LOS ANGELES – The Purdue women's basketball team dropped its season opener on the road against No. 4 UCLA on Monday night 92-49.
A pair of Boilermakers finished in double figures. Caitlyn Harper finished with 10 points with a pair of 3-pointers. Abbey Ellis joined her with 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting. Jeanae Terry finished with a team-high seven rebounds and four assists.
Purdue shot 34% from the field and dished out eight assists on 17 made field goals.
Purdue's freshman class joined the fray early in the first half, Mary Ashley Stevenson, Rashunda Jones and McKenna were the first three subs off the bench. Emily Monson made her first appearance in the fourth. The quartet combined for 20 points, four rebounds and two assists, led by Stevenson's eight points on 3-of-5 shooting.
The Boilermakers battled back from multiple double-digit deficits in the first half. Harper gave Purdue a spark on the offensive end with eight points, including a pair of triples. The sixth year forward sparked a 10-4 run late in the frame to cut the gap to nine with 3:18. UCLA responded with nine straight points to take a 42-24 advantage into the break.
UCLA pulled away in the second half behind a pair of 20-point outings by Londynn Jones and Lauren Betts. The Bruins shot 54.7% from the field and went 13-of-28 from behind the arc.
NOTES
• UCLA evened the all-time series with Purdue 2-2.
• Six different Boilermakers finished with a steal.
• Purdue struggled to find its rhythm from the outside shooting xx-of-xx from distance.
• The Boilermakers went 11-of-14 at the line.
• Purdue forced 15 UCLA turnovers.
• While the Boilermakers lost the rebounding battle 40-22, UCLA managed just 13 points on 16 offensive rebounds.
UP NEXT
Purdue will return to Mackey Arena for its home opener next Sunday against Southern. The Boilermakers will honor its 1999 National Championship team for its 25-year reunion throughout the weekend. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. on B1G+.