WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue women's basketball team rallied from behind to pull off a 71-65 win over Oklahoma State in the final game of the Cancun Challenge. The Boilermakers improved to 6-1 on the year and 2-1 this weekend.
The Boilermakers trailed by as many as eight in the third quarter and three in the fourth but outscored the Cowgirls (6-2) 11-2 over the final 2:26 to complete the comeback. Purdue held OSU to just 1-of-4 shooting in the final stretch.
Sophomore Ava Learn provided a much-needed spark off the bench with 12 points. The Hyde Park, N.Y., native was 2-of-2 from the field and 8-of-10 at the free throw line. Six of her makes at the charity stripe came in the final 10 minutes.
Lasha Petree kept her double figure stretch alive with 20 points on the afternoon. She added six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Jenae Terry notched her fifth game this season with more than five points, assists and rebounds, totaling 11 points, seven boards and six dimes.
Learn and Petree accounted for nine of Purdue's final 11 points.
Purdue shot 44.2% from the field and added five triples. Despite losing the rebounding battle 39-36, the Boilermakers flipped 14 offensive rebounds into 17 second chance points, while keeping the Cowgirls to just four points in nine boards.
Caitlyn Harper twisted through the defense for a layup with 4:06 to play in the first to give Purdue an 11-10 lead. That bucket sparked a 14-3 run that gave Purdue a 23-13 early in the second.
The Cowgirls punched back to score 19 of the final 23 points in the quarter, including a 15-0 run. Back-to-back jumpers by Petree late in the frame pull Purdue within five at the break.
The fifth-year senior paced Purdue with 12 points in the opening 20 minutes as Purdue shot 40% from the field.
After the Cowgirls opened a eight-point gap early in the third, Purdue carried 23-8 run into the fourth that saw the Boilermakers take a seven-point lead. Oklahoma State countered with back-to-back triples to take a 63-60 lead with 3:47 to play. Purdue went 7-of-8 at the line during the final run to seal the win.
NOTES
• The boilermakers evened the all-time series with Oklahoma State 1-1.
• Rickie Woltman made a major impact in her 11 minutes of action with a plus-minus of 13, a game high.
• Purdue outscored Oklahoma State 29-4 in bench points.
• Learn set career high in points and free throws
• Purdue went 20-of-26 at the line, its second game with 20 or more made free throws.
• The game featured 13 lead changes and eight ties.
• Purdue is 6-1 through seven games for just the third time in the last 10 years.
UP NEXT
Purdue will return to Mackey Arena on Wednesday for the annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge game against Syracuse. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.