregrine offense cooled considerably. Senior co-captain Jessica Hamman (Highland) gave PUC its first field goal of the second half with nearly seven minutes gone by, and yet the Lady Peregrines (6-23 overall, 1-11 CCAC) had closed the gap to 43-34.

But over the course of the next seven-plus minutes, the Lady Saints (17-13, 8-4) made a 19-9 run and put the game out of reach. During the seven minute stretch, the Lady Peregrines committed eight turnovers accounting for a dozen Lady Saint points.

"I thought we were doing a good job of staying within our game and not trying to get into a running game with Saint Francis," Head Coach Dennis Smith said. "But we tried to force the ball and speed up our game and we're not very good when try to play another team's style of ball."

The Lady Peregrines were led by junior guard Linsey Smith (Lake Central) with 12 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Smith, the team's leading scorer in 13 games this season, is averaging 12.9 points per game in the CCAC, slightly above teammate Hamman who is at 12.6. Hamman finished with 11 points, two assists, two steals and one shot block. Hamman, the team's leading rebounder with 7.8 per game, had her season high grabbing 13 boards in the loss. She ranks seventh overall in the CCAC.

Junior co-captain Shannon Dugan (Mother McAuley) scored nine points and grabbed three rebounds, while junior forward/center Stephanie Peacock (Rockford Boylan) also scored nine, grabbed six rebounds and had a pair of steals. LaKeisha Hurst (Dover, Del.) was the only other Lady Peregrine to score finishing with six points.

• Box Score

I.I.T. knocks off Lady Peregrines, gain first CCAC victory of season

CHICAGO (Feb. 20, 2007) – On senior night, a pair of Illinois Institute of Technology seniors, Stephanie Herrera and Polina Ivanova, took charge in the closing two minutes scoring six of their team's final nine points and beat the Lady Peregrines, 60-56, in the senior duo's final home game of the season. The victory assured the Scarlet Hawks of not being shutout in the win column of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference.

The Lady Peregrines (6-22 overall, 1-10 CCAC) knotted the game at 49-49 when junior guard Krystal Rigoni (Portage) hit a baseline jumper with 3:50 left in regulation. But the Scarlet Hawks' Herrera hit an 8-footer 15 seconds later for a 51-49 lead, one they never relinquished.

Trailing 59-52 with 53 seconds left, PUC's Jessica Hamman (Highland) hit a field goal to draw within five points. The senior center finished the night with 13 points and was the leading rebounder in the contest collecting nine. She is eight shy of the 200 mark for the season, and is averaging 7.6 per game.

With 14.6 seconds remaining, forward Sara Keilman (Morton) hit her third basket of the night to close the gap to 60-56. A scrum developed on the inbounds pass between the two squads stopping action for a change of possession, which went to the Lady Peregrines. The identical situation happened when PUC tossed the ball inbounds. The two change of possessions killed off 11 seconds, and when the Scarlet Hawks finally put the ball in play, they eluded Lady Peregrine defenders and ran the clock out.

Junior Linsey Smith (Lake Central) once again led the Lady Peregrines scoring 15 points, including three from 3-point land. The guard is averaging 11.9 points per game to lead the squad. Sophomore LaKeisha Hurst (Dover, Del.) also scored double digits finishing with 10 points and six rebounds in 30 minutes of action.

Midway through the first half, the Lady Peregrines built a 10-point lead, 24-14, and had two of the Scarlet Hawks' (5-23, 1-10) leading scorers benched in foul trouble. But with under six minutes left in the half, three consecutive PUC turnovers were converted into layups, and with 3:18 left in the first half the score was knotted at 24-24.

The Lady Peregrines held a 33-30 halftime lead and shot 44 percent from the field, 50 percent from the 3-point line and 80 percent from the charity stripe. In the second half, those numbers dipped; 37 percent from the field, 0 percent from the 3-point line and 50 percent from the charity stripe.

PUC hosts Saint Francis University on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. It's the final home regular season game. Seeding for the CCAC tournament is Sunday to reveal where the Lady Peregrines will travel for the opening round of the tourney that begins Tuesday, Feb. 27.

• Box Score

Olivet Nazarene scores 42 three-pointers, Lady Peregrines fall, 103-74

REC CENTER (Feb. 17, 2007) – Olivet Nazarene University leads the nation in team scoring averaging 100 points per game, nearly 15 more than the second place team in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. And the Lady Peregrines couldn't hold the Lady Tigers below their average in Saturday's Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference matchup.

Last month, the Lady Peregrines held the Lady Tigers 23 points under its average in a 77-63 loss. But in Saturday's game, Olivet took 41 three-point attempts and connected 14 times, while the Lady Peregrines could only muster one three-pointer in seven attempts.

The Lady Peregrines (6-21 overall, 1-9 CCAC) kept the score close heading into the lockerroom at the half trailing 48-35, and shot 52 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes. Senior Jessica Hamman (Highland) and junior Linsey Smith (Lake Central) shared the lead in scoring with 10 points each at the break.

But midway in the second half, the Lady Tigers were draining three-pointers, while the Lady Peregrines could only score the two-point field goal variety and the lead stretched to plus-30. The Lady Tigers (16-12, 9-1) hit seven of 16 three-pointers in the second half, a 43 percent success rate.

Smith, the team's scoring leader at 11.8 per game, led the Lady Peregrines with 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds and had two assists in the loss. Hamman finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

Sophomore forward LaKeisha Hurst (Dover, Del.) also finished with 14 points hitting 53 percent from the field. She also led all rebounders with 11, eight on the defensive side of the glass.

Junior Krystal Rigoni (Portage) was five-of-eight from the field, including a three-pointer, and finished with 11 points and a pair of assists. Junior Shannon Dugan (Mother McAuley) popped in nine points and junior Stephanie Peacock (Rockford Boylan) scored eight points, grabbed six rebounds and dished six assists in the loss.

The Lady Peregrines travel to the Illinois Institute of Technology for a 7 p.m. CCAC game on Tuesday and wrap up the regular season next Saturday, Feb. 24, hosting St. Francis University at 1 p.m.

• Box Score

Indiana University South Bend slips past Lady Peregrines, 63-55

REC CENTER (Feb. 15, 2007) – Two minutes were left in the contest and the Lady Peregrines trailed 59-55 following a pair of Jessica Hamman (Highland) free throws. But the offense, which clicked along in the first half at 46 percent and dropped off a bit to 42 percent for the first 18 minutes of the second half, fell to zero in the final two minutes. No one could find the bottom of the basket as the Lady Peregrines (6-20 overall, 1-8 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference) lost to I.U. South Bend, 63-55, in a game postponed from Tuesday night.

Hamman's free throws with 2:38 to play kept the Lady Peregrines within striking distance and forced the Lady Titans (8-19, 4-6) into a timeout. After the timeout, Jennifer VanderZanden (Lake Central), the game's leading scorer with 17 points, connected on a layup for a 61-55 lead.

PUC turned the ball over on its next possession, but after a IUSB miss and a Hamman rebound, PUC couldn't connect. With 1:06 to play, Lady Titan Abbey Freeman was fouled and sunk two free throws for the final score. The Lady Peregrines missed their final two shots with less than a minute in the game.

Hamman led the Lady Peregrines with 16 points shooting 66 percent from the field and 80 percent from the charity stripe. The senior co-captain also had four rebounds in the contest. Sophomore forward LaKeisha Hurst (Dover, Del.) had two points at half, but scored 11 of the team's first 13 points in the second half. She finished with 13 points hitting 83 percent from the field, and she grabbed nine rebounds, had four shot blocks, a pair of assists and one steal in 29 minutes of action.

Junior guard Linsey Smith (Lake Central) drilled four 3-point baskets for a dozen points in the first half, but was shut out in the second half. Junior Stephanie Peacock (Rockford Boylan) chipped in seven points, had five rebounds, three assists and two steals.

The game was knotted at the half, 29-29, when Smith hit her fourth 3-pointer with 15 seconds remaining. The Lady Peregrines had their final lead, 39-38, with 15 minutes to play and trailed by as many as seven points before Hamman's free throws with two minutes to play.

Purdue University Calumet hosts Olivet Nazarene University on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Lady Tigers are averaging 101 points per game and tied for first in the CCAC. In Bourbonnais last month, the Lady Peregrines held ONU to 77 points, its second lowest offensive output of the season.

• Box Score

Third ranked St. Xavier beats Lady Peregrines, sweeps season series

CHICAGO (Feb. 8, 2007) – Freshman Sara Keilman (Morton) gave the Lady Peregrines an early lead, 1-0, less than 20 seconds into the contest when she hit one of two free throws. And at the 18:03 mark, sophomore LaKeisha Hurst (Dover, Del.) knotted the game at 3-3 after a lay-up. But then the offensive juggernaut known as the St. Xavier Cougars took charge and were never threatened in the 79-56 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference win against the Lady Peregrines.

The Cougars (22-2 overall, 8-1 conference) are the No. 3 team in National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and rank first or second in nine of 12 statistical categories in the CCAC. They are tied atop the conference at 8-1 with Olivet Nazarene University.

With the score tied at 3-3, the Cougars revved up the offense going on a 27-11 run during the next 10 minutes. The Cougars finished the first half with a flurry of shots scoring 54 points on 58 percent from the field.

"You just can't give them second and third opportunities," Lady Peregrine Head Coach Dennis Smith said. "Every girl they put on the court can shoot from practically any spot on the floor with regular success. That was the case in this game."

The Cougars finished the game scoring 20 second-chance points compared to eight for the Lady Peregrines (6-19, 1-7).

Junior Linsey Smith (Lake Central) continued her team lead in scoring finishing with 15 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, and 5-of-6 from the foul line. Smith also grabbed four rebounds, had three assists and a pair of steals in 36 minutes of action.

Lady Peregrine co-captains Shannon Dugan (Mother McAuley) and Jessica Hamman (Highland) cracked the double digit scoring category with 11 and 10, respectively. Dugan was 5-for-8 from the field, 62 percent, including a 3-pointer. The junior guard also had four assists, three rebounds and one steal. Hamman, who missed the last two games with a shoulder injury, was able to grab six rebounds, swipe the ball three times and added a shot block to her game statistics. Hurst finished with eight points, five rebounds and a pair of shot blocks.

Purdue University Calumet hosts Indiana University South Bend on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in a CCAC tilt. The Lady Titans beat the Lady Peregrines twice this season, once at the Goshen College Tournament and in South Bend last month.

• Box Score

Freezing temperatures outside effect Lady Peregrine offense inside

REC CENTER (Feb. 6, 2007) – Field goals were sparse for the Lady Peregrines in both halves of Thursday's Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference against Robert Morris. Junior Linsey Smith (Lake Central) hit PUC's first field goal three minutes in to the game. Five minutes later, sophomore LaKeisha Hurst (Dover, Del.) hit the Lady Peregrines' second field goal of the game. And another nine minutes elapsed before a Lady Peregrines' third field goal went through the net.

The Lady Peregrines connected on five field goals in the first half and matched that number in the second half hitting only 30 percent from the floor in the 67-46 conference loss. In the final two minutes of the first half, the team hit more field goals than they had in the first 18 minutes of action.

Although the Lady Peregrines struggled from the field, the team (6-18 overall, 1-6 CCAC) was perfect from the foul line, 8-for-8, in the first half and finished 26-of-32, an 81 percent success rate. Head Coach Dennis Smith was pleased with the effort from the charity stripe for the contest.

"We've been improving our shooting from the foul line in the last four games and that's a positive point of our game right now," Smith said. "We just need the carry over to the field."

Trailing 34-12 with under two minutes to play in the first half, the Lady Peregrines had a mini-run scoring the final six points to close within 16 points at the break. PUC crept a little closer during the first 4:30 of the second half on a 7-to-3 run pulling to 39-25, but the offensive burst was quickly sealed the Robert Morris defense. The Lady Eagles (15-11, 5-3) countered with a 15-8 run of their own and stretched the lead to 21 points.

Linsey Smith led the Lady Peregrines with 13 points, 11 from the foul line. Smith, the team's leading scorer averaging 11.3 points per game, added to her team leading free throw percentage improving to 81 on the season. Hurst, averaging 10.1 points per game in the first three games of this month, hit her average with 10 points. She also led all rebounders with eight, three on the offensive glass, and she had three rejections in 30 minutes of action.

Junior captain Shannon Dugan (Mother McAuley) scored 10 points and was perfect from the free throw line on six attempts. Freshman Sara Keilman (Morton) finished with eight points and three rebounds in the loss.

Saturday, the Lady Peregrines travel to Chicago to face the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletic organization's No. 3 ranked St. Xavier University at 1 p.m.

• Box Score

TCC slaps an unlucky 13 on Lady Peregrines, cruise to 72-56 victory

PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. (Feb. 3, 2007) – The Lady Peregrine offense struggled in the opening minutes of the first half, while Trinity Christian College rolled out to a 13-0 lead in the first 90 seconds of action. Purdue University Calumet was never able to recover from the 13-point disadvantage and fell 72-56 in a nonconference contest.

Junior center Stephanie Peacock (Rockford Boylan) hit the Lady Peregrines' first basket with at the16:22 mark. Two minutes later, Peacock answered the bell for her second basket. But the offense never really got into a rhythm accounting for only 21 points on 8-for-23 from the field in the first  half.

The second half was an entirely different tale as the offense hit 50 percent of its shots from the field. Peacock matched her season high with 12 points shooting 66 percent from the field. She also had four rebounds, two assists and a shot block in the loss.

Junior guard Linsey Smith (Lake Central) led the Lady Peregrines with 16 points, including an 8-of-9 performance from the charity stripe. Smith grabbed six rebounds, had a pair of assists and three steals. Sophomore LaKeisha Hurst (Dover, Del.) rounded out the double digit scorers for the Lady Peregrines with 10 points, four rebounds, three steals and a pair of rejections.

The Lady Peregrines (6-17) outscored the Lady Trolls (11-15) 35-32 in the second half, and also won the battle for bench points with a 28-16 advantage. The first half deficit, 40-21, was just too much of a gap to close.

• Box Score

First half shooting woes plague Lady Peregrines in 82-57 CCAC loss

JOLIET, Ill. (Jan. 30, 2007) – The local outside temperatures dipped to their lowest of the season Tuesday night, and the Lady Peregrines were plagued with one of their lowest shooting performances of the season in the first half against the University of St. Francis. The team hit only 25 percent of its shots from the field, none from beyond the 3-point arc, to finish with 21 points at the half and trailed 46-21 in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Contest.

In the second half, the Lady Peregrines (5-16 overall, 1-4 CCAC) boosted their shooting to 38 percent, but it wasn't enough to overcome the 25-point deficit created in the opening half. And for only the second time all season, no Purdue University Calumet player was able to notch a 3-point basket in the loss.

