COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Purdue women's basketball team suffered its first Big Ten Conference loss Sunday, falling at fifth-ranked Ohio State 90-70. The Buckeyes shot red-hot the entire afternoon, hitting 58.6 percent (34-58) from the floor, including 13-of-23 from behind the arc as the Boilermakers saw their nine-game win streak snapped and fell to 14-3 (5-1 B1G).
The Boilermakers battled early, rallying from a quick 8-2 deficit to take a 10-8 lead and the knot the game at 12 and 14 points. However, senior April Wilson and junior Ashley Morrissette were each saddled with two quick fouls and their absence allowed the Buckeyes to finish the quarter on a 10-0 run and take a 24-14 lead into the first break.
Wilson and Morrissette checked back in for the second quarter and slowed the Buckeyes, answering each run and closing the half on a 9-2 spurt of their own to take a nine-point deficit to halftime, 38-29. Freshman Dominique McBryde started the run with back-to-back buckets inside, and then Morrissette wrapped it up with a triple and then a steal and feed to Wilson for a fast break layup.
Purdue picked up where it left off after the break as Wilson knocked down a jumper and then threaded a pass to Morrissette for another 3 to knife the lead all the way down to four, 38-34, in the opening minutes of the third. However, turnovers started to get the best of the Boilermakers as Ohio State senior Ameryst Alston scored back-to-back layups and then the Buckeyes got three consecutive 3's from sophomore Kelsey Mitchell and junior Shayla Cooper to run their advantage back to 13, 51-38. The Boilermakers played even with the Buckeyes for the final five minutes of the quarter, but couldn't close the gap.
The fourth quarter saw more of the same as it seemed that every time Purdue would make a few shots, Ohio State would answer with a 3-pointer. Purdue was unable to close any closer than 12 points in the final 10 minutes and the Buckeyes finished the game on a 7-0 run to account for the final gap.
Wilson finished with 19 points and six assists to lead the Boilermakers, while Morrissette turned in 17 points and three steals. McBryde had her second straight game in double figures, hitting 5-of-10 from the floor for 12 points and leading the team with seven rebounds.
Mitchell paced Ohio State with 27 points, including five 3-pointers, while Alston had 25 and Cooper scored 16. Cooper entered Sunday's game with just four 3-point field goals on the season (12 attempts), but drained all four of her long-distance attempts on the afternoon. The Buckeyes improved to 13-4 on the season and 5-1 in conference action.
The Boilermakers return home for their next Big Ten Conference game, hosting Nebraska on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET. The Cornhuskers have won three straight and enter Wednesday at 12-5 overall and 3-3 in conference play.