Purdue women's basketball was unable to start a new winning streak on Sunday afternoon, falling to Rutgers 78-69 in Jersey Mike's Arena.

The Boilermakers trailed by 16 at the start of the third quarter and stormed back to cut the Rutgers lead to just one in the fourth quarter, but ran out of gas down the stretch to fall once again. Sunday marked Purdue's 10th loss in the last 11 games, although Katie Gearlds' group has been much more competitive over the last week and a half.

Purdue now falls to 8-15 overall and 1-11 in conference play this season. With six games to play in the regular season, the Boilermakers likely need three or more wins to get into the Big Ten Tournament next month, which takes only 14 of the 18 conference teams now.

The slow starts of games that have plagued the Boilermakers throughout the season were there again in New Jersey, as Purdue found itself facing an early deficit on Sunday. Purdue started the day shooting just 2-7 from the field and had five early turnovers to trail 10-4 at the 4:51 mark of the opening frame.

Destiny Adams carried the torch early for Rutgers with Kiyomi McMiller out, scoring seven points in the first quarter to help the Scarlet Knights build a cushion through ten minutes of action.

The Boilermakers struggled to string together scores, shooting under 30% from the field in the quarter to go along with eight turnovers, resulting in seven Rutgers points. Those marks helped Rutgers take a 17-10 lead into the second quarter.

Purdue cut the deficit to three by the 6:27 mark of the quarter after a three-point play by Rashunda Jones before the Scarlet Knights caught fire. Rutgers went on a 9-0 run to extend the lead to 12 with 3:35 to play in the first half.

Sophie Swanson and Reagan Bass stopped the lead and brought Purdue back within seven just a minute later, but the Scarlet Knights had another charge in them to close out the first half. Rutgers outscored the Boilermakers 9-2 in the final 2:21 of the half to take a 39-25 lead into the break.

The trio of JoJo Lacey, Mya Petticord and Destiny Adams loomed large in the opening 20 minutes, combining for 26 points, led by Lacey's game-high 11 to build the 14-point halftime lead.

Reagan Bass and Rashunda Jones were the only two Boilermakers to find consistent success in the first half, as Bass scored ten points and Jones pitched in seven. The rest of the team was just 4-18 from the field and Purdue was held without a three-point make on eight attempts from distance.

Despite facing a 16-point deficit following Lacey's jumper to start the second half, Purdue got a string of steals that translated into points. The defensive intensity paved the way for Sophie Swanson and Lana McCarthy to put together a 9-0 run to cut the Rutgers lead to seven.

The Scarlet Knights then settled in and got their lead back above ten, making it a 47-36 game with 3:18 left in the third. That was prior to another charge by the Boilermakers, who got within five points in the final minute of the quarter, ultimately trailing 53-47 heading into the final frame.

Purdue shot 50% from the field and forced seven turnovers in the third quarter to help spur the comeback bid.

The momentum continued in the fourth quarter as the lid finally came off of the basket for Purdue on triples, as Ella Collier connected on back-to-back three-pointers to get Purdue within a point.

Rutgers then got things going offensively after struggling to start the final ten minutes of play. Mya Petticord knocked down five free throws and a jumper, while Destiny Adams and JoJo Lacey got layups to fall form an 11-0 run for the Scarlet Knights, extending the lead to 12 with less than four minutes to play.

Purdue went 4:29 without a field goal in the fourth quarter and it watched Rutgers run away with a much needed victory in the race for the final spot in the Big Ten Tournament field.

Sophie Swanson and Kendall Puryear put together a quick 6-0 run to get the Boilermakers back within five, but it was too little too late, as the Scarlet Knights made good on their free throws over the final 90 seconds to ice the win.

While few extra days off perhaps helped the Boilermakers creep closer back to health with Sophie Swanson and Rashunda Jones getting over the flu, Katie Gearlds and company were without McKenna Layden due to illness. The sophomore forward, who was averaged 12 points and 7.5 rebounds over her last two games, was missed from a perimeter shooting perspective.

The Boilermakers connected on just a 19% clip from three-point range without Layden, who had knocked down eight triples on 47% shooting against Nebraska and Wisconsin.

After being inserted back into the starting lineup, Reagan Bass had her best outing in well over a month, tallying 10 points and eight rebounds to pace the Boilermakers in both categories. Those were her top marks since posting a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double against Indiana State in December.

Lana McCarthy and Kendall Puryear also combined for a productive day at the office, finishing with 21 points on 83% shooting and 12 rebounds between the two talented freshmen. Puryear had all of her points in the second half, serving as a key cog in the comeback attempt.

Rashunda Jones and Sophie Swanson also cracked double-figures, with Swanson leading the way with 17 points on the night, despite just 7-20 shooting from the field. Jones filled the stat sheet once again, finishing with a line of 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Purdue will look to get back in the win column on Wednesday night when Northwestern comes to Mackey Arena.