Senior center Jessica Hamman (Highland) led the Lady Peregrines with 21 points, her season high, more than 10 points above her season average. Hamman hit 41 percent of her shots from the field and 87 percent from the charity stripe. She also grabbed five rebounds and had two steals.

Off the bench, junior Stephanie Peacock (Rockford Boylan) scored 10 points, her second highest total of the season, grabbed four rebounds and had two steals. Junior Linsey Smith (Lake Central) was shut out from the field for the first time this season. Smith, who ranks third in free throw shooting percentage in the CCAC at 86 percent, scored nine points on 10 attempts from the foul line. She leads the team in scoring (11.3 points per game) and at the free throw line hitting 79 percent overall.

The Lady Peregrines host the Archers from Moody Bible Institute on Thursday beginning at 6 p.m., one hour earlier than normal tip-off.

• Box Score

Four score double figures, Lady Peregrines deliver homecoming win

REC CENTER (Jan. 27, 2007) – It was a day full of first time events at Purdue University Calumet this season and in the history of the 60-year-old institution. Four Lady Peregrines scored double digits en route to a 68-53 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference win against Illinois Institute of Technology sending the homecoming crowd home happy.

Former Lady Laker star Lee Ann DeYoung-Slowik, 1984-88, was honored at halftime with the retirement of her uniform, No. 14. She is the first PUC athlete to have her jersey retired. Also, Rick Riddering, assistant vice chancellor for student development and outreach, won the PUC fight song contest. The school never had a fight song supporting the Hammond campus and its athletic teams. 

For the first time this season, four Lady Peregrines carried the offensive load scoring double figures. Senior co-captain Jessica Hamman (Highland), who normally wears No. 50, switched her number to 5 and finished as the team's leading scorer with 17 points, her highest total of the season. Hamman was 6-of-12 from the field and 5-of-6 from the foul line. The 6-0 center also finished with four rebounds, four steals and three shot blocks. She ranks sixth in the CCAC with eight rebounds per game in conference action.

Junior Linsey Smith (Lake Central) was 6-of-11, 55 percent, from the field and perfect from the charity stripe scoring 15 points. Smith has the second highest free throw shooting percentage in the CCAC at 83 percent. She leads the team with 11.4 points per game.

Freshman Sara Keilman (Morton) scored a season high 14 points shooting 70 percent from the field. The 6-1 forward also grabbed five rebounds and dished out three assists in 39 minutes of action. Off the bench, junior Krystal Rigoni (Portage) popped in 10 points, collected five rebounds and had four assists. Junior co-captain Shannon Dugan (Mother McAuley) had a season high 11 assists and scored seven points and had three steals in the victory.

The Lady Peregrines (5-15 overall, 1-4 CCAC) held a 14-point lead at the half, 37-23. Much of the lead came from 18 points scored off turnovers in the opening half. Hamman's success in the paint helped the Lady Peregrines to a 32-24 advantage on points scored in the lane. For the second time in three games, the offense shot 50 percent or higher in both halves and finished shooting 52 percent for the game. On defense, the Lady Peregrines forced 23 turnovers and were credited with 11 team steals.

The Lady Peregrines play the University of St. Francis' Lady Saints (12-11, 3-2) Tuesday in Joliet at 7:30 p.m. in a CCAC game. Thursday, the Lady Peregrines host Moody Bible Institute at 6 p.m.

• Box Score

Trinity International Trojans sneak past Lady Peregrines late, 50-44

REC CENTER. (Jan. 25, 2007) – Sophomore forward LaKeisha Hurst (Dover, Del.) scored a career high 16 points, including 10 in the second half, but it wasn't enough for a Lady Peregrine victory. Hurst hit one of two free throws with 1:38 to play and pulled her squad to 46-44, which turned out to be the final points of the night for the Lady Peregrines (4-14) who dropped the nonconference game to the Lady Trojans (9-13).

The Lady Peregrines trailed 28-22 at halftime, but made up ground in the first nine minutes of the second half taking a 36-32 lead with 11:23 to play. Hurst connected on a five-foot jumper to keep the Lady Peregrines ahead. But during the next five minutes, the PUC offense went cold and scored only three points. With 6:22 left in the second half, the Lady Trojans led 44-39.

Hurst finished the game as the leading scorer and rebounder for both squads. She was 7-of-11, 63 percent, from the field and grabbed 11 rebounds in the loss. Senior co-captain Jessica Hamman (Highland) was the second leading scorer for the Lady Peregrines finishing with 11 points and seven rebounds. Junior forward Linsey Smith (Lake Central) scored seven points, grabbed six rebounds, had two assists and two steals. Junior co-captain Shannon Dugan (Mother McAuley) chipped in six points while grabbing five rebounds.

After an offensive performance of shooting 44 and 50 percent from the field last Tuesday against Olivet Nazarene University, the Lady Peregrine offense struggled in both halves against TIU. They shot an identical 33 percent from the field in both halves against the Lady Trojans. The Lady Peregrines won the battle on the boards finishing with 44 total rebounds, nine above their season per game average.

The Lady Peregrines host Illinois Institute of Technology at 7 p.m. on Saturday, the 2006-07 Purdue University Calumet Homecoming. Former PUC athlete Lee Ann DeYoung will have her playing days jersey retired. DeYoung was  a three-time Kodak All-American player from 1986-88 while playing for the then Lady Lakers. An alumni vs. faculty and staff game begins at 5 p.m. with a reception to follow at 6 p.m.

• Box Score

Lady Peregrines hang a 42-point second half on Olivet, lose 77-63

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. (Jan. 23, 2007) – It was the most points the Lady Peregrines had scored in a half all season, one more than their best offensive output against Bethel College two games into the 2006-07 season. Yet the 42-second half points were not enough to overcome a 45-21 halftime deficit in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference road game for Purdue University Calumet.

For the first time since the loss to Bethel College last November, the Lady Peregrines (4-14 overall, 0-4 CCAC) were able to string together two 20-minute periods of solid offense. The team shot nearly 44 percent in the first half and cranked it up to 50 percent in the second half. But it's difficult to match Olivet Nazarene University offensively; a team averaging 101 points per game this season.

The 77 points by the CCAC standings leading Tigers (11-10, 5-0) was their lowest offensive output of the season, a credit to PUC Head Coach Dennis Smith's defensive strategy.

"Everybody tries to run with Olivet, and if you get caught up in that type of game, they'll score 120 points every time," Smith said. "They lead the country in team scoring average, so you just can't allow them fastbreaks and easy three-point attempts. We played a smart defensive game and came up a little short on the scoreboard."

The Lady Peregrines' Linsey Smith (Lake Central), the team's scoring leader, finished with 21 points matching her season high mark. The junior guard also grabbed five rebounds, had three assists and a pair of steals in the loss. Sophomore LaKeisha Hurst (Dover, Del.) continued to improve her offensive game scoring her season high 13, while shooting 60 percent from the field. She had four steals, two rebounds and one shot block.

Senior co-captain Jessica Hamman (Highland) scored above her season average (9.8 points per game) finishing with 12 points, three steals and two assists. Hamman grabbed 14 rebounds to lead both teams on the glass. She leads the Lady Peregrines with 143 total rebounds, an 8.4 per game average. Junior co-captain Shannon Dugan (Mother McAuley) chipped in eight points shooting 50 percent from the field. Dugan also had seven assists and one steal in the contest.

The Lady Peregrines are home for their next two contests. Thursday they host Trinity International (7-13) at 7 p.m. in a nonconference match-up. Saturday the Lady Peregrines play in the feature game during the 2006-07 Purdue University Calumet Homecoming contest at 7 p.m. in a CCAC battle with the Illinois Institute of Technology. An alumni vs. faculty and staff game precedes at 5 p.m.

• Box Score

Lady Titans win second CCAC contest, keep Lady Peregrines winless

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (Jan. 20, 2007) – The offense came in spurts in the opening 12 minutes of the second half as the Lady Peregrines drew to within eight points of Indiana University South Bend. But the Lady Titans withstood the 10-minute surge and then put their own offense on display leading to a 63-34 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference win at the hands of the Lady Peregrines (4-13 overall, 0-3 CCAC).

Neither team registered impressive shooting percentages from the field, but the Lady Titans (6-15, 2-2) hit their shots at critical times. And when they couldn't find an open outside shot, IUSB pushed the ball inside drawing contact for free throws, or simply scored. The Lady Titans scored 13 more times at the charity stripe than the Lady Peregrines and 10 more points in the paint than the Lady Peregrines.

Senior co-captain Jessica Hamman (Highland) hit 50 percent of her shots for 11 points to lead the Lady Peregrines. She also had five rebounds in the loss. Junior Linsey Smith (Lake Central) was three points off her season average scoring seven points on a pair of 3-pointers, and she grabbed four rebounds. LaKeisha Hurst (Dover, Del.) getting her second start of the conference season, finished with six points, seven rebounds and one steal.

Three starters for the Lady Titans combined for 48 points. Jennifer VanderZanden (Lake Central) led all scorers with 18 points, 13 from the charity stripe. The junior also grabbed 14 rebounds, seven offensively and defensively.

Purdue University Calumet travels to Bourbonnais on Tuesday to face CCAC rival Olivet Nazarene, the conference standings leader, at 5:30 p.m.

• Box Score

Nationally ranked No. 3 St. Xavier Cougars prove too much for PUC

REC CENTER (Jan. 16, 2007) – St. Xavier left little doubt in the minds of the Lady Peregrines and their fans why the Cougars are third best in the country among National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics teams. The Cougars (17-2 overall, 2-1 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference) scored on their second possession of the game to open the scoring and were never threatened in the 82-42 win.

Four Cougars combined for 44 points and were led by their two top scorers, Angie Brown, 11 points, and Candis Jackson, 13 points. Brown is averaging 16.6 per game and Jackson at 14.1 per game.

The Lady Peregrines (4-12, 0-2) struggled from the field throughout the first half connecting on only 5-of-22. Linsey Smith (Lake Central) got Purdue University Calumet on the scoreboard when she hit the team's only 3-pointer of the contest at the 17:42 mark. Sophomore LaKeisha Hurst (Dover, Del.) scored the team's second field goal more than six minutes later. The Lady Peregrines were finally able to hit on back-to-back buckets with 5:36 to play in the first half, but trailed 26-9.

While the Lady Peregrines offense struggled, the Cougars sizzled hitting 50 percent from the field and 50 percent from the 3-point line. With a little under five minutes to play in the half, the Cougars turned up the defense and forced five consecutive Lady Peregrine turnovers stretching their lead to 40-12 with one minute left. The Cougars led 44-15 at the intermission.

Smith, averaging 11.2 points per game, led the Lady Peregrines with 11 points and four rebounds. Junior Krystal Rigoni (Portage) was 3-of-9 from the field for eight points. Hurst and senior co-captain Jessica Hamman (Highland) each scored six points in the loss. Hurst also had four rebounds, four steals and one shot block and Hamman finished with six rebounds.

The Lady Peregrines travel to South Bend on Saturday for a CCAC contest with the Indiana University Titans (5-16, 1-1) at 11 a.m., noon EST. The Titans beat the Lady Peregrines earlier this season at the Goshen College Tournament, 66-47.

• Box Score

Robert Morris ignites a 41-point second half, beat Lady Peregrines

CHICAGO (Jan. 13, 2007) – Robert Morris' offense was hovering in the low 30s from the field in the first half, but in the second half the Eagles were 18-of-32 (56 percent) helping them turn a four-point lead at the half into a 25-point victory. The Eagles beat the Lady Peregrines 69-44 in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference season opener for Purdue University Calumet (4-11, 0-1).

The Lady Peregrines kept the game close for the first eight minutes of the second half and trailed 42-38 with 12:24 on the clock. But the offense simply disappeared accounting for only two more field goals and two more free throws totaling six more points for the remainder of the game.

"We missed too many layups and too many uncontested shots," Head Coach Dennis Smith said. "These are some fundamental shooting flaws that come as a result of trying to hurry shots. We need to take our time, slow down and simply shoot instead of rushing the shot."

Senior co-captain Jessica Hamman (Highland) was the only Lady Peregrine to crack double digits finishing with 10 points, her season average, and seven rebounds. Sophomore LaKeisha Hurst (Dover, Del.) added nine points, five rebounds, three shot blocks and a steal to the mix. After scoring 19 points in her last game, junior Linsey Smith (Lake Central) struggled from the field and could only register seven points to go along with five rebounds.

Robert Morris (12-8, 2-0) had three players scoring double digits, Jessica Harris with 17, Ashley Williams with 15 and Shanice White with 12. The Eagles were ahead 28-24 at the half and stretched the lead to 10 in the first 90 seconds of action in the second half. After a PUC timeout, the Lady Peregrines chipped away at, or kept on pace with the Eagles during the next six minutes before PUC's offense went into a stall.

The Lady Peregrines host St. Xavier University, the No. 3 ranked National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics team in the country. Game time is 7 p.m.

• Box Score

Smith's clutch free throw nets late Lady Peregrine victory, 50-48

HAMMOND, Ind. (Jan. 9, 2007) – Junior guard Linsey Smith (Lake Central) hit her fourth 3-pointer of the game to tie the score, 48-48, with 38 seconds left to play. Smith, who was fouled on the shot, calmly swished the free throw giving the Lady Peregrines (4-10) a one-point edge and the eventual game-winning basket. Purdue University Calumet squandered a 12-point second half lead, but held on to beat Calumet College of St. Joseph (3-15), 50-48, at the Civic Center. 

Smith led all scorers with 19 points, eight above her season average, grabbed seven rebounds and had two steals in the win. Smith's 3-pointer earlier in the half gave the Lady Peregrines a 39-27 cushion with 11:20 left on the clock. But the Crimson Wave mounted a comeback and scored 12 unanswered points during a four-minute stretch tying the game at 39-39.

Freshman Sara Keilman (Morton) put the Lady Peregrines back in front after hitting a six-foot jumper in the lane. Keilman finished with eight points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals. Calumet College tied the game on its next possession before PUC junior Shannon Dugan (Mother McAuley) hit a baseline jumper for a 43-41 lead. Dugan scored six points in the win.

Calumet College took the lead, 45-43, with 2:52 to play. Keilman then connected on another jumper in the lane tying the score 20 seconds later. A three-point basket by the Crimson Wave's Candace Bishop (14 points) gave Calumet College a 48-45 lead with 58 seconds left in regulation. Twenty seconds later, PUC's Smith added her heroics to finish the cross-town rivalry nonconference contest. The win gave the Lady Peregrines a sweep against Calumet College on the season following a 66-57 win in the season opener.

