Women's Basketball: Purdue 65, Northwestern 54

On Saturday afternoon, Purdue women's basketball went on the road to pick up a 65-54 win over Northwestern. The Boilermakers snapped a two-game losing streak after dropping games against Penn State and Michigan.

Purdue's offense sputtered early in the game, which has been a common theme during the Boilermakers' struggles this season. Purdue got out to an 8-2 lead less than three minutes into the game but shot only 35% from the field in the first quarter.

The defense of Katie Gearlds' group picked up the slack and held Northwestern to just nine first-quarter points and forced 9 of the Wildcats' 17 first-half turnovers early in the game.

The Boilermakers got it going offensively in the second quarter behind sophomore Jayla Smith's 6 points. Purdue shot 53% from the field and got contributions from Cassidy Hardin and Abbey Ellis in the quarter.

Purdue got out to a 30-16 lead at the 3:20 mark of the second quarter after a Caitlyn Harper layup and looked to be in complete control of the game.Northwestern then responded with a furious comeback. The Wildcats went on a 13-0 run to close the first half and cut a 15-point Purdue lead to just one heading into halftime.

After a solid start in the first half, Abbey Ellis exploded coming out of the break. The senior transfer scored 12 points in the third quarter, including two threes. Ellis has provided a spark throughout the season and did so again this afternoon, finishing with a game-high 24 points on the day.

Ellis led a run late in the third quarter that saw the Purdue lead reach 9 with 1:37 left before Northwestern scored to make it a 6-point game going into the fourth quarter.

Purdue carried some momentum into the fourth quarter to coast to a victory. While the Boilermakers struggled shooting in the final quarter, the defense proved to be the deciding factor down the stretch.

Northwestern had 11 points in the quarter and made only three field goal attempts. Purdue was 4-17 from the field but hit 7-10 free throws and leaned on its defense to close out the win.

Purdue moves to 12-5 on the season and 3-4 during Big Ten play. The Boilermakers had lost three of their last four and struggled as conference play began. They will look to continue their winning ways against Nebraska on January 18th in Mackey Arena. The Cornhuskers have lost four of their last five games and are 11-7 on the season.