Indiana 77, Purdue women's basketball 57: Hoosiers pounce early again, sending Boilermakers to 13th straight loss in series
Sunday's loss and Rutgers' victory over Penn State knocks the Boilermakers out of consideration for the Big Ten tournament
Quick takeaways from Mackey Arena:
• No Big Ten tournament. The loss and Rutgers’ win over Penn State eliminated the Boilermakers, who finished 3-15 in conference play. Unless there’s a postseason tournament that will take a 10-19 team, the offseason is underway.
• The losing streak to the Hoosiers is now 13. Is there an end in sight? Not at this time.
• Another quick knockout punch by the Hoosiers against the Boilermakers. Two weeks ago, Indiana led 20-2 and held a 30-10 lead after the first quarter. On Sunday, the Hoosiers used a 22-2 run in the first quarter to take control. They led by 15 after the first quarter and held a pair of 17-point leads in the second quarter. Purdue played the Hoosiers even after the first 10 minutes, but then again, the pressure was off. The Boilermakers haven’t been able to play from behind all season. Sunday was no different.
• Great opportunity for the Boilermakers when Chole Moore-McNeil picked up her third foul 13 minutes into the game. She’s the one that makes IU go at both ends. It was a surprise coach Teri Moren left Moore-McNeil with two fouls in the first quarter, and it was a shock to see her still on the floor in the second period. You can see it as a sign of disrespect for Purdue that McNeil was still in the game, knowing the Boilermakers couldn’t capitalize on the situation. McNeil picked up her fourth foul in the third and was a non-factor when this game was in doubt.
• Purdue had the advantage inside with Lana McCarthy and Kendall Puryear. The offense kept pushing the ball inside to McCarthy, who had plenty of opportunities but was 3 of 8 shooting in the first half. She hustled after her missed shots, but the Boilermakers couldn’t convert, inside or on the perimeter. McCarthy’s free throw shooting form has improved in the second half of the Big Ten season. Give her credit for fixing a clear weakness in her game. She scored in double figures for the second straight game.
MORE: Box score | Chad Krockover Photography | Dave Wegiel Photography | Mark Elsner Photography |
• IU’s defense smothered the Boilermakers for the most part. They weren’t sharp with their cuts, and too much standing played into the Hoosiers’ hands. Purdue needed to push the tempo more to find some easy baskets. Of course, IU’s defense is 100 times better than Penn State, which allowed 92 points to the Boilermakers on Thursday. Purdue shot 36.5% from the field and made just 5 of 23 from 3-point range.
• While the offense struggled, the defense had too many breakdowns. Too many open shooters, and Sydney Parrish, Yarden Garzon, and Shay Cieski enjoyed big days. The Hoosiers shot over 50%, and the trio combined for 53 points and made seven 3-pointers. Parrish had 20 points, putting the ball on the floor and getting the basket, and hitting perimeter shots. Parrish’s aggression on offense was a difference.
• The offensive stars from Thursday’s win struggled. Rashunda Jones had 32 at Penn State but didn’t score until 8:30 left in the third quarter. Sophie Swanson, who scored 29 on Thursday, was just 1 of 6 shooting midway through the third quarter. Swanson rushed a lot of her shots because of IU’s pressure. They found some offense midway through the third quarter, helping fuel a 9-0 run to close the gap to 10, but the Hoosiers answered with seven straight points. Swanson had 11, and Jones finished with nine.
VIDEO: Purdue Athletics Communications
Regarding Katie: I asked if she's been given assurances that she'll be back next year.
"Feel good about that, Mike," Gearlds said.
She signed a contract extension in the spring and there's a $2 million buyout before June 30.
I'll have more about what's next for the team and program Monday.
As for me: TBA. We'll see how things shake out in the offseason and what I want to do with this site. We'll leave it there for now.
Appreciate your comments.
First off I want to say thanks to Mike Carmin for the great articles he puts out each week. I know that it is a lot of work and want to say very good job and I hope that you come back next year. People may think this is an easy task— well I beg to differ— it can be very demanding and time consuming. I usually write a comment every week— that’s easy— it’s not what mike has to go thru to get all the info and then write an article about it—-so— hats off to you and I wish even more success in the future. If it wasn’t for his article every week— I’d be lost—so—-THANK YOU