The Last Word from Purdue's loss to Penn State: "If that’s the last game she played, she played a damn good game"
Caitlyn Harper's fourth-quarter knee injury drained the energy and emotion from Senior Night, thwarting a bid to take down the Lady Lions
Putting the finishing touches on the 93-88 loss to Penn State on Wednesday:
▸Can’t recall seeing this type of emotion and the highs and lows of a Senior Night before. The highs: Purdue was riding the superb performance from Caitlyn Harper, who scored 19 of her 29 points in the second half, carrying the Boilermakers and answering the Lady Lions’ offense with her post-up moves and 3-pointers. And the offense was operating at an elite level by Purdue standards, keeping the turnovers to a minimum and staying on the attack designed to eventually overtake PSU. Harper has been an anchor all season and a strong communicator.
“The kid wasn’t missing,” Purdue coach Katie Gearlds said. “She was stepping out and hitting 3s, she was getting offensive rebounds and putbacks. In the fourth quarter, when we were really grooving, it was because of No. 34.
“But I would say if that’s the last game she played, she played a damn good game.”
But it all changed with 4:33 to play, trailing by three. Harper was involved in a scrum for a loose ball and was fouled but also suffered a knee injury. She needed help to leave the floor and went straight to the training room. Purdue wasn’t the same team after that and it’s easy to understand why. PSU's lead grew to eight at the 51-second mark, and the Boilermakers made it close at the end, but the game was over when Harper was hurt. It shouldn’t be fair to put together a career performance – at least during her time at Purdue – and to see it end with an injury is painful for everyone involved.
“When Caitlyn went down, it was really tough because, in the back of our minds, we knew it didn’t look good,” senior Abbey Ellis said. “It’s hard to keep going but we never put our head down. We kept playing and freshmen came on and they did what they had to do. It’s sad we didn’t get the job done, especially for Caitlyn, but we didn’t put our heads down, and that’s the main thing.”
It’s likely Harper’s season is over but how she carried the team will be etched in the memory of the nearly 4,600 fans in attendance. Throughout the season, Harper has been on a path to cement her legacy as a Boilermaker, and Wednesday sealed it.
“My emotions were everywhere,” said Harper, who made 12 of 16 field goals. “I was on a high-high, and we were playing really well. I felt the momentum swinging toward us, and (the injury) was unfortunate, and I thought the emotions came to me all at once.
“When I got back there, I literally said, ‘Can I go back out because I wanted to watch the rest of the game and see my teammates play?”
▸Classy move by Penn State. During the handshake line, the coaching staff asked Harper to stand near the end of Purdue’s bench since she was on crutches. Every coach, player, support personnel and anyone associated with the traveling party stopped and embraced the sixth-year senior on their way to the tunnel. If there’s a one-game sportsmanship award in the Big Ten, the Lady Lions earned it.
▸Purdue’s seniors carried their teammates throughout Wednesday’s game. Big shots. Big rebounds. Just didn’t get enough big stops. In what might be their last appearance in Mackey Arena, they combined for 70 points, 29 rebounds and made nine 3-pointers.
“I can’t say enough about the four of them and the way they battled tonight, all season, and the last three years for the three of them and Caitlyn for two years,” Gearlds said. “Just really proud to know them.”
There were milestones:
Madison Layden reached the 1,000-point mark, hitting four 3-pointers. She made her 200th 3-pointer.
Jeanae Terry is one point from 1,000 in her career at Purdue and Illinois. She also pulled down 15 rebounds.
▸Scoring 88 points should be enough – and against most Big Ten teams it would be – but not when the Lady Lions are clicking. They feature one of the most dynamic offenses in the league and it was on full display. They shot 56.1% - including at least 60% in the second and fourth quarters when they scored a combined 53 points. You could tell Purdue needed to stay connected early because PSU was executing at a high level. Any scoring drought would be detrimental to the Boilermakers’ chances and going 1 of 8 to close the first half was just enough. Purdue had defensive breakdowns – rotations were slow at times, and losing players in transition - but the Lady Lions were on their game offensively.
▸The Lady Lions had all the answers. Purdue led five times but never by more than two points. When the Boilermakers fought to pull ahead, PSU retook the lead. Purdue led for just 2:07.
▸Penn State did most of its damage in the paint, scoring 48 points. And center Ali Brigham wasn’t a factor. Ashley Owusu, Shay Ciezki, Makenna Marisa, and Jayla Oden, off the bench, attacked the rim and drained jumpers all night. The guards were able to get deep against the defense and score. Marisa and Oden combined for six 3-pointers to help open up the inside. Hard to believe the Lady Lions had lost six in a row with that offensive firepower. You can see why they scored 112 points against Maryland earlier this season.
▸While Owusu and Marisa were the fourth-quarter stars, Oden was PSU’s MVP. She scored 15 points – her most since Dec. 17 against Saint Francis – and hit three 3-pointers. Oden, a transfer from Illinois, totaled three 3-pointers in her last seven games before Wednesday. All 15 of her points came in the first three quarters, setting the stage for Owusu and Marisa to bring the game to the finish line, totaling 21 of their team’s final 28 points.
▸ What does the loss mean for the Big Ten tournament? Purdue will land at No. 10, No. 11 or No. 12.
Lose at Michigan: No. 12. Will play Wednesday against either Northwestern or Rutgers.
Beat Michigan, Minnesota loses at PSU, Wisconsin splits its last two (Maryland, Michigan State): No. 11. Another Wednesday matchup against either Northwestern or Rutgers.
Beat Michigan, Wisconsin drops two, and Minnesota loses: No. 10. The opponent: Penn State, Maryland, Michigan, or Illinois.