The Lady Peregrines had a balanced scoring attack with senior center Jessica Hamman (Highland) and sophomore forward LaKeisha Hurst (Dover, Del.) each adding eight points. Hamman also had six rebounds, two steals and one shot block in 31 minutes of action.

The offense struggled in the opening six minutes and didn't connect on a field goal until the 13:19 mark on Dugan's first basket of the game. Trailing 7-2, the Lady Peregrines' defense stiffened and the offense began to click outscoring Calumet College 19-12 during the next 10 minutes and grabbed a slim 21-19 lead at the break. The Lady Peregrines finished with 13 steals and 11 assists.

PUC travels to Chicago to face Robert Morris (11-8) at Loyola University at 3 p.m. Saturday. The next home game is Tuesday, Jan. 16, against conference leader St. Xavier at 7 p.m.

• Box Score

Judson College hands Lady Peregrines first loss on the 2007 calendar

ELGIN, Ill. (Jan. 5, 2007) – Co-captain Shannon Dugan (Mother McAuley) hit an eight-foot jumper with 3:03 left in regulation to draw the Lady Peregrines within four points, 58-54, of Judson College. It was the closest the Lady Peregrines had been since the opening tip-off. But the Lady Peregrines (3-10) were only able to muster up one more field goal during the final 180 seconds, and dropped their first game of the 2007 portion of the season, 64-56, splitting the two-game non-conference season series with the Lady Eagles (5-11).

Dugan kept the Lady Peregrines within striking distance in the final six minutes scoring six of her team leading 16 points. She was 5-of-8 from the field, 62 percent, and 6-of-8 from the free throw line, 75 percent.

Following a timeout after Dugan's jumper, Judson College's senior guard Sara Brendemuehl drilled her second 3-point basket of the game and pushed the Lady Eagle lead to 61-54 with 2:37 left and took some of the energy out of the Peregrine faithful. Brendemuehl led all scorers with 19 points.

Purdue University Calumet trailed by as many as 14 points early in the second half before junior center Stephanie Peacock picked up the pace offensively. Peacock, who was scoreless in the first 20 minutes, scored a dozen in the second half connecting on 4-of-7 from the field (57 percent) and was perfect, 4-for-4, at the free throw line. Peacock finished with six rebounds, three assists and steals in 31 minutes of action.

Sophomore forward LaKeisha Hurst (Dover,  Del.) got an offensive rebound and flipped the ball back over the rim to score with 2:15 left in regulation; however, it was the last scoring basket for the Lady Peregrines. Hurst finished with eight points and two shot blocks. She dominated on the offensive glass grabbing eight and finished as the leading rebounder in the game with 10.

Junior guard Linsey Smith (Lake Central), the team's leading scorer at 10.9 points per game, scored nine points, including one 3-pointer, and had three steals in 30 minutes of action.

Purdue University Calumet faces Calumet College of St. Joseph (3-13) Tuesday at the Hammond Civic Center with the tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. The Lady Peregrines beat the Crimson Wave, 66-57, to open the 2006-07 campaign. 

Second half shooting blues tag Lady Peregrines in Goshen title game

GOSHEN, Ind. (Dec. 16, 2006) – Shooting 42 percent from the field in the opening half gave the Lady Peregrines (3-9) a slight edge, 24-21, against Indiana University South Bend (2-11) at the break in the championship game of the Goshen College Tournament. But in the second half, no one wearing a Purdue University Calumet uniform was able to connect with consistency leading to a 66-47 loss.

"We just couldn't hit shots and we passed up too many easy shots," Head Coach Dennis Smith said. "We were like two entirely different teams from the first to the second half."

While the Lady Peregrines struggled, the Lady Titans finished the second half shooting 66 percent from the field to register 45 points. IUSB opened the second half on a 15-4 run and never looked back.

Two Highland High School alumni led the Lady Peregrines in scoring. Senior co-captain Jessica Hamman scored 14 points on 6-of-8 from the field (.750) and had four rebounds for the game. Sophomore Ashley Sampson found a hot hand in the final three minutes of action hitting a pair of 3-pointers to finish with 10 points, four rebounds and two steals. 

Off the bench, Krystal Rigoni (Portage) added nine points and four assists. The Lady Peregrines bench was short with Stephanie Peacock out with the flu and not in the rotation during the weekend tournament, and freshman Sara Keilman suffered an ankle twist late in the title game.

PUC shot 25 percent in the second half (8-of-32) and only made seven trips to the charity stripe for the game compared to IUSB's 27 attempts and hitting 21. The Lady Titans also owned the rebounding department finishing with 43 compared to PUC's 21.

The Lady Peregrines' next game is Friday, Jan. 5, 2007, at Judson College in Elgin, Illinois, beginning at 5 p.m. It's the front end of a women's and men's teams doubleheader rematch with the Eagles. The Lady Peregrines lost a nail-biter, 44-43, at home in late November to the Lady Eagles.  

• Box Score

Dugan's late baskets help Lady Peregrines end three-game slide

GOSHEN, Ind. (Dec. 15, 2006) – Shannon Dugan (Mother McAuley) waited and waited and waited and waited. The junior co-captain didn't score a point for the first 38 minutes of action, but scored twice in the final two minutes, enough to give the Lady Peregrines (3-8) a 53-52 win against Goshen College in the first night of the two-day tournament.

Sophomore LaKeisha Hurst (Dover, Del.) found Dugan slicing to the basket with less than 30 seconds to play. Dugan scored the eventual game winner on a layup for her fourth point to give PUC the one point lead. Dugan earlier tied the contest at 51-51 with two minutes left when she hit a jumper from the free throw line.

With 1:24 in regulation, Goshen's Troyanna Scott, a 47 percent free throw shooter, hit the front end of a one-and-one to give the Maple Leafs (3-10) a 52-51 edge. Scott missed the second free throw, which was rebounded by the Lady Peregrine's Hurst. 

The Lady Peregrines were led in scoring by junior guard Linsey Smith (Lake Central) with 16 points, including three 3-point baskets. Freshman Sara Keilman (Morton) pumped in 14 points, 10 in the second half, her career high at the collegiate level. Senior co-captain Jessica Hamman (Highland) scored six points and grabbed eight rebounds before fouling out with less than two minutes to play. Hurst also scored six points, had three rebounds and steals and a pair of assists in the win.

• Box Score

Panthers slip past Lady Peregrines in final three minutes, win 66-56

REC CENTER (Dec. 9, 2006) – Ashley Sampson (Highland) sparked a 6-0 run with 4:45 to play and drew the Lady Peregrines to 58-52 and also woke the home crowd. But PUC didn't hit another field goal for the remainder of the game. Davenport University (8-4) forced four turnovers in the closing minutes and scored on each Lady Peregrine miscue to pull ahead for the eventual 66-56 win.

Sampson scored six of her 10 points in the second half, including the layup and 5-foot jumper on back-to-back possessions with less than five minutes to play. The sophomore also had four assists and four rebounds in the loss.

The Lady Peregrines (2-8) had another solid effort from their senior co-captain, Jessica Hamman (Highland). Hamman led the team with 15 points, six rebounds, four steals and two assists. She shot 50 percent from the field, the fourth time this season and leads the team in field goal shooting percentage at .449.

Junior guard Linsey Smith (Lake Central), the team's leading scorer averaging 11.2 per game, scored 13 points, including a perfect night at the free throw line, 8-of-8. Smith had a game-high nine rebounds and a pair of steals.

The Lady Peregrines shot 50 percent from the field in the opening half and trailed 31-27. The Panthers opened the second half with an 11-6 run for a nine-point advantage. Davenport kept PUC behind by eight to 10 points throughout the half until the final five minutes.

Offensively, PUC finished shooting 43 percent from the field, 85 percent from the charity stripe nearly doubling Davenport's free throw output. The Lady Peregrines had problems handling the ball creating 30 turnovers that Davenport turned into 16 points.

The Lady Peregrines will be on the road for the next five weeks. Friday and Saturday, PUC travels to Goshen, Indiana, for a two-day tournament. The Lady Peregrines face host Goshen at 6 p.m. on Friday. Saturday's opponent and game time will be determined by Friday's results.

The next home game for PUC is Jan. 16, 2007, against St. Xavier to begin the conference home season.

• Box Score

Trolls shut down Lady Peregrines' offense in final 10 minutes of play

REC CENTER (Dec. 5, 2006) – The Lady Peregrines were within five points and more than 11 minutes of action to play. But the Lady Peregrines could only muster eight more points against Trinity Christian College (4-8) and dropped their second game in a row 75-54.

With 11:29 on the clock in the second half, the Trolls held a 51-46 lead after PUC's Linsey Smith (Lake Central) connected on a jumper. Smith had her season-best offensive performance and led all scorers with 26 points, 16 in the second half. The junior guard heated up for the Lady Peregrines (2-7) from the 3-point arc hitting 6-of-8 (.750) and was 9-of-12 from the field overall. She also grabbed six rebounds and had four steals in the loss.

Senior co-captain Jessica Hamman (Highland) helped in the scoring department with 12 points and also pulled down seven rebounds.

The Lady Peregrines were down 28-26 at the half. Smith hit back-to-back 3-pointers early in the second half giving PUC a 36-32 lead, but then the offense cooled. PUC shot 39 percent from the field in the second half, an 18 percent drop-off from the first half.

The story was opposite for the Trolls who connected on only 33 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes, but cranked it up in the second half hitting 56 percent from the field. The Trolls also took advantage of free throw opportunities in the second half connecting on 14-of-15, a 93 percent rate.

The women are home Saturday to play Davenport University (7-4) starting at 1 p.m.

• Box Score

Siena Heights forces Lady Peregrines into turnover-laden loss

REC CENTER (Dec. 2, 2006) – Trailing 56-32 with 6:31 remaining in the game, PUC center Jessica Hamman (Highland) scored a layup and closed the gap to12 points. The Lady Peregrines scored the final 13 points of the contest, but could not overcome a 22-point deficit built by Siena Heights. The Saints (8-1) won 56-45 despite the late Lady Peregrine (2-6)surge.

Hamman scored six of her 10 points in the final six minutes and was 4-of-6 (67 percent) from the field for the game. She had a game-high 10 rebounds aiding the team in a 37-29 advantage in that category. Stephanie Peacock (Rockford Boylan) led the Lady Peregrines with 12 points hitting 50 percent from the field and also grabbed five rebounds. Ashley Sampson (Highland) finished with nine points, three assists and two steals in the loss

Both teams struggled to control the ball as they combined for 80 turnovers. The Lady Peregrines accounted for 47 turnovers that Siena Heights turned into 15 points, yet PUC nearly matched that scoring ratio registering 14 points off turnovers.

In the opening half, PUC had trouble finding the range from the field hitting only 5-of-17 (29 percent) attempts and didn't score a field goal until six-and-a-half minutes into the game. The Lady Peregrines took advantage of Siena Heights' generosity sending them to the charity stripe 14 times in the first half to account for nine points. 

The Lady Peregrines trailed 27-19 at the half, but improved their shooting performance in the second 20 minutes hitting 10-of-24, a 42 percent clip, from the field and 6-of-7 from the free throw line, an 86 percent clip.

Purdue hosts Trinity Christian College (3-8) at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

• Box Score

Lady Peregrines hang on despite woes at the charity stripe, 44-43

REC CENTER (Nov. 29, 2006) – When freshman Sara Keilman (Morton) hit the back end of two free throws with 3:09 to play it was just enough for the Lady Peregrines (2-5) to eek out a win in a nonconference game, 44-43, against Judson College. Keilman's free throw ended PUC's five game skid. She finished with three points, five rebounds and two steals in the win.

The Lady Peregrines' largest lead of the night was five points, a lead they held on five different occasions in the second half. With 4:20 to play the lead was 41-37 when Judson's Tissanie Simmons hit a shot driving to the basket to close the PUC lead. Both squads traded points at the charity stripe in the final four minutes, and neither team could register a field goal for the remainder of the contest.

PUC's junior guard Linsey Smith calmly hit a pair of free throws with 3:32 to play and giving the Lady Peregrines a little breathing room at 43-39. One minute later, Judson's Kelly Friestad connected on two charity tosses. And with 1:38 remaining, Alicia Rovertoni finished off the scoring as she connected on a pair of free throws.

Lady Peregrine center Jessica Hamman (Highland) lead all scorers with 10 points, four rebounds and two assists. Co-captain Shannon Dugan (Mother McAuley) was the second highest scorer on the squad with eight points, five rebounds and a pair of assists.

The Lady Peregrines could have locked up the game from the charity stripe, but no one had a successful night shooting free throws. They shot 40 percent from the foul line hitting 9-of-22, all in the second half. PUC had a 28-23 lead at the half based on a 60 percent performance from the field. They couldn't find the range in the second half connecting on only three field goals.

PUC hosts Siena Heights this Saturday at 2 p.m. The Lady Saints are 7-1 on the season.

• Box Score

Early season shooting woes continue for Lady Peregrines on the road

MARION, Ind. (Nov. 18, 2006) – For the second game in a row on the road, Purdue University Calumet's women's squad found the basketball rims a little too tight and unfriendly. The Lady Peregrines (1-3) were 14-of-49 from the field hitting 28 percent of their shots for the game and lost 97-48 against Taylor University (4-1) Saturday.

Ashley Sampson (Highland) had the warmest shooting hand for the Lady Peregrines hitting 5-of-11 (.454) for a dozen points, which included a pair of 3-pointers. Co-captain Shannon Dugan (Mother McAuley) also finished with 12 points on 30 percent from the floor. Dugan hit a three-pointer, was perfect at the foul line, 5-for-5, and grabbed three rebounds and dished out a pair of assists.

The Lady Peregrines played from behind the entire contest as the Lady Trojans' offense stepped onto the floor hot and remained heated for the game. Taylor hit eight of 15 shots from beyond the 3-point arc, a 53 percent clip. The Lady Trojans, who were ahead 49-25 at the half, finished the game shooting 60 percent from the field and 83 percent from the free throw line.

PUC's Linsey Smith (Lake Central) struggled from the field hitting one field goal, but was perfect at the charity stripe hitting all six attempts to finish with eight points. Freshman forward Sara Keilman (Morton) scored seven points, including one 3-pointer and led the team with five rebounds and a pair of steals.

The Lady Peregrines continue their November road trip next Saturday in a two-day tournament at Cardinal Stritch University, Milwaukee, Wisc. Saturday, the Lady Peregrines face the host team at 5 p.m. On Sunday, the Lady Peregrines will battle Briar Cliff University at noon.

• Box Score

Madonna U. ekes out a win, Lady Peregrines drop first road game

LIVONIA, Mich. (Nov. 11, 2006) – Last Tuesday (Nov. 7), Purdue University Calumet lost in dramatic fashion scoring 74 points and shooting .448 from the field. Saturday against Madonna University, PUC struggled from the field shooting .360 and dropped its first road game of the season, 51-48.

