The Boilermakers improved to 2-1 on the trip with Sunday’s win
SYDNEY, Au. – The Purdue women’s basketball team overcame cold shooting and an even colder gymnasium to take down the New South Wales All Stars on Sunday, winning Game 3 of their Australian Foreign Tour 54-48. Senior Dominique Oden and sophomore Cassidy Hardin paced the Boilermakers with 11 points each, both scoring clutch points down the stretch in their second win of the trip.
With shots struggling to fall Sunday, the Boilermakers relied on their staple defense to hold off a solid bunch of local standouts for New South Wales, limiting their opponents to 12 points in the first quarter and nine in the second. Hardin hit two of her three 3’s in the opening half, drilling back-to-back buckets late in the second quarter to open up a 24-18 lead and cap a 12-0 run after NSW had taken an 18-14 edge.
Oden did the bulk of her scoring in the second half, dropping seven in the third quarter and a key steal-and-score bucket in the fourth quarter to stretch Purdue’s lead to six late in the game. Sophomore Kayana Traylor scored four of her eight points in the final two minutes, beating the shot clock with a baseline jumper on one occasion and then dissecting the entire NSW defense for a layup in the final minute to all but seal things up. Hardin put the finishing touches on the win with a pair of free throws late.
Senior Ae’Rianna Harris and junior Tamara Farquhar led Purdue on the boards with seven rebounds each, while junior Jenelle Grant snagged four boards. Farquhar and Grant had six points apiece.
In addition to Sunday’s victory the Boilermakers took in the sights at the famous Sydney Opera House, touring the famous landmark and its amazing architecture and history.
The Boilermakers play their final game of the tour Monday, heading to Bruce to face the Centre of Excellence at 3 a.m. ET.