EAST LANSING, Mich. - Senior Ashley Morrissette matched a career high with 31 points Sunday to lead the Purdue women's basketball team to a 76-66 victory over Michigan State at the Breslin Center. The win is the Boilermakers first in East Lansing since 2013, and the first regular-season sweep over Michigan State since the 2003-04 season as Purdue snapped a two-game slide and improved to 13-8 (4-3 B1G).
Things were sloppy early as the two sides combined for 14 first-quarter turnovers, and the eight Boilermakers miscues resulted in 11 points for the Spartans. The lead changed hands three times over the first 10 minutes, and Michigan State took a 19-17 lead into the break. The Purdue seniors kept things going for the Old Gold & Black as Morrissette and classmate Bridget Perry had five points apiece, while Perry had three rebounds, two assists and a steal as well.
The Boilermakers caught fire in the second quarter, matching their second-most points in a quarter this season with 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting (.733), and building a 44-33 lead at halftime. Morrissette did the heavy lifting, knocking down 4-of-6 from the field and 3-of-3 at the charity stripe for 12 points in the frame, adding three boards and three assists as well. The bulk of the separation came on a 9-0 run late in the quarter, sparked by sophomore Dominique McBryde and freshman Dominique Oden.
MSU fought back in the third quarter behind the play of senior Brandais Agee, who scored seven of her 15 points in the period and pulled the Spartans as close as close as four points, 50-46. The Boilermakers slowed the run in the last few minutes of the third behind buckets from freshman Lamina Cooper and Morrissette and headed to the fourth with a 56-50 edge.
Things went back-and-forth at the start of the fourth, with MSU pulling back to within four again on a 3-pointer from freshman Taryn McCutcheon, 63-59. However a steal and score from Cooper sparked a 6-0 Purdue run and the Boilermakers would lead by at least eight the rest of the way, coasting in for the victory.
Morrissette filled out the stat line, hitting 11-of-20, 3-of-7 from 3 and 6-of-7 at the foul line, while adding five boards, seven assists and four steals. McBryde was the only other Boilermaker in double figures with 10 points and eight rebounds, while Cooper and fellow rookie Ae'Rianna Harris added nine and eight, respectively off the bench. Harris chipped in four boards and four blocks as well, and Oden had seven points and a career-high five assists.
Senior Tori Jankoska led MSU with 16 points, but was held to five in the second half, while Agee joined her in double figures with 15 and McCutcheon added eight assists. The Spartans lose their third straight in conference play, falling to 13-7 overall and 3-4 in the Big Ten.
Purdue returns to Mackey Arena on Thursday, hosting Nebraska at 6 p.m. ET, live on the Big Ten Network.