Jessica Hamman (Highland) and Linsey Smith (Lake Central) led the Lady Peregrines (1-2) scoring 11 points each. Hamman also led her squad in the rebounding department grabbing a dozen, four offensive and eight defensive. Smith hit a pair of three-pointers contributing to her point total, and she also had two steals.

Shannon Dugan (Mother McAuley) added seven points in the loss and had five assists. The junior guard is the team leader in assists averaging six a game.

The Lady Peregrines' offense was hampered by 15 first half turnovers. The team shot .304 from the field in the first 20 minutes hitting 7-of-23 accounting for only 20 points. Field goal shooting improved in the second half, 11-of-27 (.407), but the Lady Peregrines who trailed 24-20 at the half, never were able to gain a lead on Madonna University (2-3).

PUC travels to Upland, Indiana next Saturday to face Taylor University at 2 p.m. EST. The Lady Trojans are undefeated to start the season.

• Box Score

Bethel College clips Lady Peregrines, 76-74, in nonconference action

REC CENTER (Nov. 7, 2006) – Linsey Smith (Lake Central) grabbed on offensive rebound under the Lady Peregrine basketball and flipped it back onto the glass for an easy two points. But it left the Lady Peregrines with only five tenths of a second left and down by two points. The buzzer sounded as the Lady Pilots in-bounded the ball, which handed the Lady Peregrines (1-1) their first loss in the young season.

Purdue University Calumet trailed 72-64 with 2:02 to play in regulation. During the next 90 seconds, the Lady Peregrines trimmed the Lady Pilots' (3-0) lead on a 8-2 run. Shannon Dugan (Mother McAuley) hit a pair of baskets in the final minute and brought PUC to within a basket,74-72, after connecting on a post-up shot with 24 seconds left. Dugan led the Lady Peregrines with 17 points hitting 6-of-8 (.750) from the field. She had a game high seven assists and three rebounds.

Senior captain Jessica Hamman (Highland) also scored during the 8-2 run. Hamman finished with 14 points shooting 50 percent from the field. She also had a game high 10 rebounds, five on offense and defense.

Linsey Smith finished as the second leading Lady Peregrine scorer with 16 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. She was the hottest free throw shooter on the squad hitting 6-of-7, and she also had five rebounds and a pair of steals.

Junior guard Krystal Rigoni (Portage) had the hot hand off the bench scoring 12 points, including a run of eight points within two-and-a-half minutes in the first half. Her defensive pressure accounted for three of the Lady Peregrines' 10 steals. Freshman Sara Keilman was 4-for-6 from the field (.666) for nine points to go along with six rebounds and three assists.

Bethel College's assault from the 3-point line registered 33 points, including a second half in which the Lady Pilots connected for 53 percent from beyond the arc. Senior guard Abby Noll and junior Natalie Young scored 46 of the Lady Pilots points, each scoring 23. Young was also 8-of-10 from the free throw line.

The Lady Peregrines travel to Livonia, Mich., Saturday for a 6 p.m. game against Madonna University. The next women's home game is Wednesday, Nov. 29 in the first of a double header against Judson College. The men play at 7 p.m.

• Box Score

Sampson, Hamman lead Lady Peregrines in season opening victory

REC CENTER (Nov. 4, 2006) – After a sluggish first half of offense on the hardwood, the Lady Peregrines adjusted and were able to hold off the Crimson Wave, 66-57, on the second day of the Lady Peregrine Classic. Four players scored double figures to lead Purdue University Calumet (1-0) in the home opener.

A pair of Highland graduates, Ashley Sampson and Jessica Hamman, led the Lady Peregrines with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Each scored eight of their total points in the second half to help PUC pull away from a pesky Calumet College of St. Joseph's squad.

"We did a much better job of defending the ball and slowing up our offensive pace in the second half," Head Coach Dennis Smith said. "I think we were a little nervous in the first half and we were forcing on offense and not focusing on defense. "We played much better in the second half."

Junior guards Linsey Smith (Lake Central) and Shannon Dugan (Mother McAuley) each scored 10 points in the win. And much like Sampson and Hamman, Dugan and Linsey Smith scored the bulk of their points in the second half; Dugan with eight and Linsey Smith with seven. Stephanie Peacock (Boylan Catholic) added eight points and LaKeisha Hurst (Dover, Del.) chipped in seven.

Calumet College of St. Joseph's (1-2) was led in scoring by Lacreia Hudson (Gary West) with 14 points and Candice Bishop (East Chicago Central) who finished with 13 points. Bishop scored 13 in the first half, but was shutout in the second half. She scored 28 points total in two games for the Crimson Wave in the two-day tournament. The Illinois Institute of Technology (1-0) beat the Crimson Wave, 74-58, Friday in the first night of action in the Lady Peregrine Classic.

Purdue University Calumet hosts Bethel College in a nonconference contest Tuesday beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for anyone under age 18.

Lady Peregrines tip off 2006-07 season hosting Calumet College

HAMMOND, Ind. (October 29, 2006) – Last year’s basketball media program won’t give Lady Peregrine fans much insight of what to expect from the 2006-07 squad. Head Coach Dennis Smith and Assistant Coach Rick Sullivan were road weary by the end of the recruiting season adding five new players to the roster.

The women open their season Saturday against Calumet College of St. Joseph's at 2 p.m., in the second day of action in the Lady Peregrine Classic. Calumet College plays Illinois Institute of Technology on Friday at 8 p.m. in the Fitness & Recreation Center.

Juniors Linsey Smith (Lake Central), Stephanie Peacock (Rockford Boylan) and Krystal Rigoni (Portage) are entering their third campaign with the women, and Linsey Smith is the only returning starter. Linsey Smith was the “Most Improved” Lady Peregrine last season and was given Honorable Mention status in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference. She averaged 10.6 points and 3.3 rebounds per game and led the team in three shooting percentage categories, .802 from the free throw line, .472 from the field, and .387 from the 3-point arc.

The new recruits include 6-0 senior center Jessica Hamman (Highland) who averaged 8.5 points and seven rebounds per game in 13 starts for Anderson University, Ind. Shannon Dugan (Mother McAuley, Chicago), 5-10 guard, was a First Team All Skyway Conference member playing for Moraine Valley Community College. She averaged 12.5 points per game leading her team, and grabbed four rebounds and dished out 2.5 assists per game last season. Forwards LaKeisha Hurst, a 5-11 sophomore from Dover, Del., and 6-1 freshman Sara Keilman from Hammond Morton, add significant size to the frontline, and guard Ashley Sampson (Highland) gives the Lady Peregrines a healthy number of ball handlers.

Although the roster numbers only eight, Dennis Smith says it’s the best eight players of all he recruited. “You’re only going to play seven or eight most games and nine or 10 in some games,” he said. “We recruited girls who were scorers and shot the ball well. We had to improve our shooting percentages from last season and I think we have a group of strong shooters. And every player on this team has collegiate experience on the basketball court, which is key. It’s more of a veteran squad.”

Lady Peregrines sign guard, post player to cap recruiting season

HAMMOND, Ind. (June 23, 2006) – Transfer students Shannon Dugan, a junior from Moraine Valley Community College, Ill., and LaKeisha Hurst, a sophomore from Anderson College, Ind., signed to play at Purdue University Calumet this fall.

Dugan (Mother McAuley, Chicago), was a SkyWay All Conference First Team player in 2005-06.  She averaged 12.5 points per game leading her team, and grabbed four rebounds and dished out 2.5 assists per game last season.

Hurst (Dover, Delaware), was limited in playing time during her freshman year at Anderson. She scored 35 points and grabbed 31 rebounds in 114 minutes of action and shot a .563 percentage from the field overall.  She was a high school all-star in Delaware and her team’s most valuable player in her senior season.

Both players bring the Lady Peregrines experience at the collegiate level, an element that Head Coach Dennis Smith said will benefit the entire roster.

"We lost seven players from last season for a variety of reasons, including two seniors (Sarah Vaughn and Nikki Borys) who were all conference and honorable mention and who were among the top three scorers on the team," Smith said. "We looked at many players and Shannon and LaKeisha are two nice surprises. They both have court savvy and will be critical pieces in helping this team come together."

Dugan and Hurst fill the final two roster spots for the Lady Peregrines who return only four players from last season's squad. Stephanie Peacock (Rockford Boylan), Krystal Rigoni (Portage), Linsey Smith (Lake Central) and Jennifer Hostetter (Munster) will all be returning as juniors.

The Lady Peregrines earlier signed forward/center Jessica Sheets and point guard Heidi Freund, both of Hebron. The two were among statistical leaders in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals last season in local prep basketball.

Two players that Smith aggressively sought were a pair of 6-footers from Highland, Jessica Hamman, previously at Anderson University, Ind., and Ashley Sampson, from John A. Logan College, Ill. Last season, Hamman averaged 8.5 ppg and seven rpg in 13 starts for Anderson and had 23 steals, second most on her team. Sampson closed out her senior year in high school as a first team all-conference player and second team all-area player.

Smith was also high on former Morton Governor two-sport player Sara Keilman, a 6-1 forward, who transferred from Northern Michigan on a volleyball scholarship. In her senior season at Morton, Keilman led the Governors in scoring, 11 ppg, rebounding, 6.4 rpg and assists. 2.3 per game and shot 33 percent from the 3-point arc.

Seniors Borys, Vaughn among five Lady Peregrines to earn awards

HAMMOND, Ind. (March 31, 2006) – Senior captains Nikki Borys and Sarah Vaughn shared top honors as the Lady Peregrines' Most Valuable Players during a basketball post-season reception at the Kuiper House. The pair also were recently named as National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Academic All-Americans.

It was the second consecutive year that Vaughn earned the national academic award. Borys earned a regional academic award as a junior. To qualify for the national NAIA award, players must be a junior or senior and maintain a minimum 3.5 accumulative G.P.A. Vaughn also received the Chancellor's Award given to the Purdue University Calumet student-athlete with the highest G.P.A.

Vaughn, who returns next year as an student assistant coach, was a First Team All-Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference player this past season. She had the highest free throw shooting percentage in the conference at .854. During the conference season, Vaughn averaged 13.3 points per game, 6th best overall, 3.25 assists per game, 8th best overall, and finished among the top 15 spots in nine statistical categories.

Vaughn was the Lady Peregrines' leader in steals, 55 total, 1.8 per game, and assists, 72 total, 2.5 per game, and in minutes played, 934. She was second in free throw shooting percentage at .787 and third in rebounding, 2-point and 3-point field goal percentages, and in scoring averaging 10.4 points per game. In two seasons with the Lady Peregrines, Vaughn scored 674 points, grabbed 244 rebounds, dished out 147 assists and swiped the ball from opponents 109 times.

Borys was named as honorable mention in the CCAC. She was a first team member in her junior season. In the CCAC, Borys averaged 3.83 defensive rebounds per game, 5th best, 1.67 made 3-pointers, 6th best, and 5.7 rebounds per game, 7th best. She was among the top 15 CCAC players in eight statistical categories.

Among the Lady Peregrines, Borys was the second best rebounder with 152 total, 5.2 per game, second best in steals (42 overall), assists (66 overall), 2-and-3-point shooting percentage (.372 and .328 respectively) and was third in free throw shooting percentage at .750. For her career at PUC, Borys finished with 1,329 points, 679 rebounds, 221 assists, 151 steals and 69 shot blocks.

Sophomore Linsey Smith, an All-CCAC Honorable Mention player, received the Most Improved award as a Lady Peregrine. She also was recognized as finishing as the leader in free throw percentage, .802 for the entire season. Smith was the Lady Peregrines’ second leading scorer averaging 10.6 points per game in 27 contests.  She led the team in field goal, 3-point, and free throw shooting percentages; .472, .387, and .802, respectively.

In CCAC action, Smith averaged 13.6 points per game, good enough for 4th best overall. She hit .391 from the 3-point arc, 6th best, in the conference, .495 from the field, 7th best, and .761 from the charity stripe, 7th best. Smith was the only player to lead the team in scoring double digits 10 times this season. Smith also had the longest streak of the year scoring double digits in six consecutive games during the CCAC season.

Junior captain Tekenya Harper earned the team's top rebounder award. She grabbed a season best 171 rebounds averaging 5.8 per game, and collected slightly more than 40 percent off the offensive glass, 6th best in the CCAC. Harper was the team’s leading rebounder in 12 games this season. In five games she grabbed double digit rebounds and had a season high 12 on two occasions. In the CCAC, Harper averaged 5.3 rebounds per game, 8th best overall.

Sophomore reserve guard Jen Hostetter earned the Best Mental Attitude award, a prize Head Coach Dennis Smith said was the most important recognition for a player. This past season, Hostetter scored 55 points, 2.2 ppg, grabbed 36 rebounds, 1.4 per game, dished out 24 assists and collected 10 steals. Her skills improved as the season progressed, which was what Coach Smith was looking for in a role player.

The reception was hosted by Chancellor Howard Cohen and his wife Patty Cohen.

Five local hoopsters sign with Lady Peregrines for 2006-07 season

HAMMOND, Ind. (March 17, 2006) – Two Hebron seniors, two Highland alums and one former Morton Governor have committed to play basketball at Purdue University Calumet for the 2006-07 season next fall.

Jessica Sheets, 5-11, and Heidi Freund, 5-8, of Hebron were among statistical leaders in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals last season in local girl’s basketball.

Sheets ranked second in the area with 11.5 rebounds per game. She shot .516 percent from the field and averaged 15.2 points per game. Sheets was a first team all-conference player and second team all-area player.  She also won a Regional Radio Sports Network/Centier Bank Most Valuable Player of the Game Award during the Porter County Conference Tournament finals in January.   

Freund was an all area honorable mention player. She ranked fourth overall in the area with 4.2 steals per game and seventh overall handing out 4.2 assists per game.

Head coach Dennis Smith said the Hebron duo will add to some missing pieces on the Lady Peregrine squad.

“Jessica’s stats are very impressive. That’s what you look for in a big girl,” Smith said. “Her nearly 52 percent field goal shooting is one of the best we’ve had in the last two recruiting seasons. And Heidi is young, but she’s a point guard who can handle the ball and pressure the ball. She’ll help us with our depth, which will allow us to use more pressure defense than we did last season.”

A pair of 6-footers and former Highland standouts Ashley Sampson and Jessica Hamman are transfers from John A. Logan College, Ill., and Anderson University, Ind., respectively. At Highland, Sampson averaged 11 ppg, 4.7 rpg, and 2.4 apg during her senior season and was named team MVP. She was a first team all-conference player and second team all-area player.

