Purdue WBB Downs Texas A&M 72-58

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – In front of an electric Mackey Arena, the Purdue women’s basketball team rolled to a 72-58 win over Texas A&M on Thursday night. After a slow start in the game’s opening minute, the Boilermakers (2-1) outscored the Aggies (2-1) by 22 points over the final 39 minutes.

Abbey Ellis and Rashunda Jones both dropped 20 points in the win. Ellis, a fifth-year senior, tallied her 22nd career 20-point outing behind a 9-for-18 mark from the field with a pair of 3-pointers. Jones notched her career high on 8-of-11 shooting and 4-of-6 at the line. Jones is the first Purdue freshman to score 20 points in a game since Karissa McLaughlin did it in 2017-18.

Caitlyn Harper tallied her first double-double as a Boilermaker behind 14 points and 11 rebounds. The sixth-year senior hauled down eight boards on the defensive end for her highest mark in West Lafayette. For the second straight game, Jeanae Terry came just short of a double-double, going for 10 assists and eight points, including a perfect 4-for-4 at the line.

Purdue shot a hot 46.6% from the field and went 13-of-16 at the line. Led by Terry’s 10th double-digit effort as a Boilermaker, Purdue dished out 14 assists on 27 made shots, while committing a season-low nine turnovers.

The Aggies won the rebounding battle 41-31, but Purdue converted 20 turnovers into 26 points and finished with a 34-22 edge in points in the paint. Texas A&M shot 35.7% for the game and hit six triples.

The Boilermakers recorded six steals on the Aggies’ 20 giveaways. Following the 4-for-4 start in the first, A&M made just three of its next 21 shots. Texas A&M shot just 30.7% for the final 37 minutes of the game.

Purdue flipped the script after a slow start to the first quarter. The Aggies hit their first four shots to open an 8-0 lead in the first 1:09 of the game. Purdue stepped up defensively to allow just one field goal on Texas A&M’s next 13 shots. Jones gave the Boilermakers a spark off the bench with six points in the opening 10 minutes, as Purdue closed the frame on a 10-0 run to take a 19-14 lead.

Layden and Terry extended the lead out to 10 points early in the second, before Texas A&M battled back to cut the gap to four. Purdue scored seven straight in the final 1:17 of the second, capped by a Harper 3-point buzzer beater, to take a 38-27 lead into the break. The Boilermakers shot 48.3% from the field over the opening 20 minutes.

After Texas A&M chipped the gap down to seven early in the third, Terry made a contested layup to spark a 14-3 run. Ellis scored 10 points in the spurt including a pair of electrifying triples. Purdue’s lead stayed in double digits the rest of the way.

The Aggies built momentum early in the final frame to pull within 13, but Ellis and Jones scored on back-to-back trips down the floor to push it back to a 66-49 lead. Much like Purdue’s win in College Station last year, the Boilermakers allowed just two made field goals the final 3:48 of the game. Jones cut any chance of a comeback with six points in the fourth, including the Boilermakers’ final four.

NOTES
• Purdue now leads the all-time series with Texas A&M 5-1 with three straight wins.
• The Boilermakers are now 16-7 in the Katie Gearlds era when holding opponents to 69 points or less.
• Purdue tallied an 81.3% mark at the line for their second game shooting over 80% at the stripe.
• Terry’s 10 assists gave her 394 as a Boilermaker, five shy of Katie Gearlds for 13th in program history.
• The Boilermakers jumped out of the halftime break with 22 points, their second straight game with 20 or more points in the third.
• Coming off the bench, Jayla Smith tallied a block and one rebound with a plus-minus of 22.
• Texas A&M managed just seven points off Purdue’s nine turnovers.
• Jeanae Terry started her 65th straight game for Purdue and the 99th of her career.
• Terry’s 10th 10-assist game is tied for the sixth most in college basketball going back to the start of the 2021-22 season.
• The crowd of 5,223 was the fifth largest of the Katie Gearlds era, surpassing

UP NEXT
The Boilermakers will jet down to Nassau, The Bahamas, for the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship. Purdue will square off with Florida on Monday at 4 p.m., before a Wednesday tilt against Georgia at 4 p.m.

