COLLEGE PARK, Md. – On her weekly radio show, Purdue women's head coach said she wanted Maryland to know Purdue was there. On Wednesday night, the Boilermakers pushed the No. 8 team in the nation deep into the second half before falling 86-71 on the road.
Brooke Moore and Cassidy Hardin combined for 37 points on the night, as Purdue (6-4, 0-2) was without its top two scorers, Madison Layden and Ra Shaya Kyle, through illness and injury. Moore dropped a season-high 22 points on a career-best six 3-pointers. Hardin added 15 points with a trio of triples.
The Boilermakers finished with a season-high 48.3% field goal clip and matched their season high with 12 3-pointers. Rokia Doumbia added 10 points off the bench, while Jeanae Terry was one point and two assists shy of a triple-double with nine points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.
The Boilermakers could not have started much hotter in the first quarter, going 9-of-12 from the field and 4-of-5 from behind the arc. Cassidy Hardin knocked down a pair of early triples to lead the way early with eight points, as Purdue led 22-21 after 10 minutes.
In the second, Moore took over. The senior launched four 3-pointers in the period to account for 12 of Purdue's 18 points in the frame. Maryland regained the lead midway through, before Moore knocked in back-to-back triples that gave Purdue a 40-36 lead at the break.
Purdue shot 64% from the field and 8-of-13 from deep over the opening 20 minutes. Maryland (9-2, 2-0), meanwhile, kept it close with 18 points on 15 Boilermaker giveaways in the first half and nine second chance points on 15 offensive rebounds.
Maryland rebounded in the second half, outscoring Purdue 50-31. Purdue kept the gap to single digits until a 9-0 Terrapin run in the fourth built the lead out to as many as 20.
Purdue cooled down to a 36.4% field goal percentage in the second half. Doumbia scored all of her 10 in the final 20 minutes, while Hardin and Moore were limited to a combined 12 points.
The Terrapins won the rebounding battle 42-31 and converted 23 offensive boards into 21 second-chance points. The Boilermakers also committed 23 turnovers, with just eight in the second half, which into 34 points for the hosts.
The Boilermakers closed one of the toughest run of games in recent memory, facing five straight teams ranked or receiving votes. Purdue went 2-3 during the stretch with wins over No. 17/22 Florida State and Georgia Tech in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The Boilermakers will face Denver, Miami (OH) and North Alabama to finish the non-conference schedule. Purdue will face its next Big Ten opponent Dec. 30 at 9 p.m. at Wisconsin on Big Ten Network.
QUOTE
Head coach Katie Gearlds …
I think we all saw exactly what we thought we were going to see. Purdue competed for 40 minutes. For us, it doesn't really matter who we have on the floor. We're going to have a group out there that's going to compete. We're going to be locked in and engaged. We're upset. This one hurts. We didn't come up here just to play and compete. We wanted to give ourselves a chance in the fourth quarter. They're a top-10 team for a reason.
NOTES
• Maryland leads the all-time series with Purdue, 15-2.
• Purdue a little over 50% of its points form behind the arc.
• Rickie Woltman and Jayla Smith made their first career starts with the absences of Kyle and Layden.
• Abbey Ellis hit double figures for the fifth time this season, finishing with 10 points.
• Maryland's entire starting five scored in double figures, led by All-American Ashley Owusu's 20.
• Purdue recorded 12 offensive rebounds but only managed eight second-chance points.
• The Boilermakers' 18 points in the second quarter were the most in that frame since the loss to Dayton.
• For the third time this season, Purdue attempted five or fewer free throws, going 3-of-5 on the night.
• Purdue's four-point lead at the half was the first time Maryland trailed at the break to an unranked team this season.
UP NEXT
The Boilermakers will open a three-game homestand that will close out the non-conference slate Sunday afternoon against Denver at 2 p.m. on B1G+.