DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Sophomore JaToya Woods netted a career-high 24 points, but the Trinity International Trojans fell behind early to the 9th-ranked Purdue-Calumet Peregrines, and were unable to recover, in a 77-53 loss Saturday night in Van Dixhorn Arena.

Box Score | Season Stats | CCAC Standings

The Peregrines would take an early 12-2 lead in the opening five minutes of play, but that would be the largest lead they would see in the first half, as the Trojans started to battle back. Senior Daja' Johnson knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to pull her team to within four, 14-10 at the 9:55 mark of the first half. A strong defensive performance from TIU would hold the nationally-ranked Peregrines to just 27.9% shooting from the floor in the first half, and a 3-for-18 performance (16.7%) from long range.

At the halftime break, the Trojans had held Purdue-Calumet to 32 points, and trailed by just a few possessions, 32-23. Woods led the team with seven points in the first half, while point guard Arielle Miree had a team-high five rebounds before the break.

Another big run at the start of the second half proved to be too much, however, as Purdue-Calumet used a 15-2 run over the first five minutes of the half to stretch their advantage to 22 points, 47-25, with 14:57 on the clock. The rest of the way, the Trojans played the Peregrines fairly even; taking out the first five minutes of both halves, the margin between the two teams was less than six points. 

The Trojans are back in action this Wednesday night, when they travel to face the Olivet Nazarene Tigers. Tipoff from Bourbonnais is set for 5:30 p.m.