HAMMOND | Indiana Northwest's opening game with East West University was nothing if not fast-paced, with both teams pushing the ball upcourt on nearly every play in a 115-110 East West win despite a RedHawks comeback attempt in the Tip-Off Classic at Purdue Calumet.

"I'm proud of the way these guys played, to come back like that," IUN coach Pete Trgovich said. "When we play East West, it's always played (fast-paced).

"That's the way I think basketball should be played."

Purdue Calumet took a 90-55 drubbing from Indiana Wesleyan in the nightcap.

IUN's Adam White and Trgovich's son, Munster grad Pete Trgovich III, led the RedHawks in the final minutes. White (Chesterton) hit a 3-pointer with less than three minutes to play to bring the score to 109-104. Trgovich made a trey with 36.2 seconds left, and the Phantoms' lead was 113-110. After stopping East West, IUN got the ball back and tried to get the ball to Trgovich, but couldn't.

"I usually try to save a timeout, but we didn't have one to set anything up," Coach Trgovich said. "Too many guys came to ball. That will be corrected."

The RedHawks (0-1) jumped out to an early lead behind the shooting of Trgovich and Jesse Howell, who dropped 13 points in the first 10 minutes. Trgovich scored 21 in the opening half.

But Howell got into foul trouble early and the Phantoms went on an 11-0 run in the final minutes of the first half to go into the locker room leading IUN 68-54.

"It was our first game. It's a learning experience," Trgovich III said. "It was a positive effort and we can still take a lot from this game."

PUC never had a chance in its loss to Indiana Wesleyan, coached by former LaPorte and Valparaiso University standout Greg Tonagel.

Behind Will Hubertz's 19 points, the Wildcats cruised to an easy victory over the Peregrines.

"(Wesleyan) has some seasoned ballplayers," Purdue Cal coach Dan Voudrie said. "The few times we were in rhythm, we gave up a lot of second shots."

MEN'S BASKETBALL

Purdue Calumet Tip-Off Classic

East West 115, Indiana Northwest 110

Indiana Wesleyan 90, Purdue Calumet 55