The Last Word: Purdue women's basketball falls to Indiana
Plenty of good moments Sunday before more than 11,000 fans, but the losing streak reaches four and the Boilermakers fall to .500 overall on the season
Putting the final touches on Sunday’s 74-68 loss to Indiana:
—The Hoosiers have veterans with big-time, big-game NCAA experience and it showed up in the fourth quarter. The Boilermakers fought to stay in it, trailing by three with 4:47 to play, but IU and its leaders made big play after big play to stretch the lead. The Hoosiers played with the been there, done that mentality in the final 10 minutes.
—Purdue won nearly every statistical category. Rebounding, fewer turnovers, points in the paint, more free throws, and second-chance points. But it didn’t win the 3-point shooting, which was big. Indiana made 15 3s - which accounted for 60% of its points - and Purdue hit five. The Hoosiers had 30 more points from beyond the arc. They started the game 4 of 4 and began the fourth quarter 4 of 4. If IU just hit 10, that’s 15 fewer points. Ten is still a high number but one that the Boilermakers could’ve lived with on this day.
—The Hoosiers are the second team to hit 15 3-pointers on Purdue’s home floor this month. Iowa did it two weeks ago. The Boilermakers played good defense inside the 3-point line, but IU’s shooters had too many open looks and were in rhythm. And Sydney Parrish, one of the team’s top 3-point threats, didn’t play due to a foot injury suffered in Friday’s practice. Purdue must shore up its 3-point field goal defense by recognizing shooters and challenging more shots.
Purdue’s Rashunda Jones reacts after hitting a 3-pointer to end the third quarter Sunday against Indiana (Dave Wegiel Photography)
—We’re seeing the growth of freshman Rashunda Jones each game. Her efficiency is solid. She scored 23 points in 24 minutes at Penn State. She totaled 13 points in 20 minutes on Sunday. She had a couple of quick shots against IU, but a trip to the bench and a quick conversation appeared to straighten her out. Her no-fear attitude of attacking the rim against Mackenzie Holmes in the first quarter and again in the third quarter against Lexus Bargesser screams self-confidence. And Jones’ buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the third quarter rattled the walls of Mackey Arena, similar to those $1 days on Sunday afternoon many years ago. Jones is still prone to inconsistencies – remember she was 1 of 14 during a two-game stretch before Penn State - and we’ll see them the rest of the season, but Sunday has a chance to carry her.
—While the Hoosiers hit nearly every 3-pointer – OK, just 65.2% of them – Mary Ashley Stevenson had a handful of shots that were in but rolled out. You can see the confidence, whether she’s taking a baseline jumper or one from 15 feet in front of the basket. She’s another freshman who plays with no fear.
—Caitlyn Harper was solid inside going against Mackenzie Holmes. Similar to her teammates, Harper was on the attack. In fact, Harper made 5 of 7 field goals from 2-point range and went to the line six times. Purdue probably should’ve taken more advantage of Holmes’ absence when she went to the bench at least once each quarter.
Purdue’s Caitlyn Harper fights for a loose ball against Indiana (Dave Wegiel Photography)
—Speaking of Holmes, she hit her first 3-pointer of the season in the fourth quarter, breaking a 56-56 tie, and was the model of efficiency. She attempted seven field goals and scored 15 points. Purdue doubled her and forced her to pass to the perimeter and that led to a handful of 3-pointers. I bet Holmes had a couple of hockey assists on some of those 3-pointers.
—The losing streak to the Hoosiers reached 10. Katie Gearlds is now 0-5 against Indiana.
—Jeanae Terry was a beast on the offensive boards, finishing with seven. Those seven offensive rebounds led to eight second-chance points.
—It’s hard for this team to sustain offensive spurts against quality competition. It happened again on Sunday. While scoring 29 points in the first quarter was a bit of an outlier, totaling eight in the second quarter wasn’t a complete surprise. The extremes have been there all season, and they aren’t going away.
—Down seven late in the third quarter, this has been the moment where the deficit climbs to double digits and the Boilermakers are done. But that didn’t happen. Jones played a role in the 10-0 run over the last 2:47 to give Purdue the lead. This was better than what transpired at the end of the Iowa game. We continue to see small steps.
—While Sunday’s performance brings a level of optimism for the rest of the season, remember the Boilermakers are now 9-9 and 2-5 in the Big Ten and are riding a four-game losing streak. The end game of making the NCAA tournament shrinks with each loss. Purdue has to play well enough to win and halt this streak.