Women's basketball: Purdue falls to Penn State 93-88 on Senior Night
Purdue women's basketball dropped its home finale on Tuesday night, falling 93-88 to Penn State to put a damper on what was shaping up to be a special Senior Night. Tuesday marked the final home game for seniors Caitlyn Harper, Abbey Ellis, Madison Layden and Jeanae Terry, who missed out on a proper send off in what was their last time gracing Keady Court.
The defeat pushed Purdue to 12-16 on the season and 5-12 in conference play with one game to go before the Big Ten Tournament, which is the lone matchup of the season with Michigan on Sunday night.
It was a fast paced game from the opening tip as Purdue got off to a strong start for a second straight game, including Madison Layden knocking down back-to-back triples to make it a 7-6 game just over two minutes into the opening frame.
After being outpaced in the first four minutes and falling behind 13-8, Purdue outscored the Nittany Lions 11-5 over the next four minutes to take a 19-18 lead at the 1:59 mark of the first quarter. It was a balance attack as five different Boilermakers scored during the stretch.
Penn State closed the quarter strong with a pair of layups to take a 22-20 lead into the second quarter. Shay Ciezki paced the Nittany Lions, who shot 52% from the field, with nine points.
The second quarter was another back and forth affair that saw Penn State build on its lead heading into the break.
Caitlyn Harper began turning up the heat for the Boilermakers in what turned out to be one of her best performances in a Purdue uniform, scoring six points in the quarter, while Sophie Swanson and Abbey Ellis combined for nine.
After Swanson tied things up at 38-38 with 4:11 to play, the Nittany Lions closed the half on a 9-2 run to take a 47-40 lead into halftime.
Harper and Madison Layden kept Purdue afloat for most of the first half, combining for 19 points. Layden also accounted for three of the Boilermakers' four connections from three-point range, while the rest of the team was just 1-10.
Penn State maintained a seven point lead through the first two minutes of the second half before the Boilermakers cane rumbling back into the game. Caitlyn Harper kickstarted a 6-0 run to cut the lead to one before Abbey Ellis scored five straight just minutes later to tie things up at 57-57 with 4:39 to play in the quarter.
The Nittany Lions responded with a 6-0 run before Caitlyn Harper had a 5-0 run of her own to close the gap once again, but Penn State fending off the Boilermakers' run to preserve a three-point advantage after three quarters.
The lead changed hands five times in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter as the quartet of Purdue seniors fought to keep the Boilermakers in the game. Penn State put together a 6-0 run to build the lead back up to eight with less than a minute to play but a string of missed free throws allowed Purdue to creep back into the game and cut the deficit to three inside of ten seconds remaining.
Purdue was unable to make enough of a dent, however, after finishing the game 3-12 from the field. Ashley Owusu put the final nail in the coffin of the Boilermakers, knocking down a pair of free throws with six seconds to play and ultimately handing Purdue a Senior Night defeat.
Despite the loss, Caitlyn Harper saved her best performance for last with the Boilermakers. The sixth-year forward had a game-high 29 points, which is the most during her time in West Lafayette, on 12-16 shooting while also coming down with eight rebounds. It was a special night that wound up being marred by an injury that forced Harper to miss the final four minutes of the game and potentially the rest of the year, depending on the severity.
Abbey Ellis and Madison Layden also turned in solid showings on Senior Night scoring 18 and 16 points respectively. Layden surpassed the 1,000-point threshold in the defeat and had a season-high seven assists. Ellis scored in double-figures for a fifth straight game, averaging over 18 points per game during that stretch.
The final senior being honored on Tuesday night turned in a vintage performance, which was one Purdue has come to expect. Jeanae Terry posted another non-point double-double, finishing with 15 rebounds, ten assists and seven points.
Standout freshmen Mary Ashley Stevenson and Sophie Swanson, who had been coming on strong of late, struggled against the Nittany Lions. Swanson had 10 points, but was just 4-15 from the field while Stevenson had three points on only three field goal attempts.
Purdue won the rebounding battle 41-32, which included 17 offensive rebounds leading to 23 second chance points. That is despite the Boilermakers being behind in the shooting department, allowing the Nittany Lions to shoot 56% from the field and 40% from three-point range.