Purdue runs to season's first win

The Boilermakers want to be able to run more frequently.

But to do so, they need to defend and rebound.

They accomplished all three on Thursday night in picking up their first win of the season, a 71-41 victory over USC Upstate in Mackey Arena.

“It feels like the weight is lifted off our shoulders,” said forward Dominique McBryde, who finished with a game-high 14 points and tied teammate Andreona Keys with 11 rebounds. “We didn’t want to start 0-3. We wanted to focus on playing hard and playing with a lot of heart and that’s something we struggled with the first couple games.”

Purdue (1-2) had also struggled to score in the first two games, totaling only 91 point while losing to Maine and Villanova over the weekend. The remedy was to try to get easier baskets in transition, and the Boilermakers did so against the Spartans (2-1). Purdue was credited with 14 fast-break points, and had others in transition, while assisting on 21 of its 28 field goals. The Boilermakers shot 43.1 percent, not yet where they want to be, but certainly better than the first two games (35.4).

“We really have stressed the transition game, obviously,” McBryde said. “We were setting up a lot in the half-court, when we could have had easy transition buckets in the first two games. I think that started with me and Keys both getting 11 rebounds and others getting them as well. We focused getting on the fast break.”

The Boilermakers dominated the glass, holding a 55-25 advantage, while limiting Upstate to only 10 offensive boards and no second-chance points. But most importantly, Purdue could grab the boards and go. It did so midway through the first quarter, when it took control of the game. Then, Dominique Oden scored on a short jumper after he flashed into the lane to break the Spartans’ zone, then she had a fast-break layup off a dish from McBryde. Lamina Cooper followed with back-to-back baskets, the second off her own offensive rebound.

It was part of a 12-0 run — eight points scored by freshmen and four by sophomores — that turned an 8-all tie into a 20-8 advantage.

“They really relied on each other and that’s what made the run,” Coach Sharon Versyp said.

Purdue, which led 34-18 at halftime, extended the margin to 46-22 in the first seven-plus minutes of the second, when the Boilermakers held the Spartans without a point for more than six minutes. Upstate hit only 28.8 percent of its field goals, with 12 turnovers and only two assists. Only one Spartan, Raven Jefferson, had double-figure scoring, at 10 points, but it took her 15 shots.

“We definitely needed a bounce-back game like this,” Versyp said. “I thought we played with a lot of heart and effort, improved in areas we weren’t so good this weekend.”

Purdue got 10 points from Cooper off the bench, along with four rebounds and two assists, while Oden added eight points and five boards. Ashley Morrissette’s shot was off, as it has been early this season, as the senior guard scored nine on 3-of-15 shooting, but she had five rebounds, four assists, three blocks and three steals.

Tiara Murphy started at the point for the first time this season and had three assists but was held scoreless.

“We’ve got to get Murph on track,” Versyp said. “She did OK, but we need her on track so we can get Ashley to the 2 so she can score the ball and not be worn out at the point. It’s the next step for us, but on makes and misses we need to run. This is the type of tempo we want to play and make people be back on their heels.”

Keys helped make it go. The junior had career-high tying 11 rebounds, more than twice her season total, with her 11 points and five assists in 31 minutes.

“She has to have a stat line every game,” Versyp said. “She has to be the glue to our team, even was as a freshman. Maybe not a double-double (then), but we had a good talk this week and released the demons, as we might say, and going back and having fun, do what you’re capable of doing and enjoy yourself.”

Membership Information: Sign up for GoldandBlack.com now | Why join? | Questions?

Copyright, Boilers, Inc. 2016. All Rights Reserved. Reproducing or using editorial or graphical content, in whole or in part, without permission, is strictly prohibited.