WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Five Boilermakers finished in double figures as the Purdue women's basketball team rolled to a 98-67 exhibition win on Sunday afternoon against Purdue Northwest. The Boilermakers will open the 2022-23 season Thursday night against Marshall.
Caitlyn Harper led all scorers with 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting. The Hartland, Wisc., native was one of three starters to reach double digits, joining Lasha Petree's 14 points and 11 from Jeanae Terry. Jayla Smith and Rickie Woltman chipped in 12 and 10 points, respectively, off the bench.
Purdue shot 56.6% from the field and went 7-of-17 (41.2%) from behind the arc. 11 of the 12 active Boilermakers put their name on the scoresheet.
The Boilermakers picked up 31 points at the line on 37 attempts (83.8%). Ten different players made a trip to the line. Smith finished 6-of-6 at the stripe, while Woltman was 6-of-9. The 31 made freebies were the most by Purdue in a game since 2010.
After a slow start that saw Purdue trail 19-14 after 10 minutes, the Boilermakers quickly found their rhythm to outscore the Pride 84-48 over the final 30 minutes.
Purdue Northwest opened the day shooting an even 50% (14-28) from the field in the first half. The Boilermakers locked in for the second half to hold the pride to just 7-of-30 (23.3%) shooting.
The run started in the second as Purdue dropped 34 points on 13-of-18 shooting (72.2%). Cassidy Hardin drained a trio of 3-pointers to lead the hosts to a 48-40 lead at the break.
In the third, Purdue's defense matched its offensive intensity. The Boilermakers outpaced the Pride 25-9 out of the break. Harper notched 10 of her points in the frame, while Purdue went 13-of-16 at the line. Defensively, the Boilermakers held Purdue Northwest to just 2-of-15 shooting in the frame and forced 10 turnovers.
The sluggish start led Purdue to 19 turnovers for the game, but only nine of those came in the final three quarters. The Pride only managed 12 points off the giveaways. The hosts flipped 17 Purdue Northwest turnovers in 21 points.
Led by Cassidy Hardin's six, Purdue tallied a plus-15 margin (39-24) on the glass. Purdue scored 11 points on eight offensive rebounds and held the Pride off the board on six second-chance possessions.
Madison Layden dished out seven of Purdue's 23 assists in the win, 22 of which came in the final three periods.
TRANSFERS CAUSING TROUBLE
Petree and Harper made their unofficial debuts at Mackey Arena, combining for 36 points, seven rebounds, four steals and three blocks. The duo had a combined plus-minus of 40. Harper's inside presence led the Boilermakers to a 46-26 margin in the paint. Petree was 2-for-4 from distance and 4-for-4 at the line. Both players featured for less than 25 minutes.
QUOTE
Head coach Katie Gearlds on the defensive stand in the third quarter…
We challenged them to lock in defensively a little more. It was a little bit of first-game jitters, playing in front of a crowd for the first time. That has to be our identity. The way we locked in and guarded in the third quarter has to be our identity.
UP NEXT
The 2022-23 season starts Thursday at Mackey Arena with a 6 p.m. tip against Marshall.