COLUMBUS, Ohio – After reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017, the 11th-seeded Purdue women's basketball team saw its season come to an end in a 66-64 loss to 11th-seed St. John's in the First Four on Thursday night. The Boilermakers scrapped their way back from a 15-point deficit, only for the Red Storm to score with 0.3 seconds remaining.
The second year of the Katie Gearlds era took the next step in the program's reemergence on the national stage. Purdue went 19-11 on the year for its most wins since 2019 and posted its first winning record in Big Ten play since 2018.
Gearlds joined Purdue legends Lin Dunn and Carolyn Peck as the only coaches in in program history to post win improvements in each of their first two seasons.
The culture of tenacity and hard work instilled in the program was on full display as the Boilermakers battled and clawed their way back from a double-digit deficit for the third straight game.
Purdue was down 60-45 with 1:05 to play in the third quarter. The Boilermakers rolled off a 17-2 run that carried to the 30-second mark of the fourth, when Lasha Petree nailed a contested jumper to even the score at 64-64. The field goal gave Petree her 20th point of the game for her ninth 20-point performance of the year.
After a timeout to advance the ball, Red Storm (22-9) leading scorer Jayla Everett, who joined Petree with a game-high 20, shuffled her way through the lane and scored a contested layup with 0.3 on the clock.
Purdue shot 49% from the field and made six 3-pointers. Petree was joined in double figures by fellow transfer Caitlyn Harper with 14 points. Jayla Smith chipped in nine points off the bench with seven coming in the second half. Madison Layden went for six points and six assists with no turnovers.
The Red Storm shot 44.4% overall and went 11-of-23 from behind the arc.
Petree and Harper combined to score all of Purdue's 13 points in the first quarter. The duo combined to go 6-of-9 from the field over the opening 10 minutes with eight points coming inside the paint.
Madison Layden hit a 3-pointer early in the second to start an 8-0 run that gave the Boilermakers a five-point lead, their largest advantage of the first half. Purdue shot 53% over the opening 15 minutes of the game.
St. John's rallied with an eight-point swing of their own late in the second. Eight of the Red Storm's 12 made field goals in the first half came from behind the arc. Purdue trailed 39-33 at the break.
The Red Storm added to the lead with an 8-2 run to start the third, before Smith scored in transition to end the run. After St. John's made it a 15-point game, Smith converted a traditional 3-point play at the end of the period to start the comeback.
Purdue scored 14 of the fourth quarter's first 16 points. Petree made a pair of 3-pointers to cut the gap to six points with 6:08 to play, before tying the game three minutes later on a jumper. The Boilermakers held the Red Storm to just 1-of-11 shooting during the run. The Boilermakers outscored St. John's 16-6 in the fourth. Everett and Petree traded baskets in the final 90 seconds, before St. John's escaped on the last second shot.
NOTES
• St. John's leads the all-time series 2-0.
• Purdue is now 47-26 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
• Cassidy Hardin played her 142nd career game, breaking a tie with Dakota Mathias for the most appearances by a Boilermaker in men's or women's history.
• Jeanae Terry finished the season with the second most assists in a single campaign with 190 helpers.
• Terry became the first player in program history to finish a season with over six points, rebounds and assists.
• Petree tallied a season-high eight rebounds.
• Abbey Ellis went 77-of-84 at the line for a 91.7% clip, the third best single-season mark in program history.
UP NEXT
Purdue heads into the offseason ready to welcome the No. 21-ranked recruiting class to West Lafayette along with a roster full of experienced veterans who got their first taste of March Madness.