Last season, Hamman averaged 8.5 ppg and 7 rpg in 13 starts for Anderson and had 23 steals, second most on her team. In her sophomore year, Hamman was all-conference, all-region and the team’s leading rebounder at Lincoln Community College, Ill.

Smith is impressed with the college-game experience that both Sampson and Hamman bring to the team.

“Ashley is going to be a big asset to our team because of her size and experience. She’s a good shooter and improves our overall shooting percentage with her abilities,” Smith said. “Jessica’s an inside presence who can execute and hit shots in the post. And her overall toughness and experience are really going to help our younger players.”

Former Morton Governor two-sport player Sara Keilman, 6-1 forward, transferred from Northern Michigan where she was playing volleyball. She was a local star during her junior and senior seasons on the volleyball court. Keilman’s self-confidence should help her make and easy transition to being one of the go-to players on the hardwood, Smith said.

“She might be the most athletic girl that we’ve been able to recruit in a long time. Her shooting ability is impressive, and her leadership qualities and maturity are even more impressive,” Smith said. “She’s a good stabilizing presence on and off the court.”

In her senior season at Morton, Keilman led the Governors in scoring, 11 ppg, rebounding, 6.4 rpg and assists. 2.3 per game and shot 33 percent from the 3-point arc.

Seven PUC women and men named to CCAC All-Conference squads

HAMMOND, Ind. (March 3, 2006) – Seven players from Purdue University Calumet’s men and women’s basketball program were selected to the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference All-Conference and Honorable Mention teams. Senior captain Sarah Vaughn (Rushville, Ill.) from the women’s squad, junior captain Minuyard Wheeler (Wirt) and sophomore center Kevin Thomas (Highland) for the men’s team, were all named to the first team in the CCAC.

Vaughn concluded her collegiate career leading the Lady Peregrines in assists (3.4 per CCAC game) and steals (1.8 per game), was second in free throw shooting percentage (.787) and was the third leading scorer at 10.4 ppg. She led the CCAC hitting .854 percent from the free throw line.

Wheeler led the Peregrines in scoring with 17.3 points per game and finished as the eighth leading scorer in the CCAC. Wheeler also entered PUC’s history books becoming the 17^th men’s player to gain a spot in the 1,000-point club. He is the 26^th player overall to score 1,000 or more points at PUC. Thomas averaged 12.9 ppg in conference games, 6.4 rpg, and led the team Peregrines with a .554 field goals made percentage.

Senior captain Nikki Borys (Crown Point) and sophomore guard Linsey Smith (Lake Central) from the women’s team, and sophomore guard Steve Polak (Clark) and freshman forward Charles Cruz (Gavit) of the men’s team were selected as CCAC honorable mention players.

Borys closed out her collegiate career as the Lady Peregrines’ leading scorer averaging 11 ppg., and 10^th best in the CCAC. Borys was second best in rebounding, 5.2 per game, second in overall assists (66) and in steals (42) and in 3-point field goal percentage (.328) for the season.

Smith finished as the fourth best scorer in the CCAC (13.6 ppg) and second among Lady Peregrines at 10.6 for the season. She led the Lady Peregrines in all shooting categories; .802 from the free throw line, .472 from the field, and .387 from the 3-point stripe. Smith was third best in assists (41) and steals (38) on the season.

For the men, Polak was the team leader in 3-point field goals made hitting .484 percent from the arc and fourth best in the CCAC. He also led the team with 60 steals for the season, was second overall with 72 assists and was the second leading scorer with 14.1 ppg. Cruz led the team in rebounding with a season total of 193 (6.8 rpg) and was eighth best in the CCAC. Cruz was third in scoring among Peregrines averaging 13.5 ppg, and had the highest free throw percent (.680) among active players.

I.U. South Bend ends Lady Peregrines playoff plans and season

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (February 28, 2006) – Having the home court advantage for postseason action usually spells trouble for the visitors. Indiana University South Bend used the home court formula in the first half connecting on 65 percent if its shots and placed Purdue University Calumet in a tight spot, a 13-point deficit at the break. IUSB continued to build its lead and ended PUC's season with a 78-52 win in a quarterfinal match of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament.

The Lady Titans (19-12) were 15-of-23 from the field in the first half and "cooled" down to 53.6 percent in the second half finishing with 58.8 percent for the contest. And although they only took four shots from the 3-point stripe, all four connected.

"It's tough to beat a team who was hitting as many shots as they were," PUC Head Coach Dennis Smith said. "When we beat them at our place earlier in February they only shot 39 percent for the game. They got a lot more easy baskets on their home court tonight. We just didn't have the speed to stop many of their breaks."

The Lady Peregrines (11-19) were led by their top three scorers. Linsey Smith (Lake Central) led all scorers with 17 points. She was 6-of-8 from the field (75 percent) and also hit a pair of 3-pointers. Smith had four steals in the contest. Smith is the third leading scorer on the Lady Peregrine roster and fourth in the CCAC at 13.6 points per game.

Senior captains Nikki Borys (Crown Point) and Sarah Vaughn (Rushville, Ill.) closed out their collegiate careers on high notes. Borys scored 15 points, including a pair of 3-point baskets, and had three rebounds. She leads the team with an 11 ppg average and is 10th in the CCAC. Vaughn scored 12 points, including a perfect night from the free throw line, 6-for-6. Vaughn has the second highest free throw percentage on the team hitting .787 percent and is the CCAC leader at .854. Vaughn also had three rebounds, two assists and two steals. She is the team leader in both assists and steals, and eighth and 12th, respectively in the conference.

Sophomore center Stephanie Peacock (Rockford Boylan) chipped in six points, grabbed five rebounds, had three assists, two steals and one shot block in the loss.

• Box Score

Lady Peregrines lose regular season finale, prep for CCAC playoffs

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. (February 26, 2006) – Three Lady Peregrines accounted for 54 points and an offense that shot 49 percent from the field, including 53 percent in the second half of Saturday's Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference game against Olivet Nazarene University. Purdue University Calumet (11-18 overall, 3-9 CCAC) was able to keep Olivet, leading the conference with 99.3 points per game, under its average, but dropped the regular season finale 91-70.

The Lady Peregrines travel to Indiana University South Bend (18-12, 9-3) to open a quarterfinal round game Tuesday beginning at 6 p.m. CST. The teams split the regular season games, each winning on their home court.

Senior captain Sarah Vaughn (Rushville, Ill.) scored 21 points for the second time this season, one point shy of her season high. Vaughn, the sixth leading scorer in the CCAC and tops in free throw percentage, did most of her work at the charity stripe hitting 11-of-13 (84 percent). She also had six rebounds, five assists and one steal in the contest. Vaughn leads the Lady Peregrines with total assists (65) and steals (42).

Junior guard Linsey Smith (Lake Central), the fourth leading scorer in the CCAC, scored 17 points hitting 7-of-11 (63 percent) from the field. Smith also grabbed eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and one shot block. Smith has scored double figures in eight of her last nine games and is the team's third leading scorer averaging 10.3 points per game.

Senior captain Nikki Borys (Crown Point), who finished the season as the team's scoring leader at 10.8 ppg, finished with 16 points on Saturday. Borys nearly doubled her season average of 5.1 rebounds per game, grabbed 10 rebounds. Borys ranks seventh in the CCAC in rebounds.

The Lady Peregrines were better than ONU (17-13, 9-3) from the field hitting 49 percent to ONU's 40 percent, at the free throw line hitting 75 percent to ONU's 70 percent, and on the boards grabbing 40 compared to ONU's 37. But PUC committed 35 turnovers, while ONU gave the ball away only 13 times.

• Box Score

Lady Peregrines hampered by frigid second half effort in 61-55 loss

REC CENTER (February 21, 2006) – When the Lady Peregrines headed to the locker room at the half, the team's effort from the field (40 percent), from the free throw line (100 percent) and in the assist department (10) accounted for a 32-29 lead and positive momentum on "Senior Night." But in the second half, the team could only muster an 18.8 percent performance from the field losing to Robert Morris College, 61-55, in a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference match-up. The loss drops PUC (11-17, 3-8) into sixth place in the conference.

Purdue University Calumet grabbed a 50-47 lead with 5:46 to play after senior captain Nikki Borys (Crown Point) splashed in a 12-footer. Unfortunately for the home crowd, the Lady Eagles (12-17, 4-7) connected on six of their next seven field goal attempts, while the Lady Peregrines hit only one more field goal in the final five-plus minutes.

"The shots were there, we just couldn't hit them," Head Coach Dennis Smith said. "We missed easy layups and some short jump shots. I can't complain about the shot selection. We just simply couldn't hit a shot when we needed one."

Borys, who finished with 20 points, led all scorers and matched her season high total points for the second consecutive game. Playing in front of the home crowd for the final time in her career, Borys was 8-of-15 from the field (53 percent), including a pair of 3-pointers and a pair of free throws. She also had four rebounds and three assists in the loss. Borys is the team scoring leader averaging 10.6 ppg.

Senior captain Sarah Vaughn (Rushville, Ill.) also cracked the double figure target finishing with 14 points, which included four 3-pointers. She ranks seventh best in made 3-pointers in the CCAC. Vaughn is averaging an even 10 points per game, third best among Lady Peregrines. She also had four rebounds, three assists and led the squad with three steals. Vaughn leads the team with 52 steals on the season, and is 12th overall in the CCAC rankings. 

Linsey Smith (Lake Central) had her double-digit scoring streak snapped at seven games. Smith had a difficult night from the field (2-of-15) and finished with eight points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal. Stephanie Peacock (Rockford Boylan) led the Lady Peregrines with six rebounds. She also had five points, three assists and one steal. Marian Smith (Hammond) finished with five rebounds and four points.

Robert Morris College was led by Shenita McPhatter (Great Neck, New York), 15 points, Keisha Greathouse (North Chicago), 12, and Latoya Jackson (Kenwood Academy, Ill.) with 11 points.

The Lady Peregrines travel to Bourbonnais, Ill., Saturday to face Olivet Nazarene University (16-13, 8-3) beginning at 1 p.m. ONU beat PUC in January on the Lady Peregrines home court.

• Box Score

Second half miscues handcuff Lady Peregrines in nonconference loss

DEERFIELD, Ill. (February 18, 2006) – Purdue University Calumet pushed its largest lead of the game to 37-29 in the opening three minutes of the second half. But during the next eight-minutes, the Lady Peregrines (11-16) were outscored 22-4 and trailed 52-41 and were never able to recover. Trinity International University (13-17) hit 64 percent of its shots in the second half on its way to a 64-52 nonconference win Saturday.

The Lady Peregrine offense ignited in the final four minutes of the first half going on an 8-0 run to grab a 30-25 lead at the break, and limited their turnovers to eight in the half. As the second half opened, PUC continued to stay hot as senior captain Nikki Borys (Crown Point) and sophomore guard Linsey Smith (Lake Central) combined for seven points giving their squad an eight-point advantage. Ninety seconds later, sophomore center Stephanie Peacock (Rockford Boylan) hit a four-foot jumper in the lane to keep the Lady Peregrines ahead, 39-35.  But PUC's momentum skidded to a halt and quickly turned in TIU's favor.

The Lady Peregrines equaled their number of turnovers from the first half and committed eight, five unforced, in a five-minute stretch. The Trojans converted on each miscue while running off 13 unanswered points for a 52-39 lead. Smith stopped the run with her 13th point of the contest at the 9:44 mark. Purdue University Calumet was still within striking distance four-and-a-half minutes later when Borys buried her second 3-pointer of the contest closing the deficit to 55-46 with 5:15 left in regulation. But it was as close as the Lady Peregrines could get.

Borys, who had her season high output, led all scorers with 20 points hitting 69 percent from the field (9-of-13), led the team with six rebounds and had two assists. Smith scored double digits for the seventh straight game and finished with 13 points hitting 55 percent from the field (5-of-9) and 50 percent from the 3-point arc (3-of-6). She also had three rebounds and three assists. Borys and Smith have the top two scoring averages among the Lady Peregrines.   

Peacock finished with eight points on 4-of-9 from the field (44 percent), had four rebounds and three steals. Senior captain Sarah Vaughn, who leads the team with 49 steals this season, swiped the ball five times against the Trojans and had three points and three rebounds.

As a team, the Lady Peregrines shot 42.6 percent from the field, more than five percentage points above their season average. But the 52 points was five points lower than the season average of 57.

Purdue University Calumet plays host to Robert Morris College on Tuesday beginning at 7 p.m. Robert Morris College beat the Lady Peregrines 57-54 late in January in Chicago. With a win, the Lady Peregrines would move to fifth place in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference.  

• Box Score

Four Lady Peregrines score double digits, knock off IUSB, 75-70

REC CENTER (February 14, 2006) – In one of their best offensive performances of the season, the Lady Peregrines relied on four starters who combined for 60 points en route to a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference win against Indiana University South Bend, 75-70. Senior captain Sarah Vaughn and sophomore center Stephanie Peacock each had their best performances of the season helping to avenge an earlier loss to the Lady Titans in South Bend in January.

Vaughn (Rushville, Ill.) had her best scoring performance of the season and led all scorers with 22 points, which included four 3-pointers and a perfect night from the free throw line, 6-of-6. Vaughn also had three assists and three steals in the game. She shot 40 percent from the field and 44 percent from the 3-point arc. Vaughn, averaging 10.2 ppg, is the 10th leading scorer in the CCAC and the Lady Peregrines leading scorer.

Peacock (Rockford Boylan) also had her best collegiate game scoring 16 points, including a perfect night from the field, 5-of-5, and connected on 6-of-7 free throws. Peacock leads the team in free throw shooting percentage hitting 85 percent of her attempts. Peacock also grabbed a season high eight rebounds, dished out five assists and had a shot block and a steal.

Vaughn and Peacock hit the final six free throws for the Lady Peregrines (11-15 overall, 3-7 CCAC) to hold off the Lady Titans (15-12, 6-3) in the final 90 seconds. Head Coach Dennis Smith complimented the two players and the team's offensive output.

"Sarah worked through a lot of picks to get her shots and she took advantage of their (IUSB) defensive mistakes for some easy scores," Smith said. "Stephanie's game was more than we expected, but she kept her focus and fought hard on the boards. And when you shoot 52 percent as a team, you know the offense is clicking and everyone is positioning themselves for good scoring opportunities."

Sophomore guard Linsey Smith (Lake Central) scored double digits for the sixth consecutive game. She finished with 12 points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and one shot block. Smith is the team's second leading scorer at 10 ppg and 11th in the CCAC just behind teammate Vaughn. Senior captain Nikki Borys (Crown Point) scored 10 points, third best among the Lady Peregrines for the season, grabbed five rebounds, had five assists and a pair of steals. Sophomore Krystal Rigoni (Portage) chipped in seven points on a perfect night from the field, 3-of-3.

