WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue sophomore Kendall Puryear found her team in need of a boost.
Purdue found itself trailing 67-53 after the third quarter with an offense that got stagnant and a defense that began rippling at the seams.
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Until Puryear put together her best quarter of basketball of her college career.
Puryear scored a career high 20 points including 12 points in the final period but it wasn’t enough for Purdue as it fell to Illinois 83-73 at home to reopen Big Ten Conference play.
Purdue (8-5, 0-2 Big Ten Conference) sustained its first loss at home at Mackey Arena after taking a brief 34-33 lead with 3:20 to in the second quarter.
The Boilermakers couldn’t overcome the scoring depth possessed by Illinois, a roster that touted five freshmen and seven sophomores.
Purdue Boilermakers forward Lana McCarthy (35) and Purdue Boilermakers forward Kendall Puryear (22) cheer from the bench Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, during NCAA women’s basketball game against the UCLA Bruins at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind.
Illinois (12-1, 2-0 Big Ten Conference) was led by sophomore Berry Wallace with 21 points and seven rebounds, redshirt sophomore Gretchen Dolan added 19 points and freshman Cearah Parchment added 14 points (10-11 FT).
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Sophomore Nya Smith’s energy off the bench proved significant for the Boilermakers after starting guard Tara Daye received two fouls in the first half.
Nya Smith led both teams with five rebounds in the first half while the Boilermakers had seven players contribute four points or more in the first half.
More: A freshman from Israel also elevating Purdue women’s basketball offense
Purdue shot 3-of-14 from 3-point range while Wallace went 3-of-3 in the third quarter and junior Maddie Webber went 4-of-4 including 3-of-3 from 3-point range in the first quarter.
Graduate senior Madison Layden-Zay added 13 points and is now five 3-pointers from five makes passing coach Katie Gearlds for third on the all-time list.
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Freshman Hila Karsh scored 11 points and sophomore forward Lana McCarthy added 10 points for the Boilermakers.
Ethan Hanson is the sports reporter for the Journal & Courier in Lafayette. He can be reached at ehanson@jconline.com, on Twitter at EthanAHanson and Instagram at ethan_a_hanson.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue women’s basketball falls to Illinois after career day by Puryear
