Purdue lackluster in loss to Michigan

After Purdue’s loss Wednesday, a lackluster defeat at home to Michigan, Sharon Versyp was incensed at her team.

The Boilermakers didn’t follow the Wolverines' scouting report, mainly in allowing freshman Kysre Gondrezick to go off for a career-high 25 points and being unable to slow UM on the glass, resulting in a 72-62 loss.

“Our scouting report, we might as well have torn it up. Might as well not have spent 72 hours on it, because we did nothing that we talked about whatsoever,” Versyp said following the loss, the fourth consecutive Michigan win in Mackey Arena. “It’s kind of just shocking at this point, because when you’re playing at home and you have only five games left, the sense of urgency has to be better. Some kids did well, some others did not. (But) you win and lose as a team.”

An 11-0 run midway through the first quarter gave the 21st-ranked Wolverines (20-5 overall, 9-2 in the Big Ten) early control over the Boilermakers (15-10, 6-5).

But Purdue, which trailed 38-30 at the half, engineered a third-quarter run that brought them within one, 48-47, with three minutes remaining ‘til the fourth. During the 9-0 stretch, freshman Dominique Oden, who scored 10, hit two three-pointers. Then after her heat-check miss, Andreona Keys put back in the rebound, drawing the Boilermakers within one.

It was a short-lived rally, thanks in large part to Gondrezick. The rookie scored 12 straight for Michigan, part of a greater 16-6 run that bounced the Wolverines to a 64-53 lead with 5:40 left.

“To be a freshman on the big stage and to be able to do that on the road against Purdue is pretty special,” UM coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “She did a great job for us.”

Purdue didn’t feel like it did enough to stop her. Michigan’s first two baskets of the fourth came when Gondrezick drove left through the lane to put up a left-handed runner. She followed it with back-to-back three-pointers, part of a 9-of-13 shooting night.

“We’re supposed to take away her three and her left hand,” Versyp said. “Neither was done tonight.”

Purdue, in search of a signature win to pad a weak NCAA résumé, was outplayed by Michigan in about every facet. The Boilermakers made only two three-pointers, although they shot 48.2 percent from the field, and were only 6-of-13 from the free throw line. The Wolverines held a 38-24 edge on the glass, collecting 13-second chance points.

“When they penetrated, we had to help over and we didn’t have that cover down all the time,” forward Bridget Perry said. “When someone takes a shot, we’ve got to turn and box and find. We’ve been working on that and to not do it in a game is unfortunate. We’ve got to do better.”

Michigan shot 48.3 percent from the floor, hitting better than 50 percent in every quarter but the first. Gondrezick led the way offensively, but she got help from Katelynn Flaherty, who scored 13, and Hallie Thome, who had 15 points and eight rebounds. Jillian Dunston had 15 boards.

Perry said Purdue didn’t do much right.

“We have players’ tendencies (in the scout), our coaches work hard on those,” Perry said. "We knew that No. 1 (Gondrezick) likes to go left, all the time, and we didn’t take that away. We knew that No. 3 Flaherty likes to go right all the time, we didn’t take that away. … It was things like that that we weren’t focused on for some reason. We knew their plays and were just lacking communication. I don’t know why it fell through but it did.”

Perry scored 15 for Purdue, while Keys and Oden had 10. Leading scorer Ashley Morrissette was held to eight, all in the first half, on only 4-of-13 shooting.

Barnes Arico credited Siera Thompson with the defense.

“The goal she had today was to hold Morrissette under 10,” the UM coach said. “She’s an awesome defender, is a senior, knows gaps, she knows how to read things. I think she was disappointed that (Morrissette) had eight in the first half and did a tremendous job of playing defense in the second.”

Michigan, which came in having won only seven games previously in Mackey Arena, made it its fourth straight on Wednesday.

“I don’t know if even the players in the program understand it,” Barnes Arico said. “I understand it, probably because of my age and from following Purdue women’s basketball my whole life, how great they are and the tradition, how well they play here. … Those that aren’t really women’s basketball fans and don’t know the game, probably don’t know how incredible that is.”

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