Second-Half Run Pushes Purdue Women’s Basketball by EWU 65-40
The Boilermakers forced a season-high 25 turnovers
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue women’s basketball team opened the 2017 Basketball Traveler’s Inc. Invitational in solid fashion, using a massive second-half run to deal visiting Eastern Washington a 65-40 loss at Mackey Arena. Sophomore Dominique Oden led the way with a season-high 18 points as the Boilermakers improved to 7-5 on the season.
After a game-opening triple from the visiting Eagles, the Boilermakers answered with a 9-0 run and would never relinquish the lead again. Purdue was locked-in on defense throughout most of the game, holding EWU to 28 percent shooting and forcing a season-high 25 turnovers, which the Boilermakers converted into 31 points. Purdue saw its lead swell as high as 14 in the opening half, led by 10 early points from senior Andreona Keys, but the Eagles finished the half on an 10-2 run to knife the deficit to just six at the halftime break, 26-20.
EWU continued to hang around early in the third quarter, pulling to within two on a layup from senior Delaney Hodgins, 34-32, with 5:35 left in the frame. However that would be the last of the close quarters as Purdue held EWU without a field goal for the next 11 minutes, going on a 29-1 run and blowing the game open, 63-33. Oden had 11 of her 18 during the run, hitting back-to-back triples at one point, while the Boilermaker defense forced turnover after turnover. Purdue let its foot off the gas in the final five minutes, emptying the bench, but the Boilermaker reserves held off the Eagles to maintain the sizable win.
Oden was 3-of-3 from behind the arc and 6-of-9 from the floor, adding six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Keys hit 7-of-8 from the floor on her way to 16 points, and sophomore Ae’Rianna Harris added 13 points and six rebounds. Sophomore Lamina Cooper led the Purdue defense, collecting a career-high six steals to go with six points and four rebounds, and freshman Karissa McLaughlin dished out a team-most four assists.
Hodgins, the preseason Big Sky Conference player of the year, was the only EWU player in double figures, posting 16 points and eight rebounds as the Eagles fell to 4-6.
Purdue returns to action tomorrow against UT Martin, hosting the Skyhawks in the second game of the day at 6:30 p.m., after EWU and Saint Mary’s College square off at 4 p.m.
