Women's basketball: Purdue routs Wisconsin behind offensive outburst
Purdue women's basketball notched its first win of the Big Ten slate, picking up a lopsided 89-50 victory over Wisconsin on Saturday night. The Boilermakers were guided by an offensive outburst, combined with a forgettable outing on the flip side by the Badgers' attack. Katie Gearlds and company improve to 8-5 on the season and 1-1 during conference play heading into the new year.
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The party started early in Mackey Arena as Madison Layden knocked down wide open threes on back-to-back possessions to give the Boilermakers some early juice before Caitlyn Harper extended Purdue's lead to 10-1 at the 6:50 mark of the first quarter. The two seniors combined to go on an 8-0 run on their lonesome as the Boilermakers took a commanding lead in the opening frame.
Wisconsin started the game 0-6 from the field, getting its first bucket to fall at the 3:42 mark of the first quarter. The struggles came after leading scorer and rebounder Serah Williams (averaging 16.1 points and nine rebounds) was ruled out of the Big Ten clash with an illness. The Badgers snapped out of their funk in the closing minutes of the quarter after Purdue had taken a 20-5 lead.
Seniors Abbey Ellis and Madison Layden helped lead the way in the early going, combining for 13 of Purdue's 23 points in the opening frame, including all three connections from beyond the arc. The Boilermakers took a 23-11 lead into the second quarter.
The rebounding edge was a large part in limiting Wisconsin's opportunities as well, with the Boilermakers outrebounding the Badgers 14-7 in the first ten minutes.
Purdue came out firing in the second quarter as well, kicking things off by getting out on a 10-0 run behind Mary Ashley Stevenson and Jeanae Terry. The duo combined for all ten points, with the typically facilitating-minded Terry finding her jumper en route to six points in the quarter. That run extended the Purdue lead to 22 points with over six minutes left before halftime.
Wisconsin attempted to stop the bleeding in the final three minutes of the first half, hitting four straight free throws before Purdue closed the opening 20 minutes on a high note behind five points from Caitlyn Harper. Harper contributed to Purdue's 24-6 advantage over Wisconsin in points in the paint in the first half.
The Boilermakers were extremely balanced on the offensive end of the floor, having five players score six or more points in the first half. The aforementioned Harper led the way with 14 points on a perfect 6-6 clip, while Stevenson and Ellis both chipped in nine points apiece as the Boilermakers held a 47-23 advantage into halftime.
That momentum did not subside in the second half with Purdue outscoring the Badgers 10-3 in the first four minutes of the third quarter. Madison Layden started the run with a wide open layup and then capped it off the by knocking down her third three-pointer of the night, which also moved her into 10th place all-time in three-pointers made in program history. Following the connection, Purdue extended its lead to 33.
Freshmen Sophie Swanson and Rashunda Jones got things going in the final four minutes of the third quarter, as Swanson knocked down a pair of jumpers and Jones scored her first points since December 3rd. After a Wisconsin layup with 3:26 to play, Purdue went on a 10-0 run to take a 38 point lead into the final frame.
The Boilermakers coasted to their second win in a row in the fourth quarter, extending the lead to as much as 44 points. Purdue now gets into the thick of its Big Ten slate, hosting Rutgers on Tuesday before a roadtrip to Maryland next weekend.
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