No. 6 Notre Dame 102, Purdue women's basketball 58: Takeaways, thoughts from Mackey Arena
The Fighting Irish led 45-21 at halftime and beat the Boilermakers for the 10th straight time
• As the Fighting Irish built an early 9-0 lead, the Boilermakers were trying to settle in and figure out what was happening. Notre Dame’s quickness at all five positions overwhelmed Purdue. No surprise. It happened last year.
• Too much dribbling spelled trouble for the Boilermakers throughout the first quarter. They tried to dribble through the Irish’s defense, a big no-no. There are plenty of quick hands to slap the ball away. Guess what? The ball was slapped away.
• Through the first 15 minutes, Destini Lombard didn’t hesitate. She attacked off the dribble, wasn’t shy about getting in the passing lanes, and played with an aggressive mindset. Needed more players to follow. Lombard, who had 13 points, will be a significant contributor for the Boilermakers this season.
• Notre Dame dominated the boards, the paint, second-chance points and forced more turnovers.
• Purdue was rushing its shots. Give credit to the Irish for forcing those rushed shots.
• The Boilermakers needed to move the ball and move Notre Dame’s defense to find better shots and ones in rhythm.
• They had good looks at the start of the second quarter, but nothing fell. That was a chance to cut into the big lead.
• Lana McCarthy and Kendall Puryear picked up two fouls in the first half and took away any inside game the Boilermakers wanted to establish. Ella Collier played the power forward spot for several possessions with Reagan Bass at center. Keeping McCarthy and Puryear on the floor is something to watch this season.
• Hannah Hildalgo is a special player with a lot of flare. She backs up her enthusiasm with a tremendous skill set. She’s one of the top players in the nation and probably the No. 1 point guard in the country. The return of Olivia Miles makes the duo the nation’s best backcourt. The Irish have plenty of talent. Once they’re healthy, they’ll rule the ACC. Hildago finished with 28 points, six rebounds and six steals.
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• Stopping the ball should be an emphasis for the Boilermakers. Too many times Miles and Hildago went nearly coast-to-coast with little resistance.
• The Boilermakers had a mini-run in the second quarter by scoring six straight points to pull within 15. Miles was called for an intentional foul when she hit Swanson in the face going up for a layup. But the Irish responded with a 9-0 run to close out the first half.
• Collier scored six straight points during a third-quarter stretch. She hit her first 3-pointer with the Boilermakers, and she’s becoming more comfortable. Her mid-range jumper capped the 6-0 run. She’s setting her feet and shooting in rhythm. Collier could develop into a go-to scorer and the Boilermakers need more players to emerge. She finished with 11.
• Miles hit a half-court shot to end the third quarter. She finished with 17 points.
• Amiyah Reynolds was more comfortable taking mid-range jumpers. She was 1 of 4, but the confidence to take those shots is there.
• Notre Dame became the second team to score 100 points against Purdue at Mackey Arena. UConn did it in 2008.
• The Boilermakers will benefit from this experience. It’s early enough in the season that Purdue can use this as a learning situation. We should see it on Thursday when the Boilermakers host UI Indy.