ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – A furious effort in the second was not enough for the Purdue women's basketball team to knock off its first ranked opponent this season, falling 65-57 to No. 22/23 West Virginia on Thursday night to tip off the St. Pete Showcase.
The Boilermakers were led Brooke Moore's season-high 13 points, 11 of which came in the second half. The Atlanta native was 6-of-15 on the night, grabbed a trio of offense rebounds and set a career high with two blocks.
Cassidy Hardin hit four 3-pointers on the night, as Purdue knocked down a season-high 10 triples. The Boilermakers hit 34.5% from the field and won the rebounding battle 38-36, with Jeanae Terry hauling down a game-high eight.
West Virginia (4-0) took advantage of 24 Purdue turnovers to flip them into 22 points, while the Boilermakers managed just seven on 16 Mountaineer giveaways.
The Mountaineers opened with an 8-0 run, before Hardin countered with her first 3-point effort of the night. The gap grew to as many as nine in the opening quarter, but Purdue never allowed it to hit double figures in the opening half. The Boilermakers struggled to find their offensive rhythm in the first half with just a 30.8% clip shooting and 15 turnovers.
Hardin unleashed back-to-back triples to cut the deficit to four at the break, as Purdue went 6-of-14 from outside before the break.
Both sides picked up the pace to start the third quarter. After West Virginia extended the gap to seven points, Purdue trimmed it down to three with four straight free throws. The Boilermakers were 7-of-10 at the line on the night. On four separate occasions in the third, the Boilermakers closed within four but could not tie the game.
Into the fourth, West Virginia kept its advantage to a two-possession lead. Madison Layden and Moore both hit 3-pointers under five minutes to play, but the Mountaineers pull away with a 7-0 run that lasted until the final five seconds of the game.
Purdue grabbed 11 offensive rebounds in the final 20 minutes but only managed 10 second-chance points.
QUOTE
Head coach Katie Gearlds …
I thought we competed. I thought we executed for the most part what we were trying to do. We understand that we weren't supposed to be in this game. We're not supposed to come to this tournament, and I thought we played with a little bit of a chip on our shoulders. I loved the fight. I loved the toughness. I loved the togetherness we played with tonight. But this one hurts tonight. It should hurt. We have a locker room full of kids who are hurt. It's because we expected to win.
NOTES
• Purdue is now 1-1 all-time against West Virginia.
• Ra Shaya Kyle played just 4:50, after picking up two early fouls in the first quarter and a third early in the third.
• Purdue dropped its 19th straight game to a ranked opponent but fell by 10 points or less for just the third time in the streak.
• West Virginia outscored Purdue in the pain 42-16.
• Purdue notched 16 second-chance points on 17 offensive rebounds.
• Rickie Woltman set new career highs with nine points and 33 minutes.
• Purdue made 10 3-pointers for the first time this season and the first since Feb. 28 of last season against Illinois.
• Jayla Smith was the lone Boilermaker to finish with a positive plus-minus. The rookie tallied six points on two 3-pointers.
• Cassidy Hardin made a 3-pointer in a 50th different game.
• The 30 3-point attempts are tied for the thid most in a single game in program history.
• Purdue is 9-2 all-time when playing on Thanksgiving.
UP NEXT
The Boilermakers will play in the third-place game of the St. Pete Showcase on Saturday at 11 a.m. No. 17/23 Florida State.