The final 10 minutes had the home crowd on the edge of their seats as IUSB reduced a 23-point PUC lead to three with 24 seconds to play. The Lady Titans got busy from the 3-point stripe in the final 10 minutes hitting 7-of-10 to turn a lopsided contest into a nail-biter. IUSB was led by sophomore Jen VanderZanden (Lake Central) who had 17 points.

Purdue University Calumet travels to Deerfield, Ill., Saturday for a nonconference game against Trinity International University (12-17) beginning at 1 p.m.

• Box Score

St. Francis slips past Lady Peregrines with 80-73 CCAC triumph

REC CENTER (February 11, 2006) – Linsey Smith (Lake Central) led Purdue University Calumet in scoring for the fifth consecutive game and finished with 19 points, six rebounds, three steals and three assists. But the effort couldn’t get the Lady Peregrines past the University of Saint Francis (Joliet, Ill.) in the 80-73 loss in a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference match on Saturday at Homecoming 2006.

The Lady Peregrines (10-15 overall, 2-7 CCAC) trailed 41-35 after senior captain Sarah Vaughn (Rushville, Ill.) hit a pair of free throws late in the opening half. The Lady Saints (14-13, 5-4) scored a layup to close out the half and hold a 43-35 lead. PUC survived a first half of solid Lady Saint shooting. USF hit 50 percent from the field and 80 percent (4-of-5) from the 3-point stripe in the first half.

Three minutes into the second half, senior captain Nikki Borys (Crown Point) banked a shot off the glass and connected to draw the Lady Peregrines to 49-43. That was as close as PUC would get until late in the game. Saint Francis went on a 16-5 run during the next four minutes and held a double-digit lead for most of the second half.

Vaughn finished with 15 points and Borys had 10 points and seven rebounds. Freshman guard Krystal Rigoni (Portage) chipped in nine points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out a pair of assists in the loss. Sophomore Marian Smith (Hammond) and junior captain Tekenya Harper (Rich East) each scored eight points.  Smith also collected six rebounds and had two assists, while Harper snatched 10 rebounds and had three shot blocks.

Every Lady Peregrine who played scored in the contest, but shooting woes from the field (25-for-67) and the foul line (16-25) snuffed out any comeback efforts. The Lady Saints had five players in double figures: Clara Graham, 14; Brittani Hunter, 13; Kelly Pero (Hobart), 12; and Kristina Yedinak and Amanda Mosley with 10 each.

The Lady Peregrines host Indiana University South Bend (15-12, 6-3) beginning at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in a CCAC contest. IUSB beat Purdue University Calumet last month in South Bend.

• Box Score

Lady Peregrines snap losing streak with 59-34 CCAC victory

REC CENTER (February 7, 2006) – What's the secret to ending a losing streak? One answer is to have an offense shoot 50 percent from the 3-point stripe for the game, including a 64 percent performance for a half. That's exactly what the Lady Peregrines did on Tuesday in a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference contest against the Illinois Institute of Technology. Purdue University Calumet (10-14, 2-6 CCAC) blistered its net in the opening half hitting 7-of-11 from the 3-point arc and was 13-of-26 from the field overall coasting to a 59-34 win.

Six of the eight Lady Peregrines on the roster collected points in the first half and held a 34-14 lead at the break. As a team, the Lady Peregrines doubled the Scarlet Hawks (6-21, 0-8) on the boards 18-9, and dished out 10 assists in the first half as the offense clicked in every statistical category.

Sophomore guard Linsey Smith (Lake Central) led PUC for the fourth consecutive game scoring 19 points, nearly 10 points above her season average of 9.5. Smith, who led all scorers, was 5-of-8 from the 3-point stripe and hit 70 percent (7-of-10) from the field. She was the only player in the game to reach double figures. Smith is the 12th leading scorer in the CCAC.

Senior captains Nikki Borys (Crown Point) and Sarah Vaughn (Rushville, Ill.) scored nine points each for the Lady Peregrines. Borys, the team's leading scorer at just under 10 ppg, and 10th in the CCAC, also had six rebounds and a season high six assists. Vaughn, the team's third leading scorer at 9.4 ppg, 15th in the CCAC, finished with three assists and a pair of steals. She leads the Lady Peregrines with 56 season assists, 10th best in the CCAC.

Reserve sophomore center Stephanie Peacock (Rockford Boylan), who started the contest, scored eight points, all in the second half, hitting 4-of-5 (80 percent) from the field. Peacock also had four rebounds. Junior center Tekenya Harper (Rich East) finished with five points, six rebounds, two assists, one shot block and one steal. Harper is the fourth leading rebounder in the CCAC averaging 6.4 rpg.

All Lady Peregrines scored in the win accounting for the 59 points, 31 rebounds, 17 assists and seven steals. The win was a complete team effort, according to Head Coach Dennis Smith. "We had a lot of good scoring opportunities that were converted, especially from 3-point range," Smith said. "Our girls were cutting through the open lanes and the passes were there for open shots. We found our shooters and took advantage of those chances. It was one of our better offensive performances of the season."

Purdue University Calumet hosts the University of Saint Francis, Joliet, Ill., (13-13, 4-4), in a CCAC match to open Homecoming 2006 festivities Saturday at 4:30 p.m. PUC lost to USF, 63-52, in January on the Lady Saints' home court.

• Box Score

Second half PUC offensive lull leads to 16-2 Cougar run, CCAC loss

CHICAGO (February 4, 2006) – Junior captain Tekenya Harper (Rich East) opened the second half with a short jumper in the lane to draw within one point of Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference leader St. Xavier University in the first two minutes of action. But the NAIA Division I 19th ranked Cougars stoked its offensive fire and went on a 16-2 run during the next five minutes leading to a 71-56 conference win Saturday.

The Lady Peregrine's, who trailed by a mere 31-30 at the intermission, were unable to deliver a successful field goal attempt for six-plus minutes after Harper's basket to open the second half. Sophomore guard Linsey Smith (Lake Central) hit a layup with 12:25 to play and pulled the Lady Peregrines to 51-36. Smith, the team's leading scorer for the third consecutive game, scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds. Smith was 5-of-8 from the field, 63 percent, and 3-of-4 from the free throw line, 75 percent.

Reserve center Stephanie Peacock (Rockford Boylan) snapped the Cougar 16-2 run when she connected on a pair of free throws with 13:31 remaining. The sophomore, who leads the Lady Peregrines in free throw percentage (88 percent), was perfect at the foul line hitting 8-of-8. Peacock finished with 10 points and five rebounds.

Purdue University Calumet (9-14 overall, 1-6 CCAC) pulled to 51-38 with a little more than 12 minutes to play. But St. Xavier's offense, which was stifled in the first half, caught fire for the second time in the half going on a 16-10 run extending to a 67-48 lead that was never relinquished. The Cougars (17-6, 6-1) shot 35 percent from the field in the first half and 40 percent from the 3-point stripe. In the second half, the Cougars hit 44 and 57 percent, respectively.

Senior captain Nikki Borys (Crown Point) scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the loss. Borys, the team's leading scorer at just under 10 ppg, was 3-of-4 from the three-point stripe in the first half, and finished 4-of-7. Senior captain Sarah Vaughn (Rushville, Ill.) chipped in eight points, grabbed six rebounds and handed out four assists. Vaughn leads the Lady Peregrines with 53 assists overall. Marian Smith (Hammond) collected seven rebounds and Harper scored six points and grabbed six rebounds.

PUC won the rebounding contest, 43-36, but had trouble controlling the ball and finished with 24 turnovers overall, 15 in the second half, compared to SXU's 11 for the game.

Purdue University Calumet will host its next three CCAC games beginning with the Illinois Institute of Technology (6-20, 0-7) Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Lady Peregrines beat IIT in January, 39-35, in Chicago. Saturday, the Lady Peregrines open homecoming festivities at 4:30 p.m. to face the University of Saint Francis.

• Box Score

Best offensive output of CCAC season isn't enough for PUC

REC CENTER (January 31, 2006) – Four Lady Peregrines scored double digits and as a team they shot 50 percent from the field for the game. But the effort was not enough to overcome the nation's three-point shooting leader Olivet Nazarene University. But the Tigers relied more on their free throw shooting en route to a 108-77 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference win Tuesday.

Free throws became a huge part of the ONU offense as the Tigers converted 21 of 31 hitting their 68 percent per game average on the season. The Lady Peregrines were only able to convert four-of-eight from the charity stripe for the game, which was half of their season average attempts and nine under their season average made free throws per game.

The Tigers (11-12, 4-2) lead the conference in scoring, 105 ppg, and are third in the conference in free throw shooting percentage. Purdue University Calumet (9-13 overall, 1-5 CCAC) kept pace with the high-powered ONU Tiger offense in the first half and trailed by only 11 points, 51-39, at the break. But in the second half, the Tigers shot 11 more field goals (22-of-44) than the Peregrines who were 15-of-33.

On offense, the Lady Peregrines had been averaging 55 points per game in the CCAC in their first five games. But the 77 points Tuesday was the best conference performance and was one point short of their best effort that was scored in their second game of the season overall. The Lady Peregrines scored 78 points in a nonconference win against Calumet College in November.

Sophomore guard Linsey Smith (Lake Central) had her best collegiate performance scoring 22 points on 7-of-10 from the field, including 4-of-6 from the 3-point stripe, fifth best percentage (38 percent) in the CCAC. Smith, who led all scorers in the contest, had 11 points in the first half and matched that effort in the second 20 minutes, including a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line, second best in the CCAC at 78 percent.

"That's why we brought her into our program," Head Coach Dennis Smith said. "She's always been a solid shooter and her performance in tonight's game is what Linsey is capable of doing when we can get her the ball in the open court."

Junior captain Tekenya Harper (Rich East), who has registered double-digit performances in two of her last three games, had her season best with 14 points, nine rebounds, four shot blocks and four steals. Harper is third in rebounding in the CCAC with a 6.5 rpg average.

Senior captain Sarah Vaughn (Rushville, Ill.) scored four more than her season average and finished with 13 points (5-of-10 from the field), including 3-of-6 from the 3-point stripe, four rebounds and a season high seven assists. Vaughn leads the Lady Peregrines with 49 assists this season. Senior captain Nikki Borys (Crown Point) hit her season average of 10 points, and added five assists and three rebounds. Sophomore Stephanie Peacock (Rockford Boylan, Ill.) added eight points hitting 4-of-5 from the field. Sophomore Krystal Rigoni (Portage) scored six points in the loss.

Purdue University Calumet travels to Chicago on Saturday to face conference leader St. Xavier University (16-6, 5-1) at 1 p.m. St. Xavier is the nationally 19th ranked team in NAIA Division I.

• Box Score

Costly turnover with one minute to play gives Robert Morris a win

CHICAGO (January 28, 2006) – Sophomore guard Linsey Smith (Lake Central) splashed in a 3-pointer and pulled the Lady Peregrines to 53-52 with 1:20 in regulation. A PUC defensive stop gave the Lady Peregrines an opportunity to take the lead with just over one minute left. But Robert Morris College's Shenita McPhatter (Great Neck, New York) intercepted a pass at half court and dished the ball to Shanice White (Marshall, Chicago) who hit a jumper from just inside the free throw line for a 55-52 advantage leading to a 57-54 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference win on Saturday.

After RMC scored on its next offensive possession, Smith scored on a layup with 46 seconds to play to close the gap to 57-54, but it was the Lady Peregrines' final points. Smith led the Lady Peregrines (9-12, 1-4 CCAC) with 14 points, all in the second half, and also had three steals and two rebounds in the loss. She was 4-of-6 from the field (67 percent), including a pair of three-pointers, and was 4-of-5 from the charity stripe (80 percent), second best in the CCAC.

The Lady Peregrines knotted the game, 48-48, with 5:08 to play in the second half. But 16 seconds later, the Lady Eagles' (9-14, 1-4) McPhatter grabbed an offensive rebound, hit the put-back layup and was fouled. McPhatter finished the three-point play giving her squad a 51-48 edge.

Lady Peregrine center, Tekenya Harper (Rich East) hit the front-end of a bonus free throw with 4:08 remaining bringing her squad to 51-49. Both teams traded the next two baskets before Smith hit her 3-pointer. Harper finished with 10 points, matched her season high with 12 rebounds and had two shot blocks. Harper is the second leading rebounder in the CCAC and the sixth leading shot blocker.

Marian Smith (Hammond) had her season high scoring 10 points and grabbed three rebounds. She was 5-of-7 from the field, 71 percent. Senior captain Sarah Vaughn finished with eight points, seven rebounds, four assists, one shot block and one steal.

Jackson led Robert Morris College with 14 points. McPhatter and Christina Kelly (Bronx, New York) each scored 11 points for the Lady Eagles in the win.

The Lady Peregrines host Olivet Nazarene University (10-12, 3-2) Tuesday at 8 p.m. in the second game of a doubleheader with the men's team who also face Olivet. The Lady Tigers lead the nation in scoring 3-pointers and are averaging 96 points per game, tops in the CCAC.

• Box Score

Late offensive cold spell pins Lady Peregrines with third straight loss

PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. (January 24, 2006) – When senior captain Nikki Borys (Crown Point) hit a three-pointer with 5:12 to play, the Lady Peregrines trailed 57-47, reasonably within striking distance of Trinity Christian College. But during the next four-plus minutes, PUC's (9-11) offense went 0-for-7 and was outscored 7-0 before sophomore starting guard Linsey Smith (Lake Central) hit a 3-pointer. The Trolls (12-9) extended their win streak to four beating PUC 64-50 in the nonconference win Tuesday.

"Every shot was a good shot in the last five minutes," Head Coach Dennis Smith said. "We had good looks, but nothing would drop. If we hit a couple of those shots the final five minutes changes the whole flow of how Trinity plays on the offensive end."

Twice in the second half, junior captain Tekenya Harper (Rich East) pulled the Lady Peregrines to within five and six points, respectively, of TCC. Harper's tenth point of the game pulled PUC to 46-40 with 10:21 remaining. Harper finished the game with 12 points, her second highest output of the season, and led all players with nine rebounds, five on the offensive end. Harper also had four assists, one shot block and one steal.

PUC's other scoring leader was Smith who tied Harper with 12 points. It was the fourth time this season that Smith scored 12 points. Her season best is 13. Smith hit 4-of-8 from the field, including 2-of-3 from the 3-point stripe. She also led all players with five steals and grabbed four rebounds in the loss.

Junior guard Krystal Rigoni (Portage) had her second highest output of the season with nine points. Rigoni, usually used in a reserve role, started for the Lady Peregrines for the second time this season. She also collected four rebounds. Senior captain Sarah Vaughn (Rushville, Ill.) added eight points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists. Borys was limited to half of her season average and scored five points and had four rebounds.

