Purdue fights but falls in title game

INDIANAPOLIS — Ashley Morrisette and the rest of her Purdue teammates tried to will themselves to a Big Ten Tournament title Sunday night.

But the brawn of the Terrapins, particularly that of Brionna Jones, proved too much, as the upstart Boilermakers’ tourney run came to an end with a 74-64 loss in Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

“Maryland's a very, very good basketball team,” Coach Sharon Versyp said, “but we're not too far behind when you play in the fourth game (in four days), and I'm just really proud of what we've done and the journey we've had with these kids.”

But the fifth-seeded Boilermakers (22-12) couldn’t handle Jones, the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, who finished with 27 points on 11-of-13 shooting, with 12 rebounds, five blocks and three steals. She was a menace inside, helping the second-seeded Terrapins (30-2) score 44 points in the paint, a reason why they shot nearly 52 percent for the game.

“She's big and physical, very hard presence to guard,” forward Bridget Perry said. “She's one of the best post players in the country. At times we did a decent job. And at times when she gets deep she's scoring the ball.”

Despite the loss, Purdue can feel good, or at least better, about its NCAA Tournament chances, considering it had won seven straight, including a marquee victory over No. 9 Ohio State in the semis, before Sunday’s loss.

After Purdue had rallied to a four-point deficit at the half against Maryland, thanks to three-pointers by Andreona Keys and Dominique Oden in the final 40 seconds, the Terps started to take over in the third. A 12-3 UM run — the only Purdue points being an Oden three-pointer — bounced its lead to 51-38 and forced a Boilermaker timeout at 5:03.

The lead grew to as many as 21 in the fourth quarter, yet the Boilermakers never completely gave in. Purdue decided to go small — the only option it’d not yet tried vs. Jones and Co. — and rattled off eight straight points to get to within 70-59 with four minutes left.

And over the next two minutes, Maryland didn’t score. But either did Purdue, missing multiple opportunities, including two three-pointers, a jumper, a layup and a turnover, before the Terrapins responded with another Jones’ hoop inside.

Although Purdue lost, it could take some solace in its ability to battle.

“We fought ‘til the end and that’s what we kept talking about,” said Keys, who finished with 15 points and six boards. “We weren’t going to give up. We cut the lead down to (11) and lost by 10 to a top-four team, that’s good. Hopefully, if we make it to the (NCAA) Tournament we can do something there.”

If the Committee was watching Sunday, the Boilermakers passed the eyeball test. Their stick-to-itiveness being a big reason why.

Late in the second quarter, Maryland build its lead to 10 after an 11-0 run in which Purdue was scoreless for 4:30. But the Boilermakers hit three straight field goals, with Keys scoring on a fastbreak layup, then hitting a three-pointer. Oden followed with a three-pointer from the deep right corner at the buzzer, drawing Purdue to within 39-35 at the break.

“We talked about (it) before this game that we were going to have to come out and earn it,” UM coach Brenda Frese said.

Jones helped the Terps do so starting in the third, when the 6-foot-3 senior scored on a three-point play in the lane, then hit another layin a minute later.

By the time backup post Brianna Fraser scored in the paint near the five-minute mark of the third, Maryland was up by 13.

“They are a top-four team in the country and they play like it,” Keys said. “They’ve got a big body down low (in Jones) and she’s obviously going to be top in the WNBA draft. She’s really good and a lot to handle, even when she’s double-teams — our post did really good — she would kick it out and they have shooters. From five spots on the floor, they were threats.”

Morrissette, who gave about everything she had, even playing through a rolled ankle, scored 18 points with six assists and four rebounds. She was named to the All-Tournament Team, as was Oden, who finished with nine points. Perry scored seven, giving her 1,000 for her career.

Purdue shot only 38.3 percent, plus had 18 turnovers.

Destiny Slocum, an all-tourney member, scored 14 points with seven assists for the Terrapins, who hit 29 of their 56 shots, but also had 19 giveaways.

Now, Purdue has to wait. It’s a week until Selection Monday, when the Boilermakers will find out if they are part of the Field of 64, or if they are headed to the WNIT.

In the meantime, Purdue has learned something about itself.

“That we’re a team you don’t want to play against,” Keys said. “People who play us, in whatever tournament we’re in, should be scared of us.”

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