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After dropping three straight games to conference foes, Michigan State, Maryland and Indiana, Purdue had an opportunity to bounce back. They squandered that opportunity blowing a late lead to lose their fourth straight game in a tough loss to Iowa by a score of 87-81.
Coming into this game, the Boilermakers had been playing their worst basketball of the season and needed a win to change the trajectory of their season. It appeared that Purdue was motivated and could possibly end their losing streak, but it was clearly not meant to be.
It was a largely back and forth game throughout the contest up until the fourth quarter as the Boilermakers took their largest lead of the game at with 5:00 minutes left in the game at 75-69. Purdue then went ice cold and Iowa caught fire late, going on a 17-2 run to extend their lead to 9 with only 37 seconds remaining. Purdue made a couple of garbage time baskets but it was not enough.
This was one of the better performances of the season for Purdue even in a loss. They committed just 10 turnovers compared to Iowa’s 16, which is a far cry from their normal output in that category.
A big issue for Sharon Versyp’s team was fouls as they sent Iowa to the charity stripe 31 times. This number was a little inflated due to the late game fouls committed in order to extend the game, but it also ended up being the difference in the contest. Purdue made just 5 of their 9 free throws on the night.
Two Boilermakers had their best games of the season in Fatou Diagne and Madison Layden. Diagne had her first double-double of the year as she posted 16 points on 8-11 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Layden on the other hand had the best game of her Purdue career as she popped off for 19 points on 6-7 shooting from behind the arc. If Layden and Diagne can have more performances like this, the Boilermakers will find some more success.
Even in a loss, there was a lot of good to take away from this game if you are Sharon Versyp. A definite step in the right direction for Purdue. They will be back in action Thursday against Wisconsin at 6:00 pm inside Mackey Arena.