Purdue women's basketball handled business in its exhibition matchup with Indiana Tech on Tuesday night, picking up a 101-51 victory in the final tune-up before next week's season-opener against Purdue Fort Wayne next week.

The Warriors, ranked 12th in the Preseason NAIA Coaches Top 25 poll, hung around for the first 12+ minutes of play, staying within eight points of the lead before the Boilermakers began imposing their will and created separation. After a Katie Gearlds timeout with 7:52 left in the first half, Purdue went on a 20-0 run to close the second quarter and head into halftime with a 47-19 lead.

Purdue's run got up to 26 straight points before Indiana Tech finally broke the run just shy of three minutes into the third quarter. The Boilermakers got the lead over 40 points at the start of the fourth quarter and did not let the Warriors get any closer than that in what was a blowout victory for Katie Gearlds and company.

Seven Boilermakers scored in double-figures, led by 15 points apiece from Lana McCarthy and Jayla Smith. Purdue also combined to shoot 52.7% from the field and were 7-18 from three-point range during the offensive onslaught.

Boiler Upload provides five takeaways from Purdue's victory heading into the season-opener next week.

The Boilermakers' new starting lineup got off to a fast start, figuratively and literally, with sophomore guard Rashunda Jones serving as the starting point guard on Tuesday night. Jones got the nod over fellow second-year guard Amiyah Reynolds, and led a furious pace for Katie Gearlds' offense.

The new philosophy helped lead to 20 fastbreak points for the Boilermakers.

"I mean, pushing tempo, I think that's when we played the best today. Like I said, first 10 of 11 trips down the floor were in transition. We got quick easy buckets. So just continuing to do that will be great," Sophie Swanson said.

Jones consistently pushed the ball down the floor, whether it was off a turnover, a rebound or even a made basket by Indiana Tech. The athletic guard opened things up for Purdue offensively, especially in the early going, helping them take a commanding lead in the first half.

Jones provides a different look from the point guard spot, one that perhaps offers a higher ceiling for the offense, while still playing suffocating defense, which is something Katie Gearlds has stressed coming into the year.

While she looked to facilitate early in the game, she was aggressive in finding her shot at times as well. Jones finished with 12 points on a perfect 6-6 shooting day, while dishing out four assists and coming away with a team-high three steals. She also had the highest +/- for the Boilermakers on the night, at 34. Her facilitating was infectious, with four other Boilermakers having three or more assists on the night, headlined by Ella Collier's five.

The overall speed of the offense has been a focal point for Purdue coming into the year, and it may have found the perfect point guard to do so in Rashunda Jones.

In the offensive explosion, the Boilermakers had a well-balanced attack that saw seven players reach double-figures and every player who saw the floor score. Katie Gearlds shared she was comfortable with all ten players who got minutes in the win.

"Even with the people on the bench, we still had one through 10 that, [I] felt really comfortable with them being out there," Gearlds said.

Sophomore guard Sophie Swanson and senior forward Reagan Bass carried the offensive load early in the night, both finishing with 13 points on a combined 56% shooting clip from the field. That tandem was expected to be among the highest scoring Boilermakers and this gives them confidence moving forward. There were a pair of strong showings that offer optimism for potential boosts off the bench, as well.

The most notable performances fitting into that category were that of Jayla Smith and Destini Lombard. The former tied a team-high with 15 points on 7-15 shooting, while also adding six rebounds and three assists. Smith has been a breakout candidate the last couple of years after showing signs of brilliance, mixed with inconsistencies.

Getting consistent play from the senior wing would be a massive boost for Gearlds and company this season.

"I think that's the Jayla we started to see at the end of the year, last year. And you know, someone who's starting to find her rhythm with a lot of new players," Gearlds said. "Her being kind of our lone holdover, I think she just wants to come out here and play as hard as she can and be the best player that Jayla can be."

Lombard has also surprised with her shooting ability after connecting on just 27% of her three-point attempts at Stephen F. Austin a season ago. She hit 2-4 attempts on Tuesday, scoring ten points off the bench.

Getting contributions out of the second unit will be key for Purdue this season, and Jayla Smith and Destini Lombard showed that they could serve in that role at times.

Just one freshman was in the starting lineup on Tuesday, but that rookie shined in her first career game with the Boilermakers. Lana McCarthy had been labeled as a potential difference maker and lived up to those expectations, turning in a 15-point, 15-rebound double-double in just 19 minutes.

Fellow bigs Reagan Bass and Kendall Puryear also turned in strong performances, with Bass tallying 13 points, eight rebounds and two blocks, and Puryear finishing with 11 points on 5-7 shooting and four rebounds.

The two freshmen did have some moments where inexperienced showed, combining for seven turnovers and McCarthy getting called for four fouls.

Katie Gearlds acknowledged the freshmen moments need to get cleaned up, but thinks the talent was evident on Tuesday.

"When the game does slow down for those guys, the talent is there, right? And the want to is there, and you can see it," Gearlds said. "They want to be great. They love playing here and playing for Purdue and playing with their teammates. So just got to keep working to get better."

"I made some common mistakes that, first game, freshman. So I'm trying to give myself a little grace just missed shots. But I think overall, it really made me more comfortable out there playing in front of fans in Mackey," McCarthy said.

Despite the miscues, Tuesday's level of production is exactly what Purdue is looking for out of what has become a thin front line.

Purdue came into Tuesday night shorthanded, due to injury troubles, as we already knew. The Boilermakers were already without freshman guard Jordyn Poole, sophomore guard McKenna Layden and junior forward Mila Reynolds. Another key piece of Purdue's roster did not participate, junior forward Alaina Harper.

Harper's absence, which does not have a reasoning or timetable yet, paired with Reynolds expected to miss extended time with a wrist injury, could put the Boilermakers in a tricky position moving forward. McCarthy and Puryear are still developing and are seemingly the lone centers.

If Harper is to miss extended time, it would create a thin front line for the Boilermakers, and potentially move Reagan Bass to the five at times if needed. The two freshmen will be thrown into the fire, however, and will have tough tests ahead with Notre Dame, South Carolina and Kentucky on the slate before conference play even starts.