WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Up one with 3.3 seconds remaining, Caitlyn Harper and Jeanae Terry disrupted a last-second shot by Rutgers' Destiny Adams to help Purdue hold on for a 77-76 win on Tuesday night at Mackey Arena. The Boilermakers notched their 10th straight win at home, marking their longest streak since 2007.
The late effort by the Scarlet Knights (6-10, 0-3) came after Purdue (9-5, 2-1) built up a 12-point lead with 5:41 to play in the fourth when Madison Layden converted an and-one to give the Boilermakers a 74-62 advantage.
As Rutgers closed the game on a 14-3 run, Purdue made three free throws in the final three minutes with Mary Ashley Stevenson's make with 50 seconds remaining proving to be the game-winning point.
Madison Layden led the way offensively with 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting with two triples. Jeanae Terry nearly posted her second straight double-double going for eight points and 10 rebounds in the win. Terry also dished out five assists to move past KK Houser for eighth in program history with 456 helpers in West Lafayette.
Abbey Ellis reached double figures for the 13th time this season as she finished with 13 points. Rashunda Jones tallied 10 points off the bench with six coming from the line. Stevenson chipped in with a productive seven points and six rebounds in 22 minutes of action.
Despite the late rally from the Scarlet Knights, Purdue shot 44.4% from the field and connected on four 3-pointers. The offense committed just 10 turnovers as Purdue put up 63 shots. Purdue's defense forced 15 turnovers that turned into 16 points, while Rutgers totaled just four points off Boilermaker giveaways.
The Boilermakers built up a double-digit lead in the first quarter with a 16-4 run at the end of the frame. Layden and Jones evenly split 14 of Purdue's 24 points in the period. The Boilermakers went 9-of-16 from the floor in the opening 10 minutes.
After Terry made a layup at the start of the second, Rutgers managed to pull all the way back to two points before Ellis hit a mid-range jumper and Sophie Swanson made a pair of free throws to extend the gap back to two possessions late in the half. Jillian Huerter made a long-range triple right before the horn to cut Purdue's lead down to 34-31 at the break.
Purdue hit on all cylinders in the third to score 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting. Harper tallied nine of her points in the frame, while six other Boilermakers put their names on the scoresheet in the period. Stevenson made a contested layup to start a 12-4 run capped by a Mila Reynolds and-one off an assist from Jones to give Purdue a 70-47 lead with 2:17 to go in the third.
Rutgers chipped the gap down to six early in the fourth, before another Stevenson layup opened six straight points for Purdue. After Layden's made layup with 5:41 to go, the Boilermakers missed their final seven shots. Purdue allowed just three made field goals during Rutgers' late run, but the visitors took advantage of Purdue fouls to go 10-of-11 at the line in the fourth.
NOTES
• Purdue now leads the all-time series 9-8 with their fourth straight win against Rutgers.
• The Boilermakers have scored 20 or more points in the opening quarter in each of the last three games.
• Purdue trailed for 12 seconds in the first quarter. It was the first time Purdue had been behind in a game since Dec. 17.
• Madison Layden's two 3-pointers gave her 177 for her career, four away from Ashley Morrissette for ninth on Purdue's all-time charts.
• Purdue's last double-digit winning streak at home was 12 games between the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons.
• The win at Mackey Arena marked the 499th in program history.
• Terry recorded her sixth game this year with at least five points, five rebounds and five assists, which is tied for seventh in the nation.
• Purdue is 4-0 this season when committing 10 or fewer turnovers.
• Rutgers was just the fifth team to score 61 or more points against Purdue.
UP NEXT
The Boilermakers will hit the road on Saturday to face Maryland in College Park for a 4:30 p.m. tipoff on the Big Ten Network.