Women's basketball - Purdue drops second straight, falls to Maryland 88-66
Purdue women's basketball dropped its second straight game on Sunday afternoon, falling to Maryland 88-66 in College Park. The scheduled game between the Boilermakers and Terrapins was postponed last weekend after a facilities issue.
Katie Gearlds and company were coming off a lopsided defeat at the hands of No. 3 Iowa in Mackey Arena earlier in the week. The Boilermakers now drop to 9-7 on the year and 2-3 in Big Tej play after Sunday’s defeat.
The Boilermakers came out on the right foot, securing an early 12-9 lead behind a strong start from Abbey Ellis and Mary Ashley Stevenson, each having four points in the first six minutes of the afternoon.
Maryland punched back in the first quarter, starting with a brief 4-0 run, followed by a 7-0 run after a Jeanae Terry jumper fell for the Boilermakers to regain the lead. Jakia Brown-Turner and Bri McDaniel both helped guide the Terrapins surge, scoring eight points apiece in the first quarter.
Terry used a pair of buckets in the latter half of the quarter to keep Purdue within range, and making it a 20-17 deficit after ten minutes. The well-rounded guard continued her uptick in the scoring department, dropping seven points in the first half.
Despite 50% shooting in the opening frame, the Boilermakers were unable to take a lead over the Terrapins, due in large part to seven turnovers in the first ten minutes. That later turned into 15 first half turnovers as the Boilermakers began to fall further behind.
Maryland continued its strong finish from the first quarter into the second, outscoring Purdue 17-5 in the first four minutes of the quarter en route to taking a commanding lead. The stretch was capped off by an 8-0 run to give the Terrapins a 37-22 advantage with 6:01 to play in the half.
Abbey Ellis helped limit the damage with five points in the closing minutes of the second quarter, adding to her team-high nine in the half. After a McKenna Layden three closed the gap to 11, Maryland got another score to help keep distance from the Boilermakers.
The Terrapins were able to turn turnovers into points to build their lead throughout the first half, scoring 17 points off turnovers and having 11 fast break points in the first 20 minutes.
The Boilermakers came out looking like a different team for the early portion of the third quarter, going on a 10-3 run in just over two minutes of game action. Madison Layden knocked down a pair of threes to cap off the run and cutting the once 15-point Maryland lead to just five. The senior sharpshooter had 11 in the quarter, connecting on all three of her three-point attempts in the process.
Purdue's second wind was short lived as the Terrapins, behind Bri McDaniel, regained control and extended its advantage to 18 heading into the final frame. That lead expanded to as much as 22 in the fourth quarter as Maryland coasted to another home win and sending the Boilermakers home losers of their last two.
The Boilermakers were led by Madison Layden (14) and Caitlyn Harper (13) in the scoring department, while each did most of their damage in the second half. The veteran duo combined for 27 points in the final 20 minutes of action after being held to just four points in the first half.
Additionally, Abbey Ellis was the only other Boilermaker to reach double-figures in the loss, reaching 10 points for the 15th time this season. The senior guard also added four assists against the Terps.
Purdue’s turnover troubles were headlined by the duo of Jeanae Terry and Mary Ashley Stevenson, who had ten of Purdue’s 18 turnovers on the day.