Women's Basketball: Purdue 64, Illinois State 51
Purdue women’s basketball used a strong fourth quarter to beat Illinois State 64-51 Sunday afternoon in Mackey Arena. The Boilermakers wrapped up their home schedule for the rest of the calendar year with a win.
Heading into the game, Purdue was without its fourth-leading scorer Madison Layden. Layden is also second on the team in rebounds and assists behind Jeanae Terry.
After the game, Katie Gearlds said Layden was just “under the weather” and that she does not anticipate her missing more time.
Sunday’s matchup came on the heels of Purdue’s buzzer-beater loss at the hands of Maryland on Thursday. The Boilermakers looked like they let the effects of that defeat creep into the game today.
The Boilermakers had trouble breaking the Illinois State defense out of the gates. The Boilermakers shot 38.5% from the field and 0-5 from three-point range. The Redbirds did not allow Katie Gearlds’ team to get out in transition very often, which is a calling card of this Purdue team.
Purdue matched Illinois State’s defensive intensity to keep it a low-scoring affair throughout the first half. The Boilermakers forced a turnover on six consecutive possessions in the first quarter when they were having trouble scoring themselves.
Those struggles continued in the second quarter for the Boilermakers as they started just 1-8 from the field in the quarter. Illinois State took a 23-19 lead with a Paige Robinson three at the 2:07 mark and looked to be taking momentum into the break.
The Redbirds held leading scorer Lasha Petree in check throughout the first half. Petree scored only four points and was 0-3 from the field. Purdue has struggled at times this season when Petree has not been scoring at her normal rate.
Jeanae Terry stepped up in the first half and took on more of a scoring role with the Boilermakers struggling. Terry scored all 9 of her points in the first 20 minutes to keep Purdue afloat.
Ava Learn got the Purdue offense going after hitting a jumper from the baseline with 1:37 left in half. Abbey Ellis then drew a charge on the defensive end, and the Boilermakers scored on their next two possessions to take a 25-23 lead at halftime.
Purdue responded with a stronger second-half performance offensively. Lasha Petree, Abbey Ellis, and Jayla Smith were at the forefront of that turnaround. That trio combined for 14 of Purdue’s 16 points in the third quarter.
Cassidy Hardin and Jayla Smith got the lid off the basket with their three-pointers in the second half that seemed to get Purdue going offensively.
As a team, the Boilermakers shot 66% from the field, including 2-3 from three-point range. Illinois State was able to keep things within reach as Purdue turned it over 6 times in the quarter.
Purdue held the Redbirds to 29% shooting from the field, but Illinois State was 13-16 from the free throw line, which helped them stay in the game for most of the second half.
After a pair of shaky fourth quarters in the last two games, Purdue used a solid final quarter today to secure a win. Purdue looked like the team people have been used to seeing through the first 10 games of the season.
The Boilermakers were 9-14 from the field in the fourth quarter and had a well-balanced offensive attack. Six players scored in the final quarter, led by Petree and Cassidy Hardin, who had five points each.
Troubles with turnovers had plagued Purdue the last two games, but the Boilermakers slightly improved that number today. They had 18 turnovers on the game, after coughing it up 30 and 22 times against Michigan State and Maryland, respectively.
Every player who saw the court tonight scored at least five points, with Lasha Petree leading the team in scoring with 14 points. Petree was the only Boilermaker in double-figures, but Jeanae Terry and Abbey Ellis each scored 9 in the win.
Purdue will go on the road next time out for its final non-conference game of the season. The Boilermakers will travel down to College Station to take on 4-4 Texas A&M on December 21st before resuming Big Ten play against Iowa a week later.