Morrissette's double-double leads Purdue
Ashley Morrissette found her shooting stroke again on Friday afternoon.
And she also found the glass. The senior guard had her first career double-double, scoring a game-high 16 point and collecting a career-best 10 rebounds, in leading Purdue to a 79-54 win over Northeastern in the second game in the Cancun Challenge.
Morrissette helped the Boilermakers (3-3) shoot better than 50-percent for the second straight game — it was 52.8 percent vs. Northeastern (2-4) — with seven three-pointers. They’ve now hit 15 three-pointers in the last two games, after having only 12 total in the first four outings.
The Boilermakers trailed 7-5 early before taking over, using a 22-4 run over the final six minutes of the first quarter for a 27-11 advantage. During the run, Purdue got buckets from six different Boilermakers, the kind of distribution Sharon Versyp has been seeking. Purdue assisted on 15 of its 28 buckets, including 4-of-7 during the first-quarter spurt.
After taking a 44-27 lead into the half, Purdue exploded out of the second with nine straight point, getting the margin to a game-high 26 on Dominique Oden’s layup at 8:01 of the third.
Northeastern got to within a dozen midway through the fourth, but the Boilermakers stymied the run from long distance, with Tiara Murphy and Bridget Perry hitting back-to-back triples, then Murphy getting another moments later.
Morrissette was terrific, with her double-double, plus five assists (only a turnover), three steals and a block. Oden added a 12, while Dominique McBryde had 14 points and five boards. Perry added 13 and three.
Purdue held Northeastern to only 33.3 percent shooting and scored 22 points off 13 turnovers.
The Boilermakers now play No. 11 Stanford Saturday for the Mayan Division Championship of the Cancun Challenge.
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