Purdue took care of business in Mackey Arena on Thursday, earning a lopsided 100-58 win over SIU Edwardsville.
Tonight's win pushed Purdue to 3-0 to start the season for the fifth time in the last six seasons.
SIU Edwardsville opened up the game with a three from the wing, then Purdue started their takeover. After the first bucket, the Boilermakers went on an outrageous 33-6 run. Purdue tied a program record for most points in an opening quarter with 29.
The catalyst behind the Boilermakers' fast start was on the defensive end. Lasha Petree and Jayla Smith were jumping passing lanes and setting up easy fast break points. Purdue forced seven turnovers in the first quarter and converted them into 13 points.
For a team that likes to push the basketball in transition, it allowed the Boilermakers to play to their strengths.
"When we get teams to turn the ball over, and they're live ball turnovers, I think we've got a lot of scorers in transition who can get to the basket like we talked about with Lasha, Jayla, and Abbey," Gearlds said about turning defense into offense.
Purdue turned in their best defensive half of the season, holding the Cougars to just 20% shooting from the field and allowing only 19 heading into the second half.
The Boilermakers had three players with three or more steals for the game; Lasha Petree with three, then Jeanae Terry and Jayla Smith with four each.
Offensively, the explosive start was led by Abbey Ellis. The senior scored a team-high 15 points in the first half. Purdue shot 66.7% from the field as a team in the half.
Ellis said of her performance, "It's a great feeling. I kinda felt it today, and the last few days, I was feeling more like myself at practice and playing a bit more freely. So I was ready to come in today, and I knew the team we played today I could get out in transition, and that's my thing."
The Boilermakers put this game out of reach before halftime as they went into the break holding a 52-19 lead over the Cougars.
SIU Edwardsville came out in the second half and went on an 11-0 against the Boilermakers. After a Katie Gearlds timeout and line change earlier in the third quarter, Purdue put together a 10-2 scoring run of their own.
"Sometimes, unfortunately it's human nature to kind of let your foot off the gas. We just talk about maturing as a basketball team and making sure those moments don't happen." Gearlds said.
From that point on, Purdue coasted to the finish line en route to a 42-point win. The winning margin is the largest for the Boilermakers under coach Katie Gearlds and tied for the largest since the 2019-20 season when Purdue beat Chattanooga 66-34.
The Boilermakers had 42 points off 25 turnovers for the game. In their first two games of the season against Marshall and Murray State, they had 30 combined.
Four Boilermakers finished in double-figures, all scoring 15 or more for the game; Abbey Ellis, Jeanae Terry, Lasha Petree, and Caitlyn Harper.
Ellis scored a career-high during her time with Purdue, finishing the night with 29 points on an efficient 9-11 shooting performance. Ellis scored 5 points in her season debut against Murray State after returning from a shoulder injury but found her rhythm tonight.
Jeanae Terry had been more of a facilitator to start the season but came out aggressively offensively tonight. She had a season-high 17 points on 6-9 shooting from the field to go along with seven rebounds and four assists.
"I think she's a player that just kind of plays in the moment. I think she does what her team needs her to do." Katie Gearlds said of Jeanae Terry's scoring output, "Today I think she found herself in transition a little bit using her body against smaller guards."
Even with scoring 100 points, the Boilermakers shot just 5-17 from three-point range in the game. However, they shot 66.7% on two-point field goals to make up for it.
Purdue will be back in action against Indiana State on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. before they head to Mexico for the Cancun Challenge next week.
