Purdue’s upset bid runs out of steam against No. 7 Maryland

Purdue women’s basketball’s shocking upset attempt failed to come to fruition as the Boilermakers lost to Maryland 78-69 at Mackey Arena. Purdue led by as many as 16 in the first half, but the seventh-ranked Terrapins were inspired in the second half to hold off the Boilermakers’ surprise effort.

The trio of Reagan Bass, Rashunda Jones and Destini Lombard were integral to that quest, combining for 48 points on 20-35 shooting from the field. It was only the second time Jones scored in double figures this season, posting a 26% shooting percentage in her previous four games. Bass continued her stellar performance for the Boilermakers, scoring 14 or more points in her fifth game.

The Boilermakers shot 50.9% from the field, including 7-17 from three-point range, but their best offensive performance against a strong major team wasn’t enough to defeat the Terrapins. The loss is Purdue’s third in its last four games and drops Katie Gearlds’ group to 5-4 on the season.

It was a defensive battle for the first five minutes of the game, with both teams starting with a combined score of 3:19 at Mackey Arena.

Destini Lombard’s three-pointer gave Purdue a 7-2 lead at the 4:25 mark and opened the way for the Boilermaker offense. Reagan Bass and Rashunda Jones then hit three combined shots to spark a 9-2 run that gave Purdue a 13-4 lead with just under two minutes to play in the first quarter.

The Purdue defense looked better than ever early in the season, holding Maryland to just 2:17 shots in the first frame. Rashunda Jones and Reagan Bass led the Boilermakers in the first 10 minutes, combining for 13 of Purdue’s 18 points in the first quarter and helping the Terrapins to an 18-6 lead after the first quarter.

The tandem would continue their outstanding performance early in the second quarter. After Maryland cut the lead to eight in the first minute, Bass, Jones and Lombard combined for a 7-0 run to extend the lead back to 15 at 7:59.

Maryland then started to get going on offense, cutting the lead to eight thanks to a 10-2 run in less than three minutes. Te-Biasu and McDaniel hit back-to-back field goals to make the score 33-25 with less than three minutes left in the first half.

The Boilermakers maintained a nine-point lead at the start of the break, trailing Rashunda Jones by five points.

Jones and Bass led the Boilermakers, shooting 51% from the field in the first half while the tandem combined for 23 points. Destini Lombard also contributed eight points to lead the surprise attack.

Purdue limited its turnovers to just six in the first half while scoring 10 points off of Maryland’s eight missed throws.

Purdue looked more inspired in the first half than perhaps it has all season, but Maryland wasn’t prepared to simply roll over. The Terrapins went on a 7-2 run to start the third quarter and cut the Boilermakers’ lead to four within the first two minutes of the second half.

Kendall Puryear and Jones teamed up to keep Maryland at bay in the first five minutes of the quarter, combining for a 6-2 mini-run that cut the Terrapins’ lead to two with 5:02 left was reduced.

The Terrapins then really got going and took the lead for the first time with an 8-0 run with 2:04 left in the third quarter. After an Alaina Harper free throw ended the run, Maryland extended its lead to four thanks to a three-point play from Smikle. Maryland outscored Purdue by 12 points in the third quarter and took a 55-52 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

After Destini Lombard equalized at the start of the fourth quarter, the Terrapins went on a 6-0 run in 39 seconds to take a 61-55 lead with 8:52 to play. Although Reagan Bass turned things up late with back-to-back layups, Purdue slowly ran out of energy down the stretch.

Maryland’s lead shrank to two before Pofferbarger and Te-Biasu made back-to-back threes and a Smikle layup to extend the Terps’ lead to a then-game-high 10 with six minutes to play. However, Purdue responded with a 6-0 run of its own to cut the deficit to four with 3:34 to play.

Maryland was able to escape with a comfortable lead when the final siren sounded, bringing the Boilermakers to 5-4 on the season.