EVANSTON, Ill. - The Purdue women's basketball team suffered a 76-60 loss at the hands of Northwestern on Saturday at Welsh-Ryan Arena, dropping its Big Ten Conference opener and falling to 9-6 on the season. The Boilermakers played tight with the 13-2 (2-0 B1G) Wildcats in three of the four quarters, but a 19-7 second quarter accounted for the bulk of the difference in the final score.
The Boilermakers came out guns blazing, opening the game on an 8-0 run and leading for the first 8:45 of regulation. Junior Andreona Keys and sophomore Dominique McBryde had great starts for the Old Gold & Black and both went on to have solid games, accounting for the first 10 Boilermaker points. After the slow start Northwestern got going from behind the arc, draining a pair of 3's and rallying to take a one-point advantage after the first quarter, 20-19.
The second quarter was all Wildcats as Purdue committed nine of its season-high 20 turnovers in the period and Northwestern was able to extend its lead to 13 at the break, 39-26, and never looked back. The Boilermakers went on several small runs in the second half, but each was answered by Northwestern as Purdue never got closer than 11 down the stretch.
Keys finished with a season-high 16 points to lead the Boilermakers, while McBryde added 11 points, eight rebounds and a pair of assists. Senior Bridget Perry joined them in double figures, posting 12 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals, while freshman Dominique Oden grabbed a career-best three steals.
Northwestern senior Nia Coffey led all scorers with 19 points, netting 15 in the second half, and added eight boards as well. Fellow seniors Lauren Douglas and Christen Inman chipped in 18 and 16, respectively, while senior Ashley Deary finished with 13 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals as she broke the Big Ten career steals record.
Purdue returns home to Mackey Arena for its next conference outing, hosting Michigan State on Wednesday, Jan. 4, at 6 p.m. ET.