Women's Basketball: No. 17 Michigan 80, Purdue 59
Purdue women's basketball fell to No. 17 Michigan in Mackey Arena on Tuesday evening, 80-59. The Boilermakers have now dropped back-to-back games after starting the season 11-3.
Katie Gearlds made a significant change to the starting lineup as she brought leading scorer Lasha Petree off the bench against the Wolverines.
After the game, Gearlds said Purdue needs to "find their identity at the start of games" as the reason Petree did not start.
Michigan got out to a fast start and quickly took a 13-2 lead at the 4:43 mark of the first quarter. Leigha Brown and Laila Phelia led an 11-0 run for the Wolverines.
After three minutes without points, Caitlyn Harper and Madison Layden hit threes on back-to-back possessions to cut into the Wolverines' lead. Purdue closed the first quarter on an 8-2 run over the last two minutes.
The Wolverines were on fire in the first quarter, shooting 60% from the field and 3-5 from three-point range.
In the second quarter, Purdue had to battle back again after seeing the deficit reach seven. The Boilermakers had only one basket through the first five minutes of the quarter. Madison Layden again kickstarted a Boilermaker response by knocking down another three.
The junior guard kept the Boilermakers in the game throughout the first 20 minutes. Layden led Purdue with 11 of her season-high 16 in the first half on an efficient 4-5 shooting, including three three-pointers.
Purdue also kept the ranked Wolverines within striking distance by forcing 9 Michigan turnovers. A late bucket by leading scorer Emily Kiser gave Michigan a four-point lead heading into halftime.
Similar to the first quarter, Michigan came out of halftime with a strong start. After trading baskets, the Wolverines went on a 10-0 run to take a commanding 12-point lead.
Over the course of that run, Purdue was held scoreless for nearly five minutes before Madison Layden stopped the bleeding with her fourth three of the game.
Purdue was just 2-11 from the field in the third quarter and scored 9 points, while Michigan picked up the pace offensively and outscored the Boilermakers by 12.
The Wolverines continued their dominant half in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach. Purdue saw a deficit they had cut to one balloon up to as much as 22 in the second half.
Michigan's three-headed monster consisting of Emily Kiser, Laila Phelia, and Leigha Brown, led the way. The trio combined for 55 of the Wolverines' 80 points on the night.
Purdue also fell behind in rebounding, as Michigan grabbed 33 to the Boilermakers' 20. The Wolverines also turned 11 offensive rebounds into 20 second-chance points.
The Boilermakers now sit at 11-5 on the season and 2-4 in Big Ten play. Purdue will look to bounce back in a trip to Evanston to take on Northwestern on Saturday.