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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The Purdue women's basketball team came up just shy of a Big Ten Tournament semifinal bid Friday night, falling to third-seeded Michigan State 65-64 at Bankers Life Arena. The Boilermakers are 20-11 on the year and now await word of a spot in the NCAA Championship Tournament, which will announce its field on Monday, March 14.
The second half was a see-saw battle, featuring eight lead changes and two ties, but the Boilermakers were unable to overcome a six-point deficit in the final 1:10 and the Spartans escaped with the win. Junior Bridget Perry led the Boilermakers Friday night, scoring a team-high 18 points, including four in the final minute as Purdue cut the lead to 64-62 with 20 seconds left. The Spartans got just 1-of-2 free throws, leaving the Boilers down by three, but the ensuing 3-point shot was off and the putback by sophomore Bree Horrocks left Purdue just short with three seconds left. Senior Hayden Hamby nearly stole the inbounds pass, but MSU managed to get it in and run out the clock.
Purdue led by as many as 10 in the first half, 30-20, and took a 32-25 lead into the locker room, marking the 19th time the Boilermakers have led at the half this season. The loss is Purdue's first this season when leading at the break, as the Spartans made 9-of-10 free throws in the third quarter to erase the deficit and hit 10-of-15 from the floor in the fourth quarter to hold on for the win. Perry and Horrocks accounted for 18 of the Boilermakers' 20 fourth quarter points.
In addition to Perry's 18 points, five rebounds and three blocks, senior April Wilson added 15 points and six assists, but committed a career-high 10 turnovers as the Boilermakers matched their season-high with 20 as a team. Horrocks was the third Boilermaker in double-figures with 12, while freshman Dominique McBryde and junior Ashley Morrissette were just short of double-figures with nine and eight, respectively.
Junior Aerial Powers led Michigan State with 26 points and 12 rebounds, while Branndais Agee added 13 points and six steals and Jasmine Hines had 11 points and eight rebounds. The Spartans advance to face No. 2 seed Ohio State in the semifinals tomorrow evening.
The Boilermakers made an outstanding turn-around this season, finishing sixth in the conference and hitting the 20-win mark for the seventh time in 10 seasons under head coach Sharon Versyp, after earning just 11 wins and finishing 14th a year ago. Purdue has been included in the NCAA Championship field by several media projections, and looks to join the national field for the seventh time under Versyp.