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LINCOLN, Neb. – The Purdue women's basketball team held off a late rally by Nebraska on the road to win 76-68. The Boilermakers picked up their second road win in the Big Ten this season and moved to 13-7 overall and 4-4 in the league.
Ae'Rianna Harris had an inspired night for the Boilermakers off the bench with a season-high 25 points on 10-of-12 shooting. Karissa McLaughlin connected on a trio of 3-pointers to tally 19 points, and Dominique Oden dropped in 14.
Purdue shot 47% on the night and buried six triples. The Boilermakers finished with a plus-nine in the rebounding (40-31) and notched 19 assists on 28 made field goals.
The Boilermakers flew out of the gates with a 26-point first quarter. Harris, Oden and McLaughlin tallied six points each, as Purdue went 11-of-14 from the field with four 3-pointers.
Harris and McLaughlin split an eight-point run for the visitors in the second, which led to a 21-point advantage before halftime. The Boilermakers shot 58.6% over the opening 20 minutes, while holding the Cornhuskers to just a 25% clip shooting. The hosts managed to trim the gap to 10 with an 11-0 swing to finish the first half.
Nebraska battled back in the second half to take a four-point lead midway through the fourth quarter.
After being outscored by 14 over the first 15 minutes of the second half, Purdue closed the game on a 17-5 run. Cassidy Hardin put the game to bed with 1:37 with a corner 3-pointer off an Oden assist. The Boilermakers were aided by a five straight field goals in the final four minutes, while Nebraska went 1-of-6 during that span.
QUOTABLES
Head coach Sharon Versyp after the game…
It was a great collective win. Our kids did a great job of focusing what we needed to do in the first half. We had to show some resilience late in the game. I was proud of how we played defensively against an exceptional player in Hannah Whitish. We had to take her out of their game plan, and I thought we did a pretty good job of that.
On Harris' play…
This is what we always expect of Ae'Rianna. We made a few changes to the lineup, and I was proud of how she responded to it.
NOTES
• Purdue leads the all-time series against Nebraska 9-6.
• The 26-point first quarter tied Purdue's season high, set at Chattanooga on Nov. 14.
• Harris came off the bench for the first time since Nov. 15, 2018, against Western Illinois.
• McLaughlin finished in doubled figures for the 11th time this season.
• The Boilermakers tallied 28 points off the bench, a new season high.
• Purdue was 4-of-6 at the line through the first three quarter, before converting all eight attempts in the final frame.
• The Boilermakers totaled 16 points off 14 Nebraska turnovers.
• Harris and Oden each notched their team-leading 15th games in double figures this season.
• Harris touched 20 points, finishing two shy of her career high at Penn State in 2018, for just the eighth time in her career.
• Jenelle Grant and Hardin knocked down a pair of triples, as Purdue connected on eight 3-pointers.
LACE UP FOUNDATION
Ahead of the Boilermakers' Feb. 9 game against Iowa for the Beat Cancer Pinkout, the Boilermakers are raising money for the Lace Up Foundation. Purdue will sport GOLD laces on their shoes to show its support for pediatric cancer research. All proceeds of this fundraiser will go to local Indiana hospitals. Click here to donate and make a difference in a child's life.
Stay up to date on all the latest scores, stats and stories surrounding Purdue women's basketball this season by following the team on Twitter (@PurdueWBB), Instagram (@PurdueWBB) and Facebook (/PurdueWBB).