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This game got off to a very slow and sloppy start, but from the second quarter on, Purdue got the offense going and pulled away for a comfortable win. At the end of the first quarter the score was 9-9. At one point in the second quarter, Purdue was shooting 4 for 21 and Rutgers was shooting 4 for 18.
Ashley Morrissette once again got the offense going and kept it going, finishing with a team leading 19 points along with 6 assists and 4 rebounds. With Dominique McBryde out with an injury, Ae’Rianna Harris got the start and made the most of her minutes, finishing with 8 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 blocks. Harris is only three blocks away from setting the freshman record for blocked shots. Dominique Oden was cold shooting in the first half, but went 4 for 6 in the second half to finish with 10 points, adding in 5 rebounds.
Rutgers is offensively challenged, that is for sure. Especially with their best player Tyler Scaife out for the season with an injury. The Scarlet Knights shot only 24 percent from the field, and outside of 4 three pointers struggled all evening to score. They do have the second best scoring defense in the Big Ten to Purdue, but the Boilers were able to break down that defense with good shooting from Morrissette and Oden, and also dominated in fast break points, 16-4.
Next up will be a challenging game against the always competitive Iowa Hawkeyes on Sunday in Mackey, a game I will be making the drive to, to watch in person. Both teams are playing for seeding in the Big Ten Tournament, so it should be a hard fought game.