NICEVILLE, FLA. — Forward Alana Nelson scored 25 points leading Purdue Fort Wayne to a 77-68 victory past Northwestern State to capture third place in the Beach Bracket of the Emerald Coast Classic at Northwest Florida State College Tuesday night.
Northwestern State, which fell to 3-4, shot 75 percent in the third quarter and got as close as six points at 64-58 with 8:46 left in the game. But Purdue Fort Wayne responded, reeling off six straight points to maintain a double-digit lead.
Vernell Atamah, held to just seven points in a loss to Virginia Monday, exploded for a season-high 27 points while collecting 11 rebounds for Northwestern State. Teammate Carla Celaya added 11 points and 12 rebounds for the Demons.
Guards Ella Riggas and Rylee Bess ignited the Mastodons (4-3) off the bench scoring 12 and 10 points, respectively. Purdue Fort Wayne also forced Northwestern State into 22 turnovers, while scoring 25 points off those miscues.
“I love the way we’re growing, I love the way we’re learning, and I love the way we’re competing,” said Purdue Fort Wayne coach Maria Marchesano. “So I feel good about where we’re at.”
Nelson played a solid all-around game for Purdue Fort Wayne, collecting seven rebounds and three assists.
“We got on Alana (Nelson) yesterday a little bit because she only took threes, and that’s not her game,” Marchesano said. “Like, threes are kind of a secondary aspect of her game, and she played a little timid and you saw her right away that she came out, making it an effort to get in the paint, you know, get to the free throw line. And that’s where she excels. She scores it in a number of ways very easily, and you saw what she can do tonight.”
“The facility’s been awesome,” added Marchesano. “People have been awesome. It’s been a great experience.”
Northwestern State owned a 48-31 rebounding advantage, scoring 19 second-chance points compared to just five by Purdue Fort Wayne.
