No. 7 Maryland 78, Purdue women's basketball 69: Takeaways
The Terrapins outscored the Boilermakers 49-31 in the second half after trailing by 16
Three takeaways from Saturday’s loss:
STEP FORWARD
After losing by 44 and 48 points to Notre Dame and South Carolina - a pair of top-10 teams - what would we see against the seventh-ranked Terrapins? It wasn’t the same in this top-10 matchup. The Boilermakers didn’t get on track early, but Maryland couldn’t get going. Purdue settled in, slowly building a double-digit lead, and the margin increased to 16 behind the play of Rashuna Jones. The sophomore guard was on the attack, taking the ball to the rim and giving Purdue some much-needed offense. Jones finished with 17 points, hitting 7 of 11 field goals, three steals, and two assists.
“Just following the scout,” Jones said. “We knew some things they would do on a ball screen - hedge or switch. Our team was mostly prepared, and I wouldn’t have gotten any of those layups if not for (Kendal Puryear), Lana (McCarthy), and Reagan sealing the defense off.”
Reagan Bass and Destini Lombard added production, and the offense was working as well as it has all season. The Boilermakers shot over 50% in the first half and made enough winning plays to keep the Terrapins in a hole.
“Especially the first half, I thought we shared the ball really well,” said Ella Collier, who hit a pair of 3-pointers and finished with eight points. “In the second half, we got a little stagnant, just slow getting to our spots, which killed us.
“The first half, we were locked in. We were following the scout just how we had planned all week. We were guarding them really well, keeping them off the glass and I think we just got a little comfortable there in the second half.”
THIRD QUARTER
For the first time this season, Purdue played well against this level of competition in the initial 20 minutes. The Boilermakers led by 16 but maintained control despite the Terrapins picking up the pace and intensity. Purdue led by nine at halftime, but Maryland was a different team to start the second half. Junior Bri McDaniel was the difference, scoring 13 of the Terps’ 26 points. Shyanne Sellers battled foul trouble but was still involved in the offense and stepped up in the second half. Sellers and the Terps wore down the Boilermakers after halftime.
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WHAT’S NEXT
Purdue can use Saturday’s experience in a week against Kentucky as a starting point. The Boilermakers proved they can play with a top team in the country but now have to maintain what they did and take it into another tough matchup. But Purdue needs to play this way against every opponent. The margin of loss looks better than against the Fighting Irish and the Gamecocks, but the setback should serve as motivation. If the Boilermakers can clean up the second-half turnovers and stay solid on the boards, they’ll secure a much-needed victory against an elite team. Purdue wasn’t satisfied with the outcome but can build on the performance.
“We all think about one or two things we could’ve done differently,” coach Katie Gearlds said. “Is it a play call, is it a timeout, is it a rebound? Anything that would’ve changed one play. In the Big Ten, every single possession matters. It’s magnified when you’re playing against a top-10 team.
“I thought we had our chances even early to stretch the lead with some missed opportunities. A loose ball on the floor, a missed rebound, just little things like that. You look at it and what can you do to change the outcome of one possession and you make sure the next time you’re in that same situation, it goes the way you want it to go.”