The Tiffin University women's basketball team protected their home floor on Thursday night, outlasting the Purdue Northwest Pride 54-46. The Dragons showed great balance, scoring 22 points in the paint and hitting eight triples.

The 1st quarter was a track meet for both teams, combining to net 39 points. Tiffin leaned on their perimeter shooting in the opening quarter, connecting on 4 of 9 three pointers. The Pride hit at a lower percentage than Tiffin, but still managed to score 17 points on 38.9% shooting from the field. 

After holding the lead for the majority of the 1st half, the Dragons hit a cold snap and the Pride seized the moment. Purdue Northwest took a three point lead with 03:39 remaining before halftime, using a 12-4 run to do so. The Dragons stood tall in the face of the Pride's run, and responded in the final 30 seconds of action. A 5-0 run, provided by Ali Schirmer, gave the Dragons back the lead and swung the momentum back on their side as they trotted to the locker room up 31-29 at the break.

The 3rd quarter saw little change on the scoreboard as both teams managed to score only 10 points. That meant the two teams headed to the final quarter with the Dragons clinging to a 41-39 lead.

In the final frame the Dragons had their worst shooting quarter from the field, but their defense saved the day. Tiffin held the Pride to 21.4% shooting from the field and 1 of 6 from beyond the arc. In the final minute of action, the Dragons felt little pressure as they put the game on ice with a 5 for 5 performance from the charity stripe, preserving their 6th victory of the season. 

Madison Jackson and Ali Schirmer led Tiffin in scoring with 14 points each. Jackson hit 4 of 7 three point attempts and snagged four rebounds. Kiley May was the last Dragon in double figures, netting 10 points and collecting a team high seven rebounds.

The Dragons improve to 6-10 overall and 2-6 in the GLIAC. Tiffin will host Grand Valley State this Saturday at 3:00 pm.