T LAFAYETTE, Ind. – In front of an electric Mackey Arena, the Purdue women’s basketball team rolled to a 72-58 win over Texas A&M on Thursday night. After a slow start in the game’s opening minute, the Boilermakers (2-1) outscored the Aggies (2-1) by 22 points over the final 39 minutes.

Abbey Ellis and Rashunda Jones both dropped 20 points in the win. Ellis, a fifth-year senior, tallied her 22nd career 20-point outing behind a 9-for-18 mark from the field with a pair of 3-pointers. Jones notched her career high on 8-of-11 shooting and 4-of-6 at the line. Jones is the first Purdue freshman to score 20 points in a game since Karissa McLaughlin did it in 2017-18.

Caitlyn Harper tallied her first double-double as a Boilermaker behind 14 points and 11 rebounds. The sixth-year senior hauled down eight boards on the defensive end for her highest mark in West Lafayette. For the second straight game, Jeanae Terry came just short of a double-double, going for 10 assists and eight points, including a perfect 4-for-4 at the line.

Purdue shot a hot 46.6% from the field and went 13-of-16 at the line. Led by Terry’s 10th double-digit effort as a Boilermaker, Purdue dished out 14 assists on 27 made shots, while committing a season-low nine turnovers.

The Aggies won the rebounding battle 41-31, but Purdue converted 20 turnovers into 26 points and finished with a 34-22 edge in points in the paint. Texas A&M shot 35.7% for the game and hit six triples.

The Boilermakers recorded six steals on the Aggies’ 20 giveaways. Following the 4-for-4 start in the first, A&M made just three of its next 21 shots. Texas A&M shot just 30.7% for the final 37 minutes of the game.

Purdue flipped the script after a slow start to the first quarter. The Aggies hit their first four shots to open an 8-0 lead in the first 1:09 of the game. Purdue stepped up defensively to allow just one field goal on Texas A&M’s next 13 shots. Jones gave the Boilermakers a spark off the bench with six points in the opening 10 minutes, as Purdue closed the frame on a 10-0 run to take a 19-14 lead.

Layden and Terry extended the lead out to 10 points early in the second, before Texas A&M battled back to cut the gap to four. Purdue scored seven straight in the final 1:17 of the second, capped by a Harper 3-point buzzer beater, to take a 38-27 lead into the break. The Boilermakers shot 48.3% from the field over the opening 20 minutes.

After Texas A&M chipped the gap down to seven early in the third, Terry made a contested layup to spark a 14-3 run. Ellis scored 10 points in the spurt including a pair of electrifying triples. Purdue’s lead stayed in double digits the rest of the way.

The Aggies built momentum early in the final frame to pull within 13, but Ellis and Jones scored on back-to-back trips down the floor to push it back to a 66-49 lead. Much like Purdue’s win in College Station last year, the Boilermakers allowed just two made field goals the final 3:48 of the game. Jones cut any chance of a comeback with six points in the fourth, including the Boilermakers’ final four.

NOTES
• Purdue now leads the all-time series with Texas A&M 5-1 with three straight wins.
• The Boilermakers are now 16-7 in the Katie Gearlds era when holding opponents to 69 points or less.
• Purdue tallied an 81.3% mark at the line for their second game shooting over 80% at the stripe.
• Terry’s 10 assists gave her 394 as a Boilermaker, five shy of Katie Gearlds for 13th in program history.
• The Boilermakers jumped out of the halftime break with 22 points, their second straight game with 20 or more points in the third.
• Coming off the bench, Jayla Smith tallied a block and one rebound with a plus-minus of 22.
• Texas A&M managed just seven points off Purdue’s nine turnovers.
• Jeanae Terry started her 65th straight game for Purdue and the 99th of her career.
• Terry’s 10th 10-assist game is tied for the sixth most in college basketball going back to the start of the 2021-22 season.
• The crowd of 5,223 was the fifth largest of the Katie Gearlds era, surpassing

UP NEXT
The Boilermakers will jet down to Nassau, The Bahamas, for the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship. Purdue will square off with Florida on Monday at 4 p.m., before a Wednesday tilt against Georgia at 4 p.m.