Purdue women's basketball 87, Purdue Fort Wayne 77: Players of note, numbers and final thoughts
Destini Lombard had an impressive stat line and Lana McCarthy and Kendall Puryear combined for 29 points to lead the Boilermakers
Lots to unpack from Wednesday’s season-opening victory over Purdue Fort Wayne.
Destini Lombard, a transfer from Stephen F. Austin, stuffed the stat sheet and was a blur in transition. The combination of Lana McCarthy and Kendall Puryear inside was something the Mastodons couldn’t handle. Other teams will suffer the same fate.
The offense clicked. The defense didn’t in the fourth quarter. But the Boilermakers are 1-0 heading into Sunday’s matchup against Notre Dame.
On with the countdown:
3 PLAYERS OF NOTE
Destini Lombard: Since arriving on campus in June, the first thing that jumped out about Lombard was her speed. There’s quick, and then there’s fast.
“It's stupid how fast she is, honestly,” freshman Lana McCarthy said. “In practice, we will run sprints or just be doing transition drills or anything, (she’s) the first one down the floor. It’s kind of scary.”
Granted, speed is relative to the day you use it, and Purdue Fort Wayne had no one who could keep up with Lombard, especially in transition. She dribbled coast-to-coast a couple of times and left the Mastodons in her dust. Lombard is quickly developing into a three-level scorer, which wasn’t a strength at her previous stop. She attacks off the dribble and has improved her mid-range game, but the biggest stride is from the 3-point line. Opponents usually play off to avoid getting beat on drives. But Lombard made 2 of 5 from 3-point range, and she’s shown steady growth in the offseason. Lombard shot 31.5% from the 3-point range during her three-year career at Stephen F. Austin, but the Boilermakers are counting on those numbers to improve. The final line - 20 points, six rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Lombard committed three of Purdue’s 16 turnovers, but in an up-and-down game like Wednesday, you can live with those.
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Lana McCarthy: The Mastodons were bouncing off the 6-foot-4 McCarthy on nearly every possession. She’s as sturdy as a brick wall. She owned the paint, and Purdue Fort Wayne didn’t have much of an answer to keep her off the boards and from scoring. Purdue scored its first 12 points in the paint, and eight came from McCarthy, who finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds. She is the program’s first freshman to record a double-double in a season opener. Seven rebounds were on the offensive end, adding to the second-chance point total. McCarthy has done an excellent job establishing position on the block, and her teammates found her. She has a nice up-and-under move and keeps plays alive by tipping the ball, a skill she developed playing volleyball. McCarthy will be a handful for every team, including when Notre Dame visits Mackey Arena on Sunday.
Kendall Puryear: She and McCarthy are similar in embracing physicality and raising their level of play in those situations. When McCarty went to the bench, Puryear kept the physical play going. Some of the Mastodons will wake up with bruises Thursday morning, and they’ll know where they got them. Like McCarthy, Puryear has finished around the rim during most of the summer workouts and official practices. That’s why they were a combined 13 of 15 from the field. They totaled 29 points and 11 rebounds in 34 minutes. That’s good production from the center spot, especially for a pair of freshmen. Puryear has extended her game into the midrange area, giving her more opportunities to help the offense. The issue for her and McCarthy, at least early in the season, is dealing with foul trouble. Purdue will need at least one of them on the floor.
2 NUMBERS
52: Points in the paint scored by the Boilermakers
21: Purdue’s lead with 9:45 to play before the Mastodons stormed back to cut the margin in half.
VIDEO: Purdue Athletics Communications
1 FINAL THOUGHT
For three quarters, Purdue had given up 43 points and was on track to hold Mastodons to around 60 or maybe 65. But they scored 26 points in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter, putting pressure on the Boilermakers to close out this one. They did, hitting enough free throws and making plays in the final three minutes to win. The good news - the players were “pissed” in the locker room for not finishing the game to their standards.
“I walk in the locker room and our group is pissed,” Gearlds said. “They're frustrated that they gave up 34 in the fourth quarter, ‘Guys, we won a basketball game. It's OK - we'll get better.’ But to see them frustrated they didn't quite finish the game the way they thought they should have means we've got a competitive group.”
For the first game, Purdue managed the situation well for a team with eight newcomers and the fourth quarter was choppy because they’re still learning how to play with each other. The offense was moving fast – sometimes too fast – and the Boilermakers scored some easy baskets to stretch the lead and hold off the run. Purdue wasn’t as crisp in the halfcourt against the zone and will need to take a step forward Sunday and beyond to show they can execute outside of transition. Purdue played 10 players on Wednesday, and that will be the rotation in the immediate future until some of the injured players return. A big challenge awaits Sunday against the Irish, and we’ll see how the Boilermakers stack up against one of the nation’s top teams.
VIDEO: Purdue Athletics Communications