Purdue women's basketball began its 2024-25 campaign in the win column, holding off a gritty Purdue Fort Wayne team 87-77 in the season opener on Wednesday night.
Freshman forward Lana McCarthy got going early and often for the Boilermakers, being the focal point of the offense through the first four minutes and change. McCarthy was being bombarded by Mastodon defenders, but it didn't matter, as she had eight points to help give Purdue a 12-3 lead early.
After getting the lead up to 12 after the first period, Purdue came out in the second quarter sloppy, allowing the Mastodons to claw their way back into the game. A 6-0 run cut the Purdue lead to just four, at the 7:47 mark of the second quarter.
A subsequent 12-3 run over the next four minutes helped calm the waters in Mackey Arena, as Purdue regained a 13-point advantage after an Amiyah Reynolds three with 3:11 left in the first half.
Sixth-year senior Destini Lombard was integral in that charge, having a knockdown three and a steal turning into a layup on the other end, as she put together a first half stat line of nine points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists. The veteran guard was inserted into the starting lineup in favor of sophomore Sophie Swanson, and it was clear why based on her first half showing.
Purdue maintained a 42-30 advantage heading into the break, but failed to separate themselves even further despite a 49% to 42% discrepancy on field goals. The Boilermakers and Mastodons both coughed it up nine times apiece in the first half, while Purdue had trouble guarding without fouling over the first 30 minutes, seeing Purdue Fort Wayne hit seven of 12 attempts from the charity stripe.
McCarthy and Lombard continued their stellar play into the second half, helping Purdue build a 19-point lead early in the third quarter. Lombard immediately drove to the rack for a three-point play, and then had a pair of assists to McCarthy in the low post, followed by another knockdown three. A 12-4 run helped give the Boilermakers a 54-34 advantage at the 6:15 mark of the third quarter.
The Mastodons chipped away at that lead throughout the third quarter, getting it down to 15, before Ella Collier knocked down a three in the final seconds of the quarter to preserve an 18-point advantage.
Purdue Fort Wayne had a late game charge left in them, however, as the Boilermakers' offense struggled in the fourth quarter. The Mastodons got the lead down to eight with 3:24 to play after a 5-0 run made it a 77-69 Boilermaker advantage.
Rashunda Jones then knocked down a pair of free throws, followed immediately by a Destini Lombard swipe and score, to extend the Purdue lead back up to 12 with less than three minutes to play.
Purdue was tested in the final two minutes, relying on free throw shooting to keep enough of a padding between them and the Mastodons to get out of Mackey Arena with a victory.
Purdue shot 49.3% from the field in the victory, but struggled from distance, connecting on just 5 of 19 attempts from beyond the arc. Only Destini Lombard found sustained success from deep, knocking two of her five tries from three-point range.
Lombard shined in her Purdue debut and new role as a starter for Katie Gearlds, closing out her night with a team and career-high 20 points on 8-12 shooting, as well as six rebounds, five assists and four steals. After shooting just 27% from three a year ago, Lombard was the lone Boilermaker to find success outside.
The freshmen front court tandem of McCarthy and Kendall Puryear combined for 29 points on 13-15 shooting from the field against an outmatched front line of Purdue Fort Wayne. The rookie duo was nearly flawless and kept their turnovers to a minimum, with just two combined. McCarthy notched the first official double-double of her career, finishing with 18 points and ten rebounds, with seven of which coming on the offensive end.
Transfer forward Reagan Bass had a solid, but quiet debut in the old gold and black, finishing with nine points and seven rebounds, as she stepped aside for the freshmen to make an impact.
The sophomore backcourt tandem of Rashunda Jones and Sophie Swanson had rough nights on the offensive end, combining to shoot just 4-15 from the field for nine total points. Jones did make some of that up as she dished out a team-high four assists.
Purdue did enough to get the job done on Wednesday, but an elite Notre Dame squad is coming to West Lafayette on Sunday, and the Boilermakers have much to clean up.
