WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Facing a ranked Big Ten opponent for the fourth straight game, the Purdue women's basketball team fell 83-49 to No. 1 UCLA on Tuesday night in Mackey Arena.
Purdue (7-8, 0-4) was led offensively by Destini Lombard's 13th game in double figures. The fifth year scored 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers.
The Boilermakers picked up 27 points from the bench. McKenna Layden turned in a career high in scoring with eight points in a career-high 27 minutes of action. The sophomore added four rebounds, an assist and a steal. Rashunda Jones tallied eight points and a career-high seven assists on the night.
The Boilermakers finished the night with a 33.3% clip from the field and went 6-of-18 from behind the arc. Layden, Lombard and Sophie Swanson evenly split the 3-pointers.
After a slow start in the first half, Purdue was outscored by nine points over the final two quarters, while shooting 43.5% and connecting on five triples. Purdue dished out nine of their 13 helpers for the game in the second half.
The Bruins (16-0, 5-0) built up a 25-point lead at halftime behind a 61% shooting clip and making five of their first six 3-point attempts. After just four points in the first half with no made field goals, UCLA's Lauren Betts scored 13 in the second half to hold off any comeback bid. Betts finished with a game-high 17 points, as four Bruins finished in double figures.
NOTES
• UCLA leads the all-time series 3-2.
• Purdue finished with six steals to UCLA's four.
• The Boilermakers scored 10 points on 10 Bruin miscues, while the visitors recorded 15 points on 15 Purdue turnovers.
• Sophie Swanson connected on her 60th career 3-pointer.
• Freshman Kendall Puryear finished with a career-high two steals.
• The sophomore class scored 24 points, its third highest total of the year.
• Lombard now has 811 points in her career, 189 shy of the 1,000-point club.
UP NEXT
The Boilermakers will close out the two-game homestand against their fifth straight ranked Big Ten opponent when No. 25 Michigan visits Mackey Arena for a 2 p.m. tip on Saturday.