Box Score / Notes / Photo Gallery
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue women's basketball team suffered its second straight loss Thursday, falling to visiting Boston College 58-56 in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The Eagles got a huge lift from their post players, scoring 36 points in the pain as they improved to 6-1 on the season, while Purdue falls to 5-2 overall.
The Boilermakers came out flat in the first period, missing five of their first six shots as Boston College raced out to an 8-2 lead in the first three minutes. Purdue calmed things down and started to chip away at the deficit, holding the Eagles to just six points the rest of the quarter, but could only muster 10 points themselves and went into the break trailing 14-12.
The Boilermakers experienced some déjàvu to start the second period as they missed on six of their first seven tries while Eagles cashed in six straight to go on an 11-2 run and take a 27-14 advantage with 5:25 left until half. Again the Boilermakers countered defensively, surrendering just one field goal the rest of the half in an 11-3 stretch of their own and went into halftime down 30-25.
The punch and counterpunch continued in the third as Boston College pushed out to nine, but the Boilermakers reeled them back in, slashing the lead all the way down to two, 40-38, on a jumper by senior Torrie Thornton with 3:39 left in the third. Purdue tied the game for the first time since the opening tip on a pair of free throw from junior Bridget Perry, but five straight points from Boston College reestablished their edge with a minute to go. Thornton and Perry teamed for three more points in the final minute, making it 45-43 Boston College going to the final period.
The lead changed hands 10 times in the final period, but every time Purdue took the lead the Eagles would answer immediately and refused to let it get away. Boston College freshman Mariella Fasoula and Purdue senior April Wilson duked it out down the stretch as Wilson scored nine of her team-high 18 in the fourth, while Fasoula poured in 10 of her career-high 23 in the frame. Wilson put the Boilermakers on top 56-55 with 25 seconds to play, but the Eagles answered as junior Kelly Hughes penetrated and found senior Nicole Boudreau on the left wing for the game-winning 3-pointer with seven seconds to play. The Boilermakers had a chance to answer, but we unable to get a final try at the rim, falling to 1-8 all-time in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
Wilson converted a season-best 8-of-11 from the field, while adding five rebounds, two steals and a career-high two blocks. Sophomore Andreona Keys and Perry joined her in double figures as Keys finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and three steals, while Perry tallied 13 points and six rebounds.
Fasoula added nine rebounds to her career-high scoring total, while Boudreau finished with 10 points, four assists and two steals for the Eagles. Sophomore guard Martina Mosetti added seven assists for Boston College, while Hughes had nine points and three steals.
The Boilermakers return to action Sunday against Dayton, set to tip at 2 p.m. in Mackey Arena, live on BTN Plus.