Purdue powers past Miami
Ae’Rianna Harris had a tough start to her sophomore season, at least for a half.
The forward missed her first eight shots Friday against Central Michigan, many of them bunnies in the lane, and finished 3 of 14 from the field.
She atoned on Wednesday night, scoring a career-high 22 points on 10-of-14 shooting, with 11 rebounds and three blocks, as Purdue beat Miami (Ohio) 75-66 in the Boilermakers’ home opener.
“I feel like I’ve always kind of focused on defense,” said Harris, who set Purdue’s freshman blocks record last season, “but given the opportunities in practice and workouts, I’m able to work on my offensive game, which I feel like translates over to games.”
It did Wednesday; Harris was the centerpiece of a dominant inside game for Purdue. The guard-heavy Boilermakers hit only 1-of-12 three-pointers but were so solid inside — of their 75 points, 54 came from the paint — that it didn’t much matter.
“We were able to get to the paint, knock down some shots, get around them defensively and create,” Coach Sharon Versyp said.
Andreona Keys, playing the 4 in Purdue’s small lineup, had 12 points and eight rebounds, while Lamina Cooper added 10 points, six assists (without a turnover) and three boards. Tiara Murphy gave the Boilermakers a bit of balance on the perimeter, scoring 10 off the bench including the only three-pointer.
Lauren Dickerson, a former teammate of Harris’ and Cooper’s at Lawrence North, had 22 points for Miami.
Purdue (2-0) shot 51-percent from the floor, with 14 turnovers, and out-rebounded the Redhawks (1-1) by eight.
“If you don’t shoot the ball well (from the outside), you’ve got to make sure you do some other things pretty well,” Versyp said.
Purdue used a 16-4 run to end the first half to take control, going into the break with a 39-26 lead. Cooper and Keys helped spur the burst, getting the Boilermakers into transition for relatively easy scores.
Near the six-minute mark, Cooper hustled after a long rebound, then led a break, finding Karissa McLaughlin who touched a pass to Harris for a layup. After a Miami timeout, Miracle Gray scored four of Purdue’s next six, with a jumper in the lane then a short kiss off the glass. Then Keys scored the Boilermakers’ last six before the half, getting them on a layup, then a fast break — Cooper again led the way — and a strong post spin.
“When they get the ball, we’re much better,” Versyp said of Cooper’s and Keys’ ability to up the tempo. “When they rebound it, they push it and then the guards can get way up the floor. … When you have guards who can rebound, that’s special.”
Purdue extended its lead to 60-45 early in the fourth quarter, before Miami timeout spurred a run, with the Redhawks cutting the deficit to only eight with seven minutes left. But that’s as close as the guests would get.
Harris had one of several answers by the Boilermakers in the final minutes, when she scored on a putback, part of her dominant performance.
“It definitely builds confidence,” she said, “and helps carry over to the next game and next game and hopefully keeps going up.”
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