By the numbers: How Purdue women's basketball overcame 25 turnovers to snap two-game losing streak
The Boilermakers leaned on their four transfers and 3-point shooting to pull away from Miami (Ohio)
OXFORD, Ohio - How five numbers shaped Tuesday’s 67-51 victory at Millett Hall.
50 SECONDS
The 13-point lead dwindled to one three minutes into the fourth quarter, and coach Katie Gearlds’ team needed to stop turning the ball over and hit shots.
Enter Ella Collier. Enter Destini Lombard.
Collier’s 3-pointer from the left wing at the 5:31 mark and Lombard’s high-arching basket from nearly the same spot with 4:41 to play gave the Boilermakers a seven-point lead.
The RedHawks pulled within five with 3:15 left, but the big baskets from Collier and Lombard provided enough breathing room.
“Those were both huge 3s,” said Collier, who was 5 of 6 from the field and finished with 12 points. “We were matching each other a lot, especially in the fourth quarter, and those six points helped us pull away. We were able to get stops on defense and broke it open from there.”
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But credit Kendall Puryear for being active in the post and demanding attention from the defense. The RedHawks were compelled to cheat toward Puryear, giving Collier and Lombard clean looks.
Purdue shot the ball well throughout the game. The problem? Not enough chances because of the 25 turnovers. The Boilermakers attempted 44 field goals but shot 50% for the game and 59% in the second half.
If you cut the turnovers in half, there are 12 or 13 more field goal attempts, which, based on how Purdue was shooting, would equal 12 to 18 points. But the game didn’t play out that way.
“We just talked about it - 25 times, we didn't even get a shot,” Gearlds said. “It was their pressure. They sped us up, they rattled us. They've had 12 days to prep for what you would probably think is their national championship game.”
24
Collier played all but 15 seconds in the fourth quarter. Lombard, Reagan Bass, and Mahri Petree didn’t come off the floor during the final 10 minutes.
What do those four players have in common? They’re transfers who joined the program in the offseason. The experience and leadership kicked in, and the Boilermakers avoided an embarrassing loss.
Here’s what the foursome contributed in the fourth quarter - 24 of the 28 points on 7 of 11 field goals, including 4 of 4 from 3-point range, six free throws, five rebounds and five assists. And Purdue had two turnovers after starting the fourth quarter with 23.
Lombard led the way with 16 points, her ninth double-figure scoring game.
“We need these guys,” Gearlds said. “We talked to them when we recruited them and told them, ‘Your job is to come here and teach these young ones how to handle situations. This is their first road game, right?”
Purdue played two neutral-site games in Florida, but Tuesday was the first time on an opponent’s home court. The crowd wasn’t a factor — the announced attendance was 639 — but the surroundings and environment were a new experience.
“I don't think all four of us have played together much,” Collier said. “It was good to see what we brought to the table. Once we play against the bigger schools, and if we need that to happen, we can bring that against those teams as well.”
18
Rashunda Jones did a little bit of everything.
She scored, finishing with 11 points. She grabbed seven rebounds, helping Purdue get into its offense. She handed out five assists. She made three steals. And took one big charge.
Jones earned an efficiency rating of 18, the highest of any player in Tuesday’s game. The sophomore guard has been playing well off the bench and prevented Tuesday’s game from falling apart until the transfers took over.
“She made a couple of plays to start the second half where she got sped up and hurried a little bit and turned the ball over but then took the massive charge,” Gealrds said. “You can tell when she gets tired, that's when things start to go the other way.
“I’ve got to do a better job of giving her a break, but her ability to handle the ball and handle the pressure, and then guard (Tamar Singer) and (Enjulina Gonzalez), who was cooking us pretty good, this was massive for (Jones).”
Gonzalez finished with 18 points, and Singer scored 13.
18:25
Tuesday was Petree’s second game after not playing in the previous four. She wasn’t on the trip to Florida, missing matchups against Middle Tennessee and South Carolina for personal reasons, and didn’t see action against Maine and Maryland.
She played 15 minutes in last weekend’s loss to Kentucky.
But Petree’s 18 minutes against the RedHawks were significant. She finished with eight points, hitting two 3-pointers, pulling down three rebounds, and adding one assist.
“Honestly, I always want to be in a position to help my team win,” Petree said. “To be able to be in a position to do that, I was very proud and very grateful.”
Petree was one of two players who didn’t commit a turnover on a night sloppy play was the main takeaway until the fourth quarter.
“They threw a little jab at us with the pressure,” Petree said. “We can handle that. We’ve just got to have our minds right.”
Gearlds said Petree “played within herself” and didn’t get fancy and out of control.
“She's been great,” Gearlds said. “She missed a couple of games and came back with a clear mind. She’s been an awesome teammate, even when she didn't play or had limited minutes. She's been locked in. She's been a great leader on the bench, and we needed her today.”
72.7
The Boilermakers countered the 25 turnovers with pinpoint shooting from the 3-point line.
The fourth-quarter shooting from beyond the arc created the separation to seal the win, but the 8 of 11 3-point shooting helped limit the damage caused by the turnovers.
The shooting percentage from the 3-point line ranks among the top five single-game performances in program history, and the eight 3-pointers matched a season high.
NEXT FIVE GAMES
Saturday: Indiana State, 2 p.m. (B1G+)
Dec. 29: at Iowa, 3 p.m. (B1G+)
Jan. 1: at Michigan State, 2 p.m. (B1G+)
Jan. 7: UCLA, 7 p.m. (BTN)
Jan. 11: Michigan, 2 p.m. (B1G+)