The Lady Peregrines shot 33 percent for the contest compared to the Troll's 52 percent. PUC shot 64 percent from the free throw line, under its season average, but edged the Trolls on the boards 33-32, including a season best 15 offensive rebounds.

The Trolls were led by senior Barbie Heerdt (Elmhurst, Ill.) and sophomore Sarah Lerner (Oak Lawn, Ill.) who each scored 15 points. Senior Alissa Barr (Sunnyside, Wash.) scored 14 points in the win.

The Lady Peregrines finish their five-game road trip with a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference contest at Robert Morris College (8-14, 0-4) Saturday at 8 p.m. at Loyola University's Gentile Center. For directions to the game, click on the women's home page.

• Box Score

Lady Peregrines drop second straight CCAC contest, 66-47

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (January 21, 2006) – It could have been a little fatigue and a little frustration that caught Purdue University Calumet in a six minute slide on the offensive end in the second half of its Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference battle with Indiana University South Bend. During those six minutes, PUC was out-scored 21-2 leading to a 66-47 loss on the road Saturday.

The Lady Peregrines (9-10, 1-3 CCAC) trailed by a narrow margin, 42-38, with 11:32 remaining in the second half. But the Lady Titans (11-9, 2-1) heated up on the offensive end and cashed in on eight PUC turnovers to turn a tight game into a lopsided finish.

Nikki Borys (Crown Point), the 10th leading scorer in the CCAC, led the Lady Peregrines with 18 points hitting 50 percent from the field (7-of-14), including 4-of-5 from the 3-point stripe. Borys, who also had five steals and four rebounds in the contest, hit a jumper to close the gap to 42-38 midway through the second half. But the PUC offense could only muster a pair of free throws from sophomore guard Linsey Smith (Lake Central) during the next eight-plus minutes. Smith finished with 11 points, including 7-of-8 from the charity stripe, four rebounds and three steals.

The Lady Peregrines had a 26-19 lead with 2:07 left in the first half before the Lady Titans closed out the half with a 8-1 run knotting the game at 27-27 heading into the locker room. A 3-point basket by IUSB's Abbey Freeman opened the second half giving the Lady Titans a lead that they never lost.

Sophomore guard Krystal Rigoni (Portage) shot 50 percent for the Lady Peregrines and finished with seven points, four rebounds and two steals. Senior captain Sarah Vaughn (Rushville, Ill.) added six points, three assists and two steals in the loss.

The Lady Titans were paced by Jessica Hass (Evansville) with 11 points and Jennifer VanderZanden (Lake Central) with 10 points.

Purdue University Calumet travels to Palos Heights, Ill., to face Division II Trinity Christian College (10-9, 1-1) Tuesday in a nonconference game beginning at 7:30 p.m. For directions to the game, click on the home page.

• Box Score

PUC falls short in bid to knock off CCAC leader Lady Saints

JOLIET, Ill. (January 17, 2006) – A combination of early turnovers and cold shooting put Purdue University Calumet in a 19-4 hole in the opening nine minutes of a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference contest with the University of Saint Francis. Even a late run in the final three minutes of the game couldn't push the Lady Peregrines (9-9, 1-2 CCAC) past USF in a 63-52 loss on Tuesday.

Senior captain Sarah Vaughn (Rushville, Ill.) scored seven of her game-high 20 points in the final 2:44 trying to pull the Lady Peregrines out of an 18-point deficit. Vaughn scored 11 points in the second half hitting three of her four 3-point baskets and was 7-of-16 from the field for the game. She also had three assists and two steals in the loss. Vaughn's 20 points was her season-high performance.

Vaughn's only 3-point basket in the first half connected as time ran out. The 3-pointer brought the Lady Peregrines to within 28-18 at the intermission. But the Lady Saints (12-9, 3-0) came out of the locker room and scored the first five points to push their lead to 14 points. PUC was able to close the lead to nine points on four occasions in the second half, but could never get closer.

Senior captain Nikki Borys (Crown Point) scored 11 points, collected seven rebounds, three on the offensive end, and had three steals. Sophomore Linsey Smith (Lake Central) finished with 10 points, three rebounds and two assists. Junior captain Tekenya Harper (Rich East) chipped in eight points, had three steals, two assists and the team's only shot block.  

The Lady Saints were led by sophomore center Clara Graham (Joliet Township) with 13 points and eight rebounds, and freshman Amanda Mistretta (Maine East) 11 points, five rebounds, and three steals.

PUC travels to Indiana University South Bend (10-9, 1-1) this Saturday for a 2 p.m. (EST) start. It will be the second game of a double-header with the men who begin play at noon (EST).

• Box Score

Lady Peregrines stop three game slide with 39-35 CCAC victory

CHICAGO (January 14, 2006) – Victories are hard fought in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference, even against the teams at the bottom of the standings. The Lady Peregrines held off a pesky Illinois Institute of Technology squad for a 39-35 win Saturday at the Keating Center.

Purdue University Calumet (9-8, 1-1 CCAC) had a 22-10 lead at the half, but could only muster 17 points in the final 20 minutes. The Lady Peregrines struggled from the field in the second half hitting 4-of-18 (22 percent) and had to rely on free throw shooting (9-of-14) to get past the Scarlet Hawks (6-15, 0-2).

Senior captain Sarah Vaughn (Rushville, Ill.) led the Lady Peregrines with 12 points, including a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line and a pair of 3-pointers. Vaughn also collected six rebounds and had two shot blocks.

Sophomore Linsey Smith (Lake Central) led PUC in the first half scoring nine of her 11 points hitting 4-of-6 (66 percent) from the field. Smith connected on a pair of free throws, the eventual winning points, with three minutes left in the game giving the Lady Peregrines a 36-27 lead. She also grabbed six rebounds in the win.

Senior captain Nikki Borys (Crown Point) chipped in seven points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out three assists.

In the first half, the Lady Peregrines’ offense hit 39 percent, and the defense suffocated the Scarlet Hawks limiting them to a mere 16 percent from the field. PUC also had the rebounding edge finishing with 33 compared to IIT’s 25.

The Lady Peregrines travel to Joliet, Ill., Tuesday to face CCAC standings leader University St. Francis (11-9, 2-0) at 7:30 p.m. For directions to the game, click on the link on the home page.

• Box Score

No. 20 St. Xavier bombs away Lady Peregrines in CCAC opener

REC CENTER (January 10, 2006) – Two St. Xavier University players drilled a dozen 3-pointers en route to a 96-59 conference win against host Purdue University Calumet, Tuesday. It was the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference opener for both squads.

The Cougars (11-4, 1-0), ranked 20th in NAIA Division I, were 15 of 31 (48 percent) from the 3-point stripe for 45 points. St. Xavier was led by Angie Brown (Sycamore, Ill.) and Sarah Wilson (Bloomington, Ind.) each with 18 points. Candis Jackson (Chicago) had 12 points, seven assists and four rebounds.

While the Cougars were comfortable at the 3-point stripe, the Lady Peregrines (8-8, 0-1) struggled from the foul line shooting 10 of 25 (40 percent). Seniors Nikki Borys (Crown Point) and Sarah Vaughn (Rushville, Ill.) each scored 12 points to lead Purdue University Calumet. Vaughn also had five rebounds and five steals.

Marian Smith (Hammond) led the bench in scoring with eight points and five rebounds. She was 4-for-8 from the floor for the Lady Peregrines. Overall, the bench accounted for 17 points. Stephanie Peacock (Boylan Catholic) was 3-for-4 from the field scoring six points, and she had three rebounds and two assists. Jennifer Hostetter (Munster) had five points and five assists, and Linsey Smith (Lake Central) scored seven and had five rebounds.

Purdue University Calumet travels to the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, on Saturday for a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference match beginning at 5 p.m.

• Box Score

PUC extends charity to Judson College in nonconference loss

REC CENTER (January 5, 2006) – Purdue University Calumet stumbled to start the New Year losing, 75-53, to Judson College in a nonconference game Thursday. The Lady Peregrines trailed by only nine points at the half. But a 13-2 run to open the second half put PUC (8-7) in a come-from-behind position; not its strength this season.

Most of the run consisted of layups and free throws. The Eagles (11-6) made 26 trips to the free throw line hitting 19 (74 percent), while the Lady Peregrines made only three visits, all in the first half, and connected twice. PUC hit five 3-point baskets compared to a 0-for-4 performance for Judson College. 

Nikki Borys (Crown Point) led the Lady Peregrines with 14 points. Sophomores Stephanie Peacock (Rockford, Ill.) and Marian Smith (Hammond) each scored eight points. Junior center Tekenya Harper (Rich East) led all players with nine rebounds and added six points. Jennifer Hostetter (Munster), Sarah Vaughn (Rushville, Ill.) and Linsey Smith (Lake Central) each scored five points in the loss.

Purdue University Calumet will host St. Xavier University, Chicago, Tuesday, Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. to open action in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference.

• Box Score

Offense suffers 16-minute first half drought in 66-36 loss

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (Dec. 20, 2005) – Senior captains Nikki Borys (Crown Point) and Sarah Vaughn (Rushville, Ill.) opened the game with back-to-back jump shots for a brief 4-0 lead with 18:46 to play. But the offense didn't score again until sophomore back-up center Marian Smith (Hammond) hit a pair of free throws with 2:14 left in the half. 

The University of Southern Indiana's offense rang up 26 unanswered points during a 16-plus-minute stretch and held a commanding 34-8 lead at the half. The Screaming Eagles (8-5) cruised to a 66-36 nonconference win Tuesday.

Purdue University Calumet could only muster three made field goals of 21 attempts (14 percent) in the first half of action. Six different Lady Peregrines attempted jumpers, layups and 3-point baskets, but only Borys, Vaughn and Smith found the bottom of the net for scores.

The second half was an entirely different story for PUC, as the offense found its rhythm hitting 52 percent from the field.
USI outscored the Lady Peregrines in the second 20 minutes, but only by four points, 32-28. The first half deficit was too much to recover from for the Lady Peregrines.

Borys, Vaughn and Smith finished with eight points each in the loss. Junior center Tekenya Harper (Rich East) scored five and had seven rebounds.

PUC's next game features a doubleheader with the men's team. The Lady Peregrines play Judson College, Thursday, Jan. 5, at 5 p.m. The men's team, also facing Judson College, tips off at 7 p.m.

• Box Score

Bench accounts for 34 points; Lady Peregrines win 60-31

PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. (Dec. 17, 2005) – When the season started, Head Coach Dennis Smith counted on a deeper bench to provide for more offense. He got his wish Saturday in the second Lady Peregrine (8-5) win in two days of the Trinity Christian College Tournament, a 60-31 win against Silver Lakes College, Wisc.

The Lady Peregrine bench scored 34 points, two less than the starting unit, led by sophomore back-up guard Krystal Rigoni (Portage) who finished with 11 points. Rigoni was the only Lady Peregrine to finish with double digits, and she hit 63 percent of her shots, grabbed six rebounds, dished out two assists and collected two steals.

Smith was impressed with Rigoni and the play of all the second string players. "We know that Krystal has all the ability to play as solid as she did tonight," Smith said. "When she plays under control she's one of our best players on the court. And when our bench plays as focused and together as we did in this game we can be in a position to get a win every night."

PUC had a 27-18 lead at the half, and blew the game open in the second 20 minutes hitting 48 percent from the field. The Lady Peregrine defense put a choke-hold on Silver Lakes College's offense limiting it to only 13 second-half points.

Starter Michelle Jones (West Side) was 50 percent from the field and had nine points, nine rebounds, five assists, and one shot block. Marian Smith (Hammond) and Linsey Smith (Lake Central) each scored eight points. Linsey Smith also had three steals. Senior captain Sarah Vaughn (Rushville, Ill.) finished with seven points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals and one shot block.

• Box Score

Lady Peregrines knock off No. 14-ranked Bethel in rematch

PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. (Dec. 16, 2005) – Purdue University Calumet got a little payback Friday beating nationally-ranked Bethel College, Tenn., 67-63, in the first night of a two-day tournament at Trinity Christian College. The Lady Peregrines (7-5) lost to Bethel (10-2) in early November by eight points on the Wildcats’ home court and returned the favor at a neutral site.

Four Lady Peregrines scored in double figures, while senior Nikki Borys (Crown Point) registered a double-double finishing with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Point guard Michelle Jones (West Side) led the team with 17 points, six rebounds, and six assists.

Head Coach Dennis Smith attributed the win to a concentrated effort by the entire squad. "We finally had a game where the entire team was focused," Smith said. "We defensed the perimeter well, we stepped up our rebounding in the second half, and we did a nice job of handling their (full-court) defensive pressure."

The Lady Peregrines, who trailed by eight points in the second half, took the lead for good with 1:32 remaining when Jones cashed in on a layup, was fouled and then hit the free throw for a 3-point play and a 62-59 lead. With 26 seconds to play, Borys was fouled and calmly swished two free throws extending the lead to 65-61. On the next possession, Bethel took two shot attempts that didn't connect and Jones grabbed a rebound with eight seconds left. She was fouled immediately and hit both free throws for a 67-61 advantage to lock up the victory.

Eight of ten Lady Peregrines scored in the victory. The Lady Peregrines shot 48 percent from the field, including a 54 percent performance in the second half. PUC also took control at the charity stripe hitting 73 percent, including 6-of-7 in the final 1:10 of the game.

Junior center Tekenya Harper (Rich East) scored 10 points before fouling out. Back-up center Stephanie Peacock (Rockford Boylan, Ill.) also finished with 10 points. Senior captain Sarah Vaughn (Rushville, Ill.) scored seven points, grabbed six rebounds, had four shot blocks, two assists and two steals and Linsey Smith (Lake Central) scored six and had four rebounds.

"They were mentally in the game from the beginning," Smith said. "In every game we play we need six to eight girls contributing with the scoring averages that we got in tonight's game. That's the way we drew it up at the beginning of the season."

• Box Score

Jones heats up in final minutes, leads Lady Peregrines in 49-45 win

REC CENTER (Dec. 10, 2005) – Michelle Jones (West Side) hit seven of her game-leading 13 points in the final five minutes locking up a Purdue University Calumet, 49-45, win against visiting Goshen College, Saturday. Jones also got busy on the defensive end grabbing three of her 11 rebounds and tied up Goshen for a jump ball with 1:24 to play giving the ball to PUC.

“If Michelle doesn’t play her game in the last five minutes, we’re in trouble,” Head Coach Dennis Smith said.

Jones, 6-of-11 from the field (55 percent), five assists and two steals, drilled a 3-pointer knotting the game at 42-42. On the next possession, she hit a short jumper. With 2:26 to play, Jones grabbed an offensive rebound and immediately put a shot up, which turned out to be the final field goal for either team.

