Freshmen lead Purdue to fifth win in last six

When Central Michigan made its charge Tuesday night, trying to rally back from a 16-point third-quarter deficit, it was Purdue’s freshmen who frequently had answers.

Midway through the fourth, after the Chippewas had closed to one, rookie center Ae’Rianna Harris took a behind-the-back pass from Ashley Morrissette that she converted for a layup. Then, Harris followed with an emphatic block on the other end, one of her career-high five rejections. With the margin at four near the two-minute mark, freshman Dominique Oden was the recipient of a Morrissette pass, as she beat the shot clock, got fouled and turned in a three-point play for a seven-point lead.

In all, Purdue’s three freshmen — Harris, Oden and Lamina Cooper — combined for 31 points, 21 rebounds, six blocks and three steals in the 62-51 win in Mackey Arena.

“They’re in the Big Ten for a reason,” said veteran CMU coach Sue Guevara, who coached previously had Michigan. “They’ve got nice size, they’re intimidating. They dominated. That’s what you have to have.”

In holding on, the Boilermakers (6-4) won their fifth game in the last six outings, with this one looking as though it might be a blowout early before closing up late. By the end of the first quarter, Purdue was up 21-12, with the three rookies scoring the Boilermakers’ final 13 points in the break.

Harris scored on a putback, after Oden had hit a free throw, then missed a second. Cooper had a rebound hoop, after she had grabbed an Oden airball. Harris had a rebound bucket, then a free throw, and Oden finished the run by scoring four straight points, the first two on yet another second-chance opportunity.

The lead was a 12 at the half, then up to 16, at 46-30, on Cooper’s three-pointer from the left corner more than halfway into the third.

“We talked about (the freshmen) when they came in, but you don’t know whether you’re going to get the results,” Coach Sharon Versyp said. “But they’ve been able to show their improvement — and that’s what everybody keeps seeing the improvement of each game — and that’s how you learn, through experience.”

But the Boilermakers went cold, going scoreless for the final 3:15 of the third. Meanwhile a 17-2 CMU run, ending on Cassie Breen’s three-pointer at 6:30 of the fourth, brought the Chips (6-3) within 48-47.

Purdue was reckless with the ball, having seven of its 16 turnovers in the first six minutes of the fourth.

“We got a little stale in the third and fourth quarters offensively,” Versyp said.

But the Boilermakers responded, and did so in dramatic fashion. Harris’ layup at 5:17 came after Bridget Perry dropped to the floor to grab a rebound, then found Morrissette in the lane, with the senior immediately going behind her back to feed the freshman. Then, Morrissette showed more flare at 2:09, when after tracking down a loose ball, she whipped a pass into Oden in the lane, with the rookie converting a three-point play just before the shot clock ran out.

“(Ashley) kind of showed that early in practice over the summer, where she would make passes,” said Oden, who led Purdue with 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting. “She’s very good at seeing the floor, so you have to know that if you’re open, Ashley is probably going to see you. You have to be ready.”

The Boilermakers shot only 39 percent from the field, with just three triples in 15 attempts. But they held a 52-33 edge on the glass, getting 18 on the offensive end that turned into 19 second-chance points. Purdue got some critical ones late, like with 3:20 left, when Andreona Keys scored on the third opportunity of a possession, after it had gotten back-to-back offensive boards. It gave the Boilermakers a four-point lead.

Purdue got nine points from Perry, who added nine rebounds, and nine from Morrissette, who also chipped in six assists. Cooper had seven points and five rebounds, while Harris had seven points, a career-high eight boards and a best five rejections.

“I’m just (trying) to bring energy to the team,” Harris said. “It helps everybody, it also helps myself.”

CMU shot only 30.3 percent, with Presley Hudson and Tinara Moore scoring a dozen each.

“We couldn’t do anything in the ocean, standing with the water up to our necks,” Guevara said.

The Boilermakers, now down to only nine scholarship players with Tiara Murphy out due to a torn ACL suffered Sunday, played with a rotation of eight. But they’re getting good contributions from the freshmen.

“They showed their confidence, their ability and skill set, showed why they’re here,” Versyp said. “I thought they really stepped up defensively.”

Copyright, Boilers, Inc. 2016. All Rights Reserved. Reproducing or using editorial or graphical content, in whole or in part, without permission, is strictly prohibited.