WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue women's basketball team put on a defensive clinic Sunday at Mackey Arena, holding visiting Wisconsin to just 35 points in a 57-35 victory to earn the Boilermakers' first conference win of the season. Leading 13-12 early in the second quarter, Purdue erupted with a 32-0 run over a 13:31 stretch to take full command of the game and run away from the Badgers as the Boilermakers improved to 10-6 overall and 1-1 in conference play.
Things looked dicey early for the Old Gold & Black, hitting on only two of their first 12 attempts from the field and trailing the Badgers 8-4 after seven minutes of action. Purdue sophomore Dominique Oden finally got things going shortly after, hitting on a pair of triples in the last three minutes and helping her squad out to a 12-10 edge at the break.
A Purdue free throw and a bucket from Wisconsin sophomore Abby Laszewski opened up the action of the second quarter, making it 13-12 Purdue with 8:57 left, but then the Boilermakers turned up the defense. Purdue held Wisconsin scoreless for the remainder of the opening half, scoring 18 straight points of its own, and then stretched the run for another 4:34 in the second half, pushing the lead to 45-12 when it was all said and done. The Boilermakers denied the Badgers on 21 straight trips, combining for 15 missed shots and six turnovers during the run, while Purdue knocked down 12-of-22 (.545) during the stretch. Oden, classmate Lamina Cooper and freshman Karissa McLaughlin combined for 23 of the 32 points during the run.
Wisconsin tried to get things going after finally taking the lid off the basket, but were unable to mount much momentum in the third as Purdue stretched its lead out to 51-17 with two minutes left in the period. The Badgers finally got rolling late, going on a 12-0 run to finish the game once Purdue head coach Sharon Versyp had emptied the bench.
The Boilermakers equaled their best defensive quarter in program history, and best ever against a conference opponent, holding Wisconsin to two points in the second, and held the Badgers to the lowest scoring total for a Big Ten foe since limiting Northwestern to 30 on Jan. 25, 2007.
Oden hit four triples on her way to a game-high 15 points, adding six boards, while Cooper and senior Andreona Keys joined her in double figures with 10 points each. Cooper chipped in seven rebounds, four assists and a steal, while Keys had five boards and three steals. Sophomore Ae'Rianna Harris had five points, eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals, moving into a tie for ninth all-time at Purdue with 129 career blocks.
Laszewski led Wisconsin with 12 points and five rebounds as the Badgers fell to 7-8 overall and 0-2 in conference play. Fellow sophomore Courtney Fredrickson added 10 points and four rebounds.
Purdue returns to the road next weekend, heading to archrival Indiana on Saturday, Jan. 6, for a 2 p.m. ET tip in Bloomington.