No. 21 Michigan State 77, Purdue women's basketball 59: Takeaways

First-half turnovers doomed the Boilermakers, who dropped to 0-3 in Big Ten action with No. 1 UCLA coming to Mackey Arena on Tuesday

Thoughts from Wednesday’s loss at the Breslin Center:

• It’s the most disappointing first-half performance of the season based on the opponent. The Boilermakers were overwhelmed in the first 20 minutes and trailed by 27 at intermission. They picked it up after halftime, but it was too late. We’ll see if the toughness element carries over into the rest of the season because Purdue can’t afford any more outings similar to this one.

• The Spartans are ranked and won their first 11 games to start the season, but they won’t factor in the Big Ten race. Purdue and Michigan State should be closer to even compared to the lopsided first-half result. It’s one thing to get pounded by Notre Dame, South Carolina, and Kentucky, but getting run out of the gym by the Spartans is disturbing. The Boilermakers just weren’t competitive through the first two quarters. MSU was quicker to the ball, showing more hustle and finished with 18 steals. The Spartans force a lot of turnovers and that contributed to the woes but not every mistake was caused by the defense. The Boilermakers were careless and lacked focus and concentration, allowing the Spartans to take control of the game, both physically and mentally.

“The first quarter, we were scoring the basketball,” Purdue coach Katie Gearlds said on her postgame radio show. “I think we counted seven 50-50 balls that we didn't come up with. That's something we preach. Just 50-50 balls. We miss a box out and give up an offensive rebound, and we're not the first to the floor.

“I thought in the second half we were a little bit tougher, and that's the only thing we challenged them on - just be tougher because it is in them.”

Purdue and Katie Gearlds fall to 7-7 after Wednesday’s loss (Chad Krockover Photography)

• The second quarter numbers were depressing. Only three points on 1 of 12 shooting. No points in the final eight minutes before halftime. Eight turnovers after committing 10 in the first quarter. It allowed the Spartans to build a 48-21 halftime advantage.

“This stretch has been tough for us, but we are getting better,” Gearlds said. “You see moments of it. Even in the second quarter, when we didn't score, we didn't turn it over as much. We were just intimidated a little bit when we did get open shots. We're shooting it to shoot it instead of shooting to make it.

“In the second half, we were a little bit more intentional. And that's the stuff we have to carry for our ball club in a really tough stretch. We've got to find a way to keep grinding.”

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• To shake things up, Gearlds sent Amiyah Reynolds, Mahri Petree, Ella Collier, Kendall Puryear, and Lana McCarthy to start the second half. Regular starters - Destini Lombard and Reagan Bass - began the third quarter on the bench. Lombard had seven points in the first half but committed three turnovers. Bass was 0 of 5 from the field in the first 20 minutes and finished 0 of 8 for the game.

• Petree, though, did provide a bit of a spark. She rebounded well and looked to score but was saddled with four fouls midway through the third quarter and committed three turnovers. In the second half, Puryear, McCarthy, and Collier played with more of a purpose. But it has to start from the opening tip.

“They pulled off the press because we handled it,” Gearlds said of MSU. “If you can break their press, they get out of it. In the third quarter, I thought Amiyah, Mahri and Ella, Lana and KP came out and set the tone that we weren't going to back down.

“We’ve got to figure it out, and ultimately, I've got to do a better job of getting us ready from the start to avoid quarters like the first quarter we had.”

• See what happens when you take care of the ball. Purdue had seven turnovers in the second half and shot 46.9% from the field. The Boilermakers didn’t get enough shots in the first half because of the turnovers. The Spartans had 15 more field goal attempts since they committed 10 turnovers.

• The rebounding numbers were nearly even, but the Boilermakers failed to finish defensive possessions. MSU had 19 offensive rebounds, attacking the boards. Jocelyn Tate and Ines Sotelo combined for 11 offensive rebounds. The duo totaled 35 points for the game.

• Purdue falls to 0-3 in Big Ten games, the program’s worst start to a conference season in 40 years.