EVANSTON, Ill. – The Purdue women's basketball team stormed to a 74-48 win on the road at Northwestern on Wednesday night. The Boilermakers took control of the game with a 27-0 run that carried from the 3:47 mark of the second to the 4:59 point of the third quarter.
Purdue's (11-13, 4-9) seniors powered the Boilermakers with all-around performances. Caitlyn Harper led the team with a game-high 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting. The sixth-year senior added six rebounds.
Abbey Ellis made history with her 14 points, becoming the 36th member of Purdue's 1,000-point club, as well as the first transfer to do it. Ellis matched Jannon Roland and Courtney Moses as the 12th fastest Boilermakers to reach 1,000 points in 85 games.
Jeanae Terry etched herself into the Big Ten record books as the second ever player to reach 900 rebounds, 600 assists and 200 steals in a career, joining Iowa's Samantha Logic (2012-15). Terry recorded her program record fifth non-point double, finishing with 12 rebounds and 11 assists.
Madison Layden connected on a season-high five 3-pointers to finish with 16 points. Layden moved into a tie with Dominique Oden for sixth in program history with 193 career triples. The Kokomo native added seven rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block.
The Boilermakers shot 46% from the field and went 9-of-26 from behind the arc. Eight different players recorded a helper as Purdue posted its highest assist tally of the season with 25.
Purdue dominated on the glass, winning the battle 46-29. Purdue grabbed 13 offensive boards to flip them into 16 points.
On the defensive end, the Boilermakers hindered the Wildcats (8-16, 3-10) all night. Northwestern shot just 32.8% from the field and were held to four 3-pointers on 20 attempts. Purdue tallied a season-high 13 steals on 20 Wildcats turnovers, led by Terry's four swipes.
Purdue used a pair of nine-point runs in the first to open a double-digit lead. Stevenson tallied four points in the opening 9-0 stretch to open the game. After the Wildcats cut the gap to three, Ellis notched five points in the Boilermakers' 9-0 swing.
Neither side made a basket in the opening 2:40 of the second. After Northwestern trimmed Purdue's lead to seven midway through the frame, Purdue went on a 12-0 run over the final 3:47 to take a 36-17 lead. Harper led Purdue with 11 in the first half, while Terry recorded eight rebounds and three assists.
Ellis crossed the 1,000-point threshold on Purdue's opening basket of the third quarter, as the Boilermakers started the second half on a 15-0 run. Purdue outscored Northwestern 21-13, holding the hosts to just 4-of-17 from the field.
Purdue extended its lead to a game-high 35 points in the fourth. Midway through the frame, Sophie Swanson and Alaina Harper split an 8-0 run. Swanson finished with eight points, including her 20th 3-pointer of the year.
NOTES
• Purdue leads the all-time series with Northwestern 53-26 with its third straight win in the series.
• Madison Layden pulled within 35 points of joining the 1,000-point club. Jeanae Terry is 15 points away from the mark for her career.
• Holding Northwestern to just 17 points in the first half, Purdue moved 2-0 this season and 6-1 in the Katie Gearlds era when holding a team to 20 or fewer points.
• Purdue is 30-18 under Gearlds when hitting seven or more 3-pointers.
• Purdue held a Big Ten opponent to 50 or fewer points for the second time this season, the most since the 2018-19 season.
• Mary Ashley Stevenson finished the night with eight points and five rebounds in 20 minutes of action.
• Under Gearlds, the Boilermakers are 41-12 when holding a team to 70 points or less, while sitting 33-7 when scoring above that mark.
• Sophie Swanson set a career high with two steals.
UP NEXT
The Boilermakers return to Mackey Arena for a Saturday showdown with Nebraska. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. on B1G+. The Boilermakers will celebrate Alumnae Day and National Girls & Women In Sports Day.