HAMMOND | Even Purdue Calumet coach Dan Voudrie called his team's 89-88 loss to Indiana Northwest on Saturday the "Jesse Howell Show." Not only did the 6-foot-2 senior guard hit the go-ahead shot in the lane with seven seconds remaining, he scored 35 points and pulled down 15 rebounds despite being a head shorter than several of his opponents.

"The best player in this tournament was Jesse Howell," Voudrie said. "He proved that today. My hat goes off to him."

But the Rockport native only wanted to thank his teammates.

"The guys on this team don't get down and that's a big thing," Howell said. "Especially with a young team and this early in the season, we're showing that we're pretty resilient."

With 15 seconds remaining and his team down 88-87, Howell took the ball from the right side and into the lane with his left hand. He hit a shot from just in front of the free throw line, leaving 7.7 seconds on the clock.

"I was just trying to get (PUC guard Bo Ray) in the air," Howell said. "When I made it, I thought I left too much time on the clock."

Kameron Bright, who finished with 16 points and 14 boards to pace PUC, watched his shot from the right baseline fall short and the ball bounce around the rim as time expired.

"We have a great deal of respect for Purdue Cal," IUN coach Pete Trgovich said. "I was concerned about whether or not (my team) was going to have enough in them, but they found something."

IUN (1-1) was down by 10 points or more for a significant portion of the game.

The Peregrines, who were thumped by Indiana Wesleyan 90-55 on Friday, looked like a new team Saturday.

"It's not about winning and losing," Voudrie said. "It's about competing and being out here and enjoying it."

MEN'S BASKETBALL

Purdue Calumet Tip-Off Classic

Indiana Northwest 89, Purdue Calumet 88

Jesse Howell had 25 points, while Pete Trgovich added 29 for the RedHawks.