EAST LANSING, Mich. – It was a tale of two halves and a Boilermaker win. The Purdue women's basketball team rallied to beat Michigan State 69-59 on the road Sunday afternoon, giving head coach Katie Gearlds her first career win on the road in the Big Ten.
The Boilermakers (11-4, 2-2) outscored the Spartans (8-7, 2-2) by 13 in the second half, committing just four turnovers over the final 20 minutes.
Brooke Moore led the way scoring with a season-high 22 points off the bench. The senior was 8-of-12 on the afternoon. Rickie Woltman finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds.
Madison Layden added 12 points, but her biggest contribution came on the defensive end. The sophomore stymied Spartan standout Nia Clouden, who entered Sunday ranked seventh in the nation with 22.5 points per game, to just seven points.
The Boilermakers shot 46.2% from the field and connected on eight 3-pointers. Jeanae Terry dished out a game-high eight assists, as Purdue tallied a helper on 16 of 24 made field goals. Purdue pressed the pace and scored 16 points on the fast break and turned 14 Michigan State turnovers into 23 points.
The Boilermakers built an early 19-13 lead in the first quarter thanks to a trio of 3-pointers from Madison Layden. Brooke Moore paced Purdue in the opening half with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting.
The Spartans battled back in the second quarter outscoring the Boilermakers 20-11 in the frame. Michigan State scored 13 points in the first half off Purdue's 13 turnovers and closed the half on a six-point run to take a 33-30 lead into the break.
The Boilermakers shot an even 50% from the field and knocked down six 3-pointers in the first half, while holding the Spartans to 39% shooting.
Purdue pulled all the way back in the third, outscoring the hosts 13-11 in the period. Woltman sparked an early run with five straight points, as Purdue trailed by just one with 10 minutes to play. The junior scored 10 points in the second half.
In the fourth, Purdue pulled away with 26 points. Following a quick layup by Michigan State, the Boilermakers rolled off a 16-2 run that opened the gap to as many 11. Moore accounted for 10 points, as Purdue flipped seven turnovers into seven points. The Boilermakers put the game away with 9-of-11 free throws down the stretch.
MOORE OF THAT
Moore matched her career high set against Maryland earlier this season. Moore is the only player from the Big Ten with multiple 20-point outings off the bench this season. Her two games are tied for second in the nation behind Jasmine Gayles from San Francisco. In 24 minutes, Moore went 8-of-12 from the field, 3-of-6 from behind the arc and 3-for-3 at the line. She also grabbed one rebound and had one steal.
MADISON'S MENACING DEFENSE
Layden and the Boilermakers held Clouden in check for most of the game. Michigan State's top scorer failed to reach double figures for the first time this season. For the game, Clouden was 2-of-13 shooting and 1-of-4 from distance. Purdue forced Clouden into a trio of turnovers. Entering the game, Clouden was averaging 34.4 points over her last three games, including 50 against FGCU on Dec. 20.
QUOTE
Head coach Katie Gearlds …
In the first half, I thought we shot it really well. We just didn't get enough shots off. They had 10 offensive rebounds, and we had 13 turnovers. Those are the two things we talked about at halftime. We had just four turnovers in the second half. It's a gutsy win on the road. Any road win in the Big Ten is going to be huge, but with our group coming along, we're fighting to get better.
NOTES
• Purdue leads the all-time series against Michigan State 43-36.
• Purdue is now 4-0 when scoring 25 or more points in a quarter.
• The Boilermakers have knocked down seven or more 3-pointers in 11 games this year for a 9-2 record.
• Michigan State won the rebounding battle 36-33 and scored 22 points on 18 offensive boards.
• Layden three steals for the 11th time in her career.
• Freshman Ava Learn recorded her first career block.
• The game featured 13 lead changes and eight ties.
• Rickie Woltman has averaged 11.2 points per game over the last five outings.
• Purdue won its third game this season with more turnovers than assists.
UP NEXT
The Boilermakers will open a two-game homestand this Thursday when No. 22/21 Iowa visits Mackey Arena for a 7 p.m. tip.