It wasn’t pretty, but it didn’t need to be for the Purdue women’s basketball team.
The motto to her team was the same from coach Katie Gearlds, “Survive and advance.”
Her team did just that Wednesday in the opening round of the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament in Minneapolis. The Purdue women’s basketball team overcame a deep hole against Northwestern, eliminating the Wildcats with a 76-70 victory. The win was the fourth consecutive for Purdue over the Wildcats. Furthermore, the win marked the first time Purdue has come out on top when trailing at the break or facing a deficit of 10 or more points this season.
With the win, 12th seed Purdue advances to play 5th seed Nebraska (19-10) approximately 25 minutes after 9th seed Maryland and 8th seed Illinois play today at 12:30 p.m.
Throughout the season, it was the play of the seniors that led Purdue, but against Northwestern, it was a mix of youth and experience that paced the Boilermakers (13-17).
Backed by a huge third quarter from Rashunda Jones, who was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team, and senior Abbey Ellis, Purdue women’s basketball overcame a 10-point third quarter deficit. Jones scored eight of her 19 points in the frame, while Ellis finished with 25 points and a career high 10 rebounds.
Senior Jeanae Terry added eight points, grabbed 16 rebounds with six assists and Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Year Mary Ashley Stevenson scored nine points. Madison Layden, a senior, added 11 points for Purdue women’s basketball.
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