The Last Word: Final thoughts on Purdue women's basketball's loss to Nebraska
Saturday's setback keeps the Boilermakers among the bottom four teams in the Big Ten standings
Putting the final touches on Saturday’s home loss to Nebraska:
• Frustrating game on a lot of levels. Notably, only seven turnovers – a season low- and none in the first quarter. That should equal a victory for this team. It was the third game with single-digit turnovers, so they don’t come along very often and when they do, you’d better win. But the Boilermakers couldn’t hit shots after finishing the first quarter making 5 of 6 field goals and leading by 10. From that point, they were basically cold. They were taking good shots, ones they’ve hit before. They were 13 of 40 (32.5%), generating just 43 points the rest of the way. I’ve seen Purdue teams cool off before, but it’s been a while since witnessing that quick of a drop-off. But the second quarter has been a problem most of the season.
• But what happens when shots don’t fall? How do players perform in other areas? In this case, not very well.
After a fast-paced first quarter, where the transition game was humming along, the game came to a halt. The Boilermakers started fouling, sending the Huskers to the line 10 times in the second quarter.
Purdue had 10 rebounds in the first quarter but only 16 the rest of the way. In fact, Nebraska outrebounded the Boilermakers 35-16 in the final three quarters, with Alexis Markowski pulling down 16 of her 21. Can’t rebound, can’t run. And basically, no second-chance opportunities. Purdue rebounded only 13.5% of its own missed shots and scored two second-chance points. This team can’t function like that.
The lack of awareness on defense was there again. The Boilermakers continue to go under screens, leaving shooters open on the perimeter, instead of fighting over them. This has been a problem since the first game at UCLA. The Huskers didn’t always set a legal screen, but each one is not going to be called. Purdue’s transition defense wasn’t the best as Nebraska recovered after a slow start from the perimeter. The Huskers were 0 of 8 but finished 8 of 15 from 3-point range.
The bottom line – the poor shooting impacted other areas. The Boilermakers played through their offense all day and when shots didn’t fall, the lack of focus and mental toughness won out and the Huskers pounced. Another good learning experience for the youngsters.
• Give the Huskers a lot of credit. They were coming off a 30-turnover, 33-point loss performance at Ohio State and were blitzed in the first quarter by the Boilermakers. They didn’t allow the situation to overwhelm them again. Nebraska kept chipping away until gaining control of the game and ran away.
• If we’re voting on Big Ten Freshman of the Year based on Saturday, Mary Ashley Stevenson wins going away. Stevenson played hard, fought, was physical, drew eight fouls and absorbed a shot to the nose, which was broken in two places and surgically repaired earlier this month. She might have broken it again after going to the bench to regroup. She’ll get checked out, but it won’t keep her from playing. She missed less than a minute before coming back into the game. She totaled 16 points, going 8 of 8 from the line, and four rebounds. Nebraska’s Natalie Potts, considered the frontrunner, didn’t have a good day, but don’t judge her on one game. She was scoreless and picked up four fouls in 14 minutes. Potts has enjoyed a solid season, but Stevenson has picked up ground recently.
• Why was Markowski ejected in the fourth quarter? After scoring, Markowski – who totaled 20 points and 21 rebounds – inadvertently hit Madison Layden in the face while celebrating after she was fouled. The officials called it a disqualifying foul, sending Markowski to the locker room. Similar to the NBA and other college conferences, Big Ten officials need to explain their rulings to the fans in the stands and those watching on TV. The technology is being used. It’s up to the conference to make it happen.
• The Huskers posted a +27 rebounding margin in the two games against Purdue this season. Easy to see why they swept the regular-season series.
• Markowski’s 21 rebounds were 10 short of tying the Mackey Arena record for an opponent. Ball State’s Joannie Smith had 31 against Purdue in 1975. Don’t think that record will be broken.
• Heading into Sunday, the Boilermakers are 12th in the standings, one game behind Minnesota and Wisconsin. They’re trying to move out of the bottom four, but Saturday’s loss didn’t help. Four games are left, and it will likely take three wins to avoid the first day of the Big Ten tournament.
• Looking ahead to Wednesday: If the Boilermakers go through another 7 of 27 shooting stretch, Michigan State will run them out of the arena. The Spartans have already scored 97 points against Purdue earlier this season. MSU is shooting 46.2% and has made over 100 3-pointers in league games.