Men’s Basketball Drops Home Opener to Purdue Calumet

DETROIT, Mich. — The home collegiate head coaching debut for Craig Covington nearly took a turn for the better late as the Mustangs made a valiant second half comeback before Purdue Calumet pulled away to win, 68-55. With the loss, the Mustangs fall to 0-2 all-time against the Peregrines (lost 81-62 on Nov. 9, 2012)

A slow start by Covington’s crew allowed the Peregrines to fly out to a 11-2 lead over the first four minutes of action Friday (Nov. 8) evening. The nine-point deficit was nearly erased as the Mustangs marched back to within one, but ultimately were not able to take the lead as the Peregrines pulled away to take a 35-27 lead at the break.

In the second half, the Mustangs would rally behind strong play from sophomores Diante Taylor (Battle Creek, Mich./Central) and Manny Washington (Dearborn, Mich./Edsel Ford). The pair ignited a late push that saw the Mustangs draw to within five, 60-55, with 4:09 left to play.

The 55-point mark, made possible by a Taylor layup, would be the final time a Mustang basket fell through the twine as the Peregrine defense held late to lift the visitors to the 13-point victory.

Manny Washington dropped in a game-high 16 points and corralled a game-leading 10 boards for his first double-double of the season. Diante Taylor followed with 12 points, while freshman Elijah Ingram (Detroit, Mich./Consortium) added 10 in the home-opening setback.

Postgame Notes: The Peregrines distanced themselves from the Mustangs behind 17-9 advantage in bench scoring … The Mustangs shot a mere 32% compared to a 46% percent performance by the Peregrines … The Peregrines shared the ball to the tune of a 19-9 advantage in assists …

Saturday’s (Nov. 9) road tilt at NCAA Division II Findlay University will tip-off at 7 p.m. The game can be followed live by visiting the men’s basketball schedule page.

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