Purdue women's basketball saw its extended struggles against in-state rival Indiana continue on Saturday afternoon, falling 78-56 in a blowout loss in Assembly Hall. The defeat was the 12th straight in the "Barn Burner" rivalry matchup, dropping Purdue to 9-16 overall and 2-12 in conference play this season.

The Boilermakers struggled mightily on offense, shooting 40% from the field and having 24 turnovers on the day.

Kendall Puryear and Destini Lombard served as the lone Boilermakers to find consistent success on offense, with the freshman forward ffinishing with a team-high 15 points, as well as eight rebounds. Lombard got back into double-figures with ten points on 4-7 shooting.

Reagan Bass and Sophie Swanson did have an uptick in production in the second half of the lopsided affair, finishing with nine and eight points, respectively.

Perhaps the more pressing issue was that of the defense, however, as the Boilermakers' breakdowns on that end of the floor lead to an explosive outing for the Hoosiers. Indiana shot a blistering 50% from the field, including 50% from three-point range, as a stark contrast from the marks of the Boilermakers.

The back court tandem of Yarden Garzon and Sydney Parrish proved to be the most lethal part of that attack of the Hoosiers. Parrish led the way for Indiana with a game-high 19 points on an efficient 7-11 clip, including 3-5 from three-point range. Garzon also had a stellar day at the office, with 18 points on 7-12 shooting, while adding eight rebounds as well. Shay Ciezki also chipped in 16 points as the third Hoosiers to reach double-figures on the day.

Already facing a tall task in Bloomington, the Boilermakers found themselves in an all-too-familiar situation. Staring down an early deficit that proved too much to overcome after things got ugly, early.

It took mere seconds for Lana McCarthy to pick up her first foul of the day, and less than a minute later to commit her second. The early foul trouble for the Purdue freshman big was just the start of the nightmare start for the Boilermakers.

The Hoosiers rode Yarden Garzon in the early going, with the junior guard scoring seven points in the opening two minutes of action. Sydney Parrish and Chloe Moore-McNeil then connected on back-to-back triples and the hits kept coming.

Shay Ciezki followed it up with a three-point play the old fashioned way, then Striplin and Parrish had a pair of fast break layups, thanks to defensive breakdowns from the Boilermakers in transition.

During that stretch, Purdue started just 1-7 from the field and had seven turnovers in the quarter, which resulted in eight points for the Hoosiers. Kendall Puryear was the lone Boilermaker to make more than one field goal, having four points in extended action.

That helped the Hoosiers take a commanding 20-2 lead less than halfway through the first quarter in Assembly Hall.

After finding their footing for a moment, with McKenna Layden and Kendall Puryear getting a couple of layups to fall, the Boilermakers saw Indiana take back control. The Hoosiers closed the first quarter on an 8-1 run to lead by 20 after the opening frame.

In recent times, Purdue seemed to have solved its slow starting woes, especially in victories over Wisconsin and Northwestern, but those same issues broke through the surface once again on Saturday afternoon.

Following the explosive start from the Hoosiers and subsequent stumbling out of the gates by Purdue, the Boilermakers were unable to cut into the lead in what turned out to be a game of pride in the second half.

As if there were any doubts coming into Saturday afternoon, the two ancient antagonists continue to head in opposite directions. Not just on the court, but the trajectory of both programs is a stark contrast.

Purdue looked to be a program on the rise just two years ago, when Katie Gearlds helped guide the Boilermakers to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2017. Since then has been a nose drive for Gearlds and company. After taking a step back in 2023-24, the Boilermakers are in danger of missing the Big Ten Tournament, which is likely to be the only postseason tournament in play at this point.

Purdue sits at a tie for 14th in the conference standings with Wisconsin and Rutgers, needing one of two more wins the rest of the way to play its way into Indianapolis next month.

On the flip side, with Purdue alum Teri Moren leading them, the Hoosiers are poised to make the NCAA Tournament for the sixth-straight season, excluding the cancelled 2020 edition of March Madness. The expected berth would extend the longest streak in program history. It has been a step back this season for the Hoosiers after losing McKenzie Holmes and Grace Berger from last season's Sweet 16 squad, but Moren still has Indiana firmly in the top half of the Big Ten standings.

The tides have turned from what once was a Boilermaker dominated state, flipping in Indiana's direction of late. A now 12-game losing streak at the hands of the Hoosiers has made matters worse for Gearlds and company in West Lafayette.

Purdue has four games remaining to clinch a spot in the Big Ten Tournament and will have to do so against three squads that are .500 or better during conference play, starting with Minnesota in Mackey Arena on Wednesday night.

Trips to Columbus and Happy Valley follow the matchup against the Golden Gophers before wrapping up the slate with a rematch against Indiana in Mackey Arena for the regular season finale.