BLOOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Purdue women's basketball team got off to a slow start Saturday and never recovered, falling at Indiana 72-54. The Boilermakers drop to 10-7 overall and 1-2 in conference play, while the Hoosiers move to 8-9 overall and pick up their first Big Ten win of the season, improving to 1-3.
Indiana raced out to an 18-5 start in Assembly Hall, taking advantage of the Boilermakers shooting 2-of-12 in the opening quarter with seven turnovers. The Boilermaker defense would stymie the Hoosiers at times, holding them for three-to-four minute scoring droughts, but were unable to capitalize, shooting just 34 percent for the game.
The lone bright spot for the Boilermakers came early on as senior Andreona Keys scored her 1,000th career point at Purdue, becoming the 32nd player in program history to hit the mark. She finished with a team-high 17 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Sophomore Ae'Rianna Harris joined her in double-figures, finishing with 16 points and six rebounds, and moved into a tie for eighth on Purdue's career blocks list with her 130th career rejection, matching Sam Ostarello.
Sophomore Lamina Cooper had eight points, three assists and five steals, and the Boilermakers got some solid boosts off the bench from junior Nora Kiesler and sophomore Miracle Gray. Kiesler had four points, three rebounds and three blocks in 11 minutes, while Gray added three points and four assists in 17 minutes.
Purdue returns home for its next game, hosting Rutgers on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Mackey Arena. The Boilermakers just faced the Scarlet Knights on Dec. 28 in New Jersey, falling 58-50 in a defensive battle.