The Lady Peregrines (6-4) struggled on the offensive end, but focused their efforts on defense.  PUC’s defense accounted for four blocked shots, nine steals and forced 15 Goshen turnovers.

“You can’t ask for a better defensive effort holding a team to 45 points,” Smith said. “Offensively, our shots just wouldn’t fall. I was happy with the shots we took and happy with the player who should have been taking each shot.”

The Lady Peregrine offense was 29 percent from the field for the game and only 18 percent from the 3-point stripe.

Starters Linsey Smith (Lake Central) and Sarah Vaughn (Rushville, Ill.) each scored nine points. Vaughn also had six rebounds. Tekenya Harper (Rich East) added eight points and a dozen rebounds in the win. Nikki Borys (Crown Point) had six points, three rebounds, two assists, one blocked shot and one steal.

The Lady Peregrines had a 27-23 halftime lead. The four-point edge turned out to be the winning margin. Both teams scored 22 points each in the second half.

PUC travels for its next four games. The team plays Davenport University, Grand Rapids, Mich., Wednesday at 7 p.m., then will play in a two-day tournament at Trinity Christian College, Palos Heights, Ill., Friday at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday at 1 p.m. Friday's game at TCC pits the Lady Peregrines in a rematch against Bethel College, Tennessee, who beat PUC in a tournament in November. PUC finishes its road-trip at the University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, Tuesday, Dec. 20, beginning at 6 p.m. EST.

• Box Score

Balanced offense keys two road victories for Lady Peregrines

ADRIAN, Mich. (Dec. 2 & 3, 2005) – Michigan's tourism advertisements include a 30-second television spot that kindly asks its visitors to "stay to enjoy the beauty." And if the Lady Peregrines (5-4) could have found another one or two beauty wins they would have stayed longer. The two-day weekend trip included wins against the University of Michigan-Dearborn, 55-48, Friday, and Siena Heights, 66-64, Saturday.

All five Lady Peregrine starters scored double digits in either one or both games to account for nearly 70 percent of the offense in the two wins. Against Siena, four starters combined for 49 of the 66 points, 74 percent of the scoring.

Sarah Vaughn (Rushville, Ill.) led Purdue University Calumet with 15 points against Siena Heights. Vaughn, the team's leading 3-point shooter, hit 3-of-6 from beyond the three-point stripe, and grabbed five rebounds on Saturday.

Nikki Borys (Crown Point) scored 13 points and dominated the inside to collect 15 rebounds, one blocked shot and three steals. Tekenya Harper (Rich East) added 11 points, four rebounds and three blocks. Michelle Jones (West Side) finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.

In Friday's action against Michigan-Dearborn, Linsey Smith (Lake Central) scored 12 points and shared the lead with Jones who also finished with a dozen and eight rebounds. Borys added 10 points in the victory.

• Box Score (Michigan-Dearborn)
• Box Score (Siena Heights)

First half shooting woes stop Lady Peregrines cold                         

ELGIN, Ill. (Nov. 30, 2005) – Senior captain Sarah Vaughn (Rushville, Ill.) hit her first jumper and knotted the score at 2-2. But for the next eight minutes, Purdue University Calumet's offense turned a cold shoulder and couldn't move past two points. The cold spell continued for the entire first half and led to a 66-38 Lady Peregrine nonconference loss to Judson College on Wednesday.

Head Coach Dennis Smith used every combination of players in an attempt to shake off the chill, but the shooting freeze continued. The Lady Peregrines (3-4) were 4-of-23 (17 percent) in the first half and could only muster 13 points. PUC trailed 37-13 at the half.

Sophomore Linsey Smith (Lake Central) sparked the offense during parts of the second half. Smith (12 points) hit a 3-pointer with 8:48 to play to pull PUC to 57-35 and it looked like the Lady Peregrines were ready to cut loose on a scoring binge. But the deep freeze set in and PUC hit only one more shot from the field and one more shot from the charity stripe for the rest of the contest. 

Nikki Borys (Crown Point) scored seven points, Michelle Jones (West Side) added six points, and Tekenya Harper (Rich East) finished with 10 rebounds.

• Box Score

Lady Peregrines shut out in Tennessee tournament

MCKENZIE, Tenn. (Nov. 18 & 19, 2005) – On Friday afternoon, Purdue University Calumet needed a jolt of caffeine to shake loose a 10-day basketball hangover that started on Nov. 8 at Bethel, Ind. But on Saturday, the Lady Peregrines were rested and ready and nearly knocked off No. 23-ranked NAIA Division II Bethel College, Tenn., in the two-day tournament finale. The Lady Wildcats (5-0) crept away in the final minutes of play for a 73-65 win, and dropped the Lady Peregrines to .500 (3-3).

Both teams owned the lead, never more than five points, throughout the two halves up until the final two minutes. With 5:45 remaining, senior captain Nikki Borys (Crown Point) pulled PUC to within 56-55 on an eight-foot jumper. Borys finished with 14 points, five rebounds and three steals.

Thirty seconds later, junior center, Tekenya Harper (Rich East), who had three points and six rebounds, picked up her fifth foul, which weakened the interior defense for the Lady Peregrines. Offensively, captain Sarah Vaughn (Rushville), who led all scorers with 18 points, collected five rebounds, and had three steals, and sophomore Linsey Smith (Lake Central) kept the Lady Peregrines within striking distance hitting a pair of three-point baskets in the final four minutes.

Smith (five points, three rebounds, two steals) hit a three-pointer with 1:02 remaining to close the gap to 68-62. But it was the last gasp for PUC. Sophomore Michelle Jones (West Side) finished with 14 points, five rebounds and three steals for the Lady Peregrines.

In Friday's action in the first half, Midway College, Tenn., shot 63 percent from the field, including four 3-point baskets compared to the Lady Peregrines' 23 and 17 percent, respectively. Midway (3-3) held a 46-18 lead at the half.

Although PUC's field goal percentage improved in the second half (44 percent), Midway's lead was too large leading to the 74-48 final. Smith led the Lady Peregrines with 12 points. Jones and Harper each had eight points, and Vaughn and Borys each added seven.

• Box Score (Midway)

• Box Score (Bethel, Tenn.)

Lady Peregrines collect Classic hardware: Jones MVP

REC CENTER (Nov. 5, 2005) – Point guards are a precious commodity for any team. Purdue University Calumet’s Michelle Jones (West Side) proved her value during PUC’s 78-61 win over Calumet College in the final game of the Lady Peregrine Classic.

Jones, the tournament MVP, scored 20 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, had four assists and four steals in the victory.

“She does all the things that someone controlling the offense is supposed to do,” Head Coach Dennis Smith said. “She makes everybody look better on the court.”

Three other Lady Peregrine (3-0) starters added offensively to the win. Senior co-captain Nikki Borys (Crown Point) scored 12 points, including a pair of three-pointers, while the other senior co-captain Sarah Vaughn (Rushville, Ill.) scored 10, including a pair from the 3-point line.  Both seniors were named to the Lady Peregrine Classic All-Tournament Team. Tekenya Harper (Rich East) added seven points and eight rebounds in the win.

Calumet College of St. Joseph (0-2 in the tournament) had three players in double digits. Jamie Menzyk (Whiting) had 14 points and seven rebounds. Menzyk was also named to the all-tournament team finishing with 28 points and seven rebounds for the two-day tournament.

Mersaides McCauley (Seaton Academy) and Erica Jones (Rock Island) each scored 11 points for the Crimson Wave.

• Box Score

Lady Peregrines win home opener

REC CENTER (Nov. 1, 2005) – Paced by four players, Purdue University Calumet's Lady Peregrines knocked off one of the top NAIA teams in the country, Cardinal Stritch, 77-73, opening the 2005-06 season. Senior captains Nikki Borys and Sarah Vaughn each scored 16 points, including a combined seven of 14 from the three-point line.

Point guard Michelle Jones (Gary West Side) led the Lady Peregrines with 19 points and three steals. Junior center, Tekenya Harper (Rich East, Park Forest) scored 13 points and collected 10 rebounds.

Cardinal Stritch led by 10 points with 4:06 to play, before the Lady Peregrines started their comeback. PUC shot 48 percent from the floor in the second half and were 10 of 20 from the three-point stripe, which gave Head Coach Dennis Smith a reason to smile.

“It’s great to beat a high caliber team like Cardinal Stritch,” Smith said. “We’ve been gearing our team to win on our court. We play a tough non-conference schedule early to prepare for our conference season. We obviously passed our first test.”

• Box Score

Deeper, talented roster improves Lady Peregrines

HAMMOND (Oct. 31, 2005) – If you talk to many basketball coaches they’ll agree that success starts at the point guard position. Others will argue that success stems from a frontcourt that has size and strength. The Lady Peregrines have both this season.

Purdue University Calumet opens it season Tuesday at home against Cardinal Stritch at 7 p.m. in the Fitness & REC Center. 

Michelle Jones, a 5-9 point guard, makes the offense a more efficient unit with her ability to split defenses and create open shots for teammates. Jones played her freshman season for NCAA Division I Chicago State University.

“She has great leadership abilities and she’s the true point guard that we haven’t had,” Head Coach Dennis Smith said.

In the frontcourt, the Lady Peregrines added junior Tekenya Harper a 6-1 forward/center, who averaged 16 points and eight rebounds per game at South Suburban College. Harper was named a Region IV Division II All Region Team member in the 2002-2003 National Junior College Athletic Association national tournament.

“Tekenya could be one of the best players in the CCAC. She’s a true inside center,” Smith said.

Andrea Gallardo, a 5-10 forward, is also from South Suburban College. Gallardo is gritty on the inside and can handle the ball at any position. “Andrea is going to give us a lot of help with her size and her aggressiveness,” Smith said.

Seniors Nikki Borys and Sarah Vaughn, the leading scorers last season, should, again, enjoy offensive success, especially with the addition of Jones to distribute the ball.

Borys led the Lady Peregrines with 12 points per game last season, while grabbing 5.6 rebounds per game. She was the team’s lone all-conference first team member in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference. “She has to be one of our leaders,” Smith said.

Vaughn, a perimeter sharp-shooter, averaged 11 points per game, and had the season high 22 points in one contest. She was an honorable mention player in the CCAC.

“She’s going to be a big part of our success, and we’ll rely on her leadership,” Smith said.

A third transfer, from Olive Harvey, with size, is Jonique Barnes, a 6-0 junior, who doesn’t shy away from frontcourt contact. 

Add the six sophomores to the fray, 6-0 Stephanie Peacock, 5-11 Marian Smith, 5-10 Krystal Rigoni, 5-10 Linsey Smith, eight points per game, and guards Kourtney Trotter, Jen Hostetter and Alexis Babbitt, and the Lady Peregrines have what Smith qualifies as an improved lineup simply because the freshmen are gone.

“We have more experience and depth this season. So we hope to return to the level we were two years ago when we challenged and won the conference title,” Smith said. “We’ll be hard-pressed with St. Xavier, I.U. South Bend and Olivet, but with our added size and improved shooting we should be able to get where we want to be.”

Lady Peregrines add scoring depth to roster

HAMMOND (September 6, 2005) – More pop in the offense is what Purdue University Calumet’s women’s team needed. With the addition of three transfer athletes, the Lady Peregrines gain 36 points of scoring per game on average.  

Tekenya Harper, a 6-1 junior from South Suburban College, averaged 16 points and eight rebounds per game as a sophomore. Harper was named a Region IV Division II All Region Team member in the 2002-2003 National Junior College Athletic Association national tournament. She is a graduate of Rich East High School in Richton Park.

Andrea Gallardo, a 5-10 junior, also played for South Suburban College, and averaged five points per game in her sophomore season. Gallardo is a graduate of Bloom High School, Chicago Heights.

Michelle Jones, a 5-9 sophomore point guard, played 15 games during the 2002-03 season with NCAA Division I Chicago State University. Jones, a Gary West Side graduate, averaged 15.7 points, 4.9 assists and three steals per game during her senior season, and had a career high 41 points in one game.

Jennifer Hostetter was also added to the Lady Peregrine roster. Hostetter is a 5-8 sophomore, and is a 2003 Munster High School graduate.
 

The Lady Peregrines averaged just below 50 points per game last season. Seniors Nikki Borys (12 points per game) and Sarah Vaughn (10 points per game) will return to pace the offense.

Borys earns All Conference honors; Watson, Vaughn Honorable Mention

HAMMOND (March 12, 2005) – Junior Nikki Borys (Crown Point) earned a spot on the All Conference First Team in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference. She was a two-time Honorable Mention in her first two seasons with Purdue University Calumet. 

Borys also earned a spot in the school's 1,000-point club during the final game of the season. Borys scored 21 in the conference tournament loss to I.U. South Bend, which gave her 1,002 points for her three-year career at PUC. Her career totals include 519 rebounds, 107 steals, 62 blocked shots, and 112 assists. This past season, Borys led the Lady Peregrines in total points with 409 (12 ppg) and blocked shots with 22. She was second in rebounding with 192 (5.6 rpg).

Senior captain La'Sharon Watson (Gary Roosevelt) and junior Sarah Vaughn (Rushville, Ill.) were named as CCAC Honorable Mention members. It was the third time in Watson's career that she earned the accolade. Watson led PUC this past season in rebounding, 211 (7 rpg), steals, 76, and assists with 64. For her career, Watson scored 1,017 points, collected 582 rebounds, had 248 steals and 211 assists.

Vaughn earned her first CCAC post-season honors as a Lady Peregrine. She led the team with 75 assists, was second in scoring with 370 total points (10.9 ppg), second with 55 steals and third in rebounding with 143. Vaughn was also the leader in free throw shooting percentage at 89.2 percent for the season.

Former Chicago State University guard Jones signs with PUC

HAMMOND (March 8, 2005) – Michelle Jones, a 5-9 point guard, signed to play with the Lady Peregrines next fall for the 2005-06 season. Jones, a Gary West Side graduate, played 15 games during the 2002-03 season with NCAA Division I Chicago State University. She will be a sophomore for the coming season.

During her junior and senior seasons, Jones led the West Side Lady Cougars to back-to-back Northwest Conference titles. As a senior, she was a Region 4A Player of the Year. Jones was voted an all-conference player twice, was an All-Area First Team player for The Times and the Region Roundball Review in her senior season, and an All-Area Second Team player for the Post Tribune and The Times as a junior. Jones averaged 15.7 points, 4.9 assists and 3 steals per game during her senior season, and has a career high 41 points in one game. 

Jones' physical size and strength and ability to create shots will be a "great addition," according to Coach Dennis Smith. "To get an experienced Division I player who has athletic ability will really give us a lift. She's a tremendous passer and scorer and she brings Division I confidence," Smith said.