Defense, balanced attack lead Purdue women's basketball past Duquesne in WNIT
With four players in double figures, the Boilermakers advanced to the Great 8 of the postseason tournament following Thursday's 71-50 victory at Mackey Arena
NOTE: The date/location of the next round won’t be announced until after Friday’s matchup between Colgate and Vermont.
How the Boilermakers advanced to the Great 8 round of the WNIT before a crowd of 2,531 at Mackey Arena:
SMITH SHINES … AGAIN
Where has this version of Jayla Smith been all season? Timing is everything and Smith has resurrected her play as the Boilermakers look to make a push in the postseason. Smith scored 11 points in Monday’s second-round victory at Butler but backed up that performance with a season-high 15 points – all in the second half. Her nine points to start the fourth quarter stretched the advantage to 18 points with over five minutes to play and sealed it for Purdue to advance.
EARLY SPARK FROM DUO
Abbey Ellis and Mary Ashley Stevenson kept the Boilermakers afloat early with a combined nine points in the first quarter and the duo totaled 22 in the first 20 minutes to build the lead to 29-22. More players were involved offensively after halftime, as Rashunda Jones scored six, and Smith was just getting started. Purdue overcame early shooting woes to convert on 40.6% from the field and make seven 3-pointers. Balance was the key on offense as four players reached double figures. Ellis had 15 points, moving closer to 2,000 for her career, and Sophie Swanson scored 14, including four 3-pointers. Stevenson totaled 13 points and nine rebounds.
DEFENSE DICTATES
While Purdue took time to discover its offensive rhythm, the defense and rebounding were there all night. Once the Boilermakers limited the Dukes in transition and forced them into the halfcourt, coach Katie Gearlds’ team imposed its will. Duquesne made only 28.1% of its shots and was just 5 of 26 from 3-point range as Purdue was a force defensively. The Boilermakers also took advantage of 17 turnovers and controlled the rebounding most of the night. While the struggles on offense were prevalent, crashing the offensive boards kept Purdue ahead. It had 11 offensive rebounds leading to 16 points. Ellis, Smith, Stevenson and Jones had multiple rebounds on the offensive end. As usual, Jeanae Terry continues to be a menace on the boards, pulling down 11 – her sixth straight double-figure rebounding game.