Maryland's work on offensive glass too much for Purdue

Maryland pulled down an offensive rebound on nearly 59-percent of its misses Thursday night, resulting in 23 second-chance points against the Boilermakers.

And that was the major difference.

As a result, Purdue (14-9 overall, 5-4 in the Big Ten) saw its chance at an upset bid fall short in Mackey Arena, dropping an 85-70 decision to No. 3 Maryland (22-1, 10-0).

“When they get the offensive boards, they always finish,” Coach Sharon Versyp said. “Whereas, we get some offensive boards and that’s what we have to do better. That’s what we can learn from this game.”

Maryland pulled down 45 rebounds — it was a rare game in which the total offensive boards (42) outnumbered the total defensive (41) — to Purdue’s 38. But more than that, the Terrapins scored on second opportunities at key moments. Leading 43-35 at the half, after Destiny Slocum had hit a 25-foot three-pointer at the second-quarter buzzer, they scored they scored their first six of the second half after securing second chances.

And it helped rebuild what had been only a five-point lead just before halftime back to 11, 51-40, at 7:27 of the third quarter, when Purdue was forced to take a timeout.

“That was a key part of us being able to put points up on the board,” said sophomore Brianna Fraser, who came off the bench to score a game-high 18 for the Terps. “When we rebound, it makes the game easy for us.”

But otherwise, the Boilermakers battled. Following the timeout, Purdue scored six of the next eight to get within seven, the last bucket coming after Ashley Morrissette had a steal, rebounded a miss, then put the ball back in.

It forced Maryland into its own timeout, and the Terrapins responded after. They used a 9-0 run over only two minutes to go up 62-47 with 2:25 left in the third quarter, and Purdue never recovered. The margin climbed to as many as 21 points in the fourth.

“The third quarter really hurt us,” Versyp said of a period in which Purdue was outscored 22-13 and hit only 5-of-22 field goals. “I felt like we weren’t in sync in times. We’d call an offense and weren’t running the offense, or weren’t in the defense that we needed to be.”

Purdue shot 41.5 percent with 18 assists on its 27 field goals. Morrissette led four in double-figures, with 14, but on only 6-of-19 shooting. Andreona Keys, who returned to action after missing a game due to concussion, had 13, while Dominique McBryde, who was wearing a face-protecting mask during the game and had ice on her left shoulder afterward, scored 12. Ae’Rianna Harris chipped in 10 with eight rebounds.

Purdue led 15-12 midway through the first quarter, when McBryde turned in a three-point play. But after Bridget Perry’s layup at the 2:30 mark, Maryland embarked on a 13-0 run spanning into the second, taking its first double-digit lead.

Late in the second, Purdue responded by holding the Terrapins scored for more than five minutes, cutting the margin to 40-35 thanks to a 7-0 run. But the momentum was killed when Slocum tossed in a deep triple at the buzzer.

“We have to know at all times the clock,” Morrissette said. “That was a mistake on my part. I should have been a little closer. But coming out in the second half, you can’t just give up because they hit a three. Coming out in the second half, it’s everyone’s responsibility to bring energy and come out hard.”

Maryland, which shot 44.3 percent, scored 46 points in the paint, with Brionna Jones adding 17 to Fraser’s 18. Ieshia Small scored 14. The Terrapins benched scored 34 points, 16 more than the Boilermakers.

“I don’t think it’s anything new when we’re playing teams,” McBryde said of the opponent’s depth. “A lot of teams have a large bench when compared to our bench. That’s just when we have to take care of our bodies, take care of our legs, but we’re used to it.”

Even in a loss, the Boilermakers think they can take away positives from Thursday night, like its rebounding effort in the second half, Versyp said, and its efficiency.

“When we’re on the same page, we’re really good,” Versyp said. “And we were on the same page about 75-percent tonight on the defensive end and offensive end. We were playing really good basketball, and there was some things Maryland did, but some of it was our mental mindset.”

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