WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue women's basketball team rolled to its sixth straight win Saturday, posting a 77-50 victory over visiting Eastern Michigan at Mackey Arena. The Boilermaker seniors had a big day as Bridget Perry led the team with 19 points, seven rebounds and three steals, while Ashley Morrissette joined the 1,000-career point club at Purdue, becoming the 30th player in program history to hit the mark.
The game looked like it was going to be a shootout early as the Boilermakers raced out to an 11-3 start behind triples from Morrissette and freshman Dominique Oden, but the Eagles countered by hitting five of their first six shots from the field and battled back to make it 15-13 midway through the period. After five quick points, and sitting at 999 for her career, Morrissette picked up her second foul and was sent to the bench for the remainder of the half.
Junior Andreona Keys picked up the slack for Morrissette at the point guard spot, controlling the pace and maintaining a comfortable Boilermaker lead. Keys dished out seven first-half assists, and guided the Old Gold & Black to a 36-25 halftime advantage. The Boilermakers revved up the defense in the second quarter, holding EMU to 3-of-14 (.214) from the field, but were only able to muster 12 points of their own to stretch the lead to 11.
It was all Boilermakers after the break as Perry scored Purdue's first six points of the third period and Morrissette cracked the 1,000-point mark on a 3-pointer to make it a 20-point edge, 49-29, with six minutes to play in the quarter. The Eagles tried to push back behind the efforts of junior Micah Robinson, as she drained three straight jumpers to pull as close as 16, but the Boilermakers answered every time.
Purdue closed the game out with more stellar defense, holding EMU to two fourth-quarter field goals and stretching the lead to as many as 30 in the final 10 minutes. The Boilermakers had six different players score at least eight points, finishing the game shooting 46.3 percent from the floor.
Joining Perry in double figures was Oden with 13 and Morrissette with 10, while Keys turned in nine points, a career-high nine assists and six rebounds. Sophomore Dominique McBryde posted eight points, tied a career-high with 11 rebounds and blocked a season-best four shots, and freshman Ae'Rianna Harris had another impressive performance around the rim, finishing with eight points, four boards and three rejections.
Robinson led all scorers with 20 points as EMU dropped to 4-7 on the season, and was the only Eagle in double figures. The Eagles shot just 34 percent from the floor, including 25 percent from 3, and made 11-of-22 at the free throw line, matching the most free throw attempts for a Purdue opponent this season.
Purdue plays the final game of its non-conference schedule Wednesday, hosting IUPUI in Mackey Arena for a noon tip. Wednesday is Education Day and the top elementary and middle schools in attendance win a special opportunity with the Boilermakers. The Boilermakers will also celebrate Christmas in Mackey and fans can get a special Purdue Santa hat.