Keys Powers Purdue Women’s Basketball Past No. 18 Iowa
The senior captain poured in a career-high 34 points
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Senior Andreona Keys picked a perfect day for a career performance, pouring in 34 points to lead the Purdue women’s basketball team to a 76-70 upset victory at 18th-ranked Iowa on Saturday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The win marked the second straight for the Boilermakers over ranked opponents, and is Purdue’s first victory in Iowa City since 2008.
Keys got it going early for the Boilermakers, scoring seven straight to keep pace with Iowa in the early going as the Hawkeyes pounded it inside and took a 16-11 lead after the first quarter. Keys notched things up at 11-11 with 1:51 left in the period, but Iowa finished with five straight points to take their biggest lead of the game.
The Boilermakers opened the second quarter on an 11-2 run, including clutch back-to-back buckets from junior Nora Kiesler, who gave Purdue a huge boost off the bench. The Purdue lead swelled to seven on a Keys triple, but Iowa roared back to tie things up at the half, 32-32.
The third quarter was all Boilermakers as sophomore Dominique Oden, freshman Karissa McLaughlin and Keys scored all 25 Purdue points, and combined to hit 10-of-15 from the floor. Keys hit 5-of-5 including her third triple for 13 points, and the Boilermakers took a 57-49 lead to the final period.
Iowa wouldn’t go quietly, rallying to cut the lead to just one, 59-58, with 7:20 left, but Keys put the team on her back one more time, scoring five straight and then finding Oden for a 3-pointer to stretch it back out to seven and put it away.
Keys’ 30-point effort is the first of her career and the first by a Boilermaker since Ashley Morrissette posted 31 at Michigan State last season. Her four 3-pointers are a new career high, as are her shooting totals of 13-of-19 from the field. Oden finished with 16 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals, while McLaughlin had 15 points and three assists. Sophomore Ae’Rianna Harris added four points, seven rebounds, three assists and a pair of blocks, and Kiesler turned in seven points, four rebounds and two steals. Purdue improved to 12-7 overall and 3-2 in conference play with the victory.
Iowa suffers just its third loss of the year, and just its second at home, falling to 15-3 overall and 4-2 in conference play. Junior Megan Gustafson posted her NCAA-best 17th double-double of the season with 37 points and 14 rebounds. Purdue turned the Hawkeyes over 16 times, converting them into 16 points, and limited them to just 3-of-16 shooting from 3-point range.
Purdue returns to action Thursday, hosting Northwestern at Mackey Arena.