Four Boilermakers scored over 15 points during the team’s dominant 42-point win.
Purdue women’s basketball (3-0) defeated SIU-Edwardsville (0-3) 100-58 in Mackey Arena on Thursday night.
More than 40 of the team’s points came from turnovers, which plagued the Cougars throughout the game. The Boiler defense forced 25 takeaways in four quarters.
“When we get teams to turn the ball over and they’re live ball turnovers," head coach Katie Gearlds said. "I think we've got a lot of scorers in transitions who can get to the basket like we talked about with Lasha, Jayla and Abbey. Even Jeanae was really aggressive in transition and then (Madison Layden and Cassidy Hardin) kind of fill in and pick their spots. We got our hands on some passes. Our length kind of bothered them.”
The Boilermakers also shot 36 free throws during the game, giving them another 25 points.
Senior guard Abbey Ellis led the team with 29 points, missing just two of her 11 shots.
“She can be a little gnat on the defensive end,” Gearlds said about Ellis. “She can shoot it when she gets it going and she can get in the paint. She just gives us another perimeter player who can get in the paint and make plays.”
The Purdue-best came just over a week and a half after injuring her shoulder in an exhibition game.
“It's a great feeling,” Ellis said about her return to the court. “Last few days, I was feeling more like myself during practice and playing more freely. So I was ready to come in today.”
Fifth-year guard Lasha Petree and senior guard Jeanae Terry had 17 points each.
Senior forward Caitlyn Harper was Purdue’s fourth player with double-digit points, finishing with 15.
The Boilermakers tied the program record for most points in the first quarter with 29, while holding their opponent to just 9 points.
The Boilers shot 62.5% from the field in the first half. On the other side of the court, SIUE shot 20% and had 13 turnovers.
The Cougars stepped up their offense in the second half, scoring 20 points in the third quarter and 17 in the fourth. SIUE started the third quarter with a 9-0 run forcing a quick timeout and lineup change by Purdue.
“First half was really good. I thought we really locked in and engaged,” Gearlds said. “Sometimes, unfortunately, it's human nature to kind of let your foot off the gas. We just talked about maturing as a basketball team and making sure those moments don't happen… I thought that first group did a good job of responding there that third quarter and finishing out the right way.”
Up 31 points with five minutes left in the fourth quarter, Gearlds was called for a technical foul. Gearlds “pleaded the fifth“ when asked the context of the foul in a post-game interview.
After making both free throws, the Cougars scored just 6 points in the final five minutes of the game.
Purdue faces off with Indiana State in Mackey Arena on Sunday at 2 p.m. and will stream on Big Ten Plus.
