Tiffin University (0-1) staged a valiant comeback effort but came up just short in its season opener against Purdue Northwest at HIllsdale, falling 70-65.

The Dragons dug themselves an early hole, falling behind 20-6 after the first quarter. Tiffin shot just 14 percent in the period.

Tiffin gradually started to dig out of the hole. Trailing by 17 points with 4:22 left in the half, Tiffin outscored PNU 13-6 the rest of the way to trail 38-28 at halftime.

Purdue Northwest held a 12-point lead in the third quarter when Tiffin made a big push, putting together a 12-0 run to tie the score 45-45 with 2:15 left in the third quarter.

The Dragons continued to trail by one shot throughout most of the fourth quarter. They trailed just 62-60 with 2:16 left but PNU hit 5 free throws down the stretch to hold off the Dragons' attack.

Megan Campbell led the Dragons with 21 points and 5 rebounds, while Hailey Unger added 13 points. Serenitee Johnson also reached double figures with 10 points along with a team-high 6 rebounds and 3 assists.

Isabelle Niederst also had 7 points with 6 rebounds, and Garyana Overton also grabbed 6 rebounds.