Purdue has reached a new low in its frustrating season, dropping its fourth straight game on Saturday, falling to No. 25 Michigan 87-60 in Mackey Arena. The gauntlet that has been the open to Big Ten play for the Boilermakers, featuring five ranked opponents, saw Purdue go winless. Even more concerning is Purdue's average margin of defeat being 22.6 points during that stretch.
It is going on a month since the last time Purdue found itself in the win column, an 87-68 victory over Indiana State on December 21st.
Katie Gearlds opted to change the starting lineup on Saturday in search for a better start to the game, inserting Jordyn Poole and Kendall Puryear in favor of Amiyah Reynolds and Lana McCarthy into the starting five, but the result proved to be the same as it has been all year.
Michigan jumped out to an early lead in Mackey Arena, using a 7-0 run to take a 13-4 advantage with 6:41 to play in the opening frame, behind eight points from Mila Holloway in the early going.
Purdue saw that deficit reach as much as 11 in the first quarter, thanks in part to a three-and-a-half minute scoreless drought from the 5:05 mark to the 1:35 mark. That allowed Michigan to take a 22-11 advantage.
The Boilermakers shot just 31% in the opening frame, compared to a 62% mark from the Wolverines, which included a 3-7 clip from three-point range. The stark difference handed Michigan a 26-16 lead after ten minutes of play.
Purdue saw a relatively manageable deficit grow as Michigan imposed its will in the second quarter. An 11-0 run, lead by Syla Swords and Olivia Olson, extended the Wolverines' lead to 43-23 at the 3:40 mark. That was helped by a near five minute scoreless drought for the Boilermakers, who shot just 4-14 from the field and had seven turnovers in the second quarter.
After taking a 21-point lead into halftime, Michigan then began pouring it on in the third quarter. The Wolverines connected on three triples in the opening 90 seconds of the second half, followed by another layup, to extend the lead to 30.
Purdue cut the lead down to 25 with 3:57 left in the third quarter, but is was far too little and far too late for any such miracle bid. The Wolverines were able to coast to a 27-point victory with ease down the stretch.
Katie Gearlds' group was held to 36% shooting from the field and under 30% from three-point range, as well as having 18 turnovers in the lopsided defeat.
Purdue was led by Rashunda Jones, who had a team-high 11 points, which included a 7-8 mark from the free throw line, to go along with another team-high three assists and four rebounds. Kendall Puryear was the only other Boilermaker to reach double-figures, doing so for the fourth time in her career. The freshman forward tallied ten points and two rebounds in her first career start.
Destini Lombard and Reagan Bass were held in check for most of the afternoon, combining for 14 points on 4-14 shooting from the field. The transfer tandem was also held to just two points in the second half, with zero field goals.
Michigan's Olivia Olson and Mila Holloway did the most damage in Mackey Arena, combining for 39 points on an efficient 12-23 shooting from the field, including a 6-13 mark from three-point range.
Purdue will travel to the West Coast next week to welcome a pair of Big Ten newcomers to the conference, playing Oregon on Wednesday, followed by Washington next Saturday.
