Purdue outshoots Illinois in road win
Purdue had a couple of zone busters on Sunday, as Ashley Morrissette and Dominique Oden took advantage of Illinois’ sagging defense.
The starting guards combined to hit 10 three-pointers — missing only five — as the Boilermakers defeated the Illini 72-64 in Champaign.
“They were double- and triple-teaming down low,” Coach Sharon Versyp said in her post-game radio interview. “We did some good things.”
Purdue (15-9 overall, 6-4 in the Big Ten) did more so than Illinois (8-16, 3-8) in a game that turned a bit physical late. The Boilermakers hit 59-percent of their field goals in the first half, including nine three-pointers. Morrissette and Oden combined for 31 of Purdue’s 41 first-half points, as the Boilermakers led by nine.
Purdue went inside to start the second, getting layups from Dominique McBryde (x2) and Bridget Perry to stretch the lead to 13. But Illinois rallied, going on a 13-4 run to cut the margin to only four midway through the third quarter. The Illini, however, went five minutes without a point, allowing Purdue to end the period on a 7-0 run. The margin was never again closer than the final of eight.
Purdue dominated the glass, winning there 40-22, including 18 on the offensive end. That led to 18 second-chance points, compared to only four for the opponent. The Boilermakers shot 46.4 percent, but committed 19 turnovers.
Morrissette led Purdue with 23 points while Oden had 17, with the pair combining to make 14-of-25 from the field. McBryde had 15 points, 13 in the second half, and 12 rebounds.
“That’s what we need,” Versyp said. “We’re trying to get the ball down to her, changed some setups, trying to go into two low posts against the zone, get the ball inside. We were able to get her some (scoring opportunities) and she did great on the boards.”
Illinois, which hit 48.2 percent of its shots, was led by Petra Holesinska’s 21. Brandi Beasley scored 20.
The game turned physical late, including double fouls and a bit of a staring contest between Morrissette and Holesinska. But Purdue prevailed.
“It was really out of control, a lot of physicality, a lot of mouthing (off), a lot of elbows,” Versyp said. “I just want to get out of here healthy, that’s what I was concerned about. This was a bad game, a bad game all the way around.”
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