2017 B1G Tournament Recap

2017 B1G Tournament Recap The Boilermakers made an incredible run at the 2017 B1G Tournament, hosted at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis

SECOND ROUND

#5 PURDUE 72 - #12 ILLINOIS 58

The Boilermakers used a fast start and outstanding fourth-quarter performance to earn their first win of the 2017 Big Ten Tournament.

The Boilermakers raced out to a 20-8 start in the first quarter, with solid play from Andreona Keys, Bridget Perry and the pictured Ae'Rianna Harris. The Purdue freshman had three of her game-high five blocks in the quarter, in addition to five points and three rebounds. Harris' five blocks match the Boilermakers' Big Ten Tournament single-game record, and marked her fourth 5+ rejection game of the season.

Illinois staged a comeback in the second quarter, using a 13-3 run to tie the game at 25-25 with 1:21 left in the half, but Ashley Morrissette went on a 5-0 run of her own to finish the period and put Purdue up 30-25 at the break. Morrissette hit three 3's on her way to 13 points, while dealing six assists.

Perry and Keys led the Purdue charge in the third quarter, holding the Fighting Illini at bay by shooting 9-of-16 (.563), while Lamina Cooper led a late charge with back-to-back layups to push the lead back to eight points.

The fourth quarter was the Andreona Keys show, scoring 13 of her career-high 26 points in the final period, hitting 4-of-4 from the floor and 4-of-4 at the stripe. Her 26 points matched the sixth-highest total by a Boilermaker in Big Ten Tournament history and the most since 2012.

The win was the 20th career Big Ten Tournament victory, tying Jim Foster and Rene Portland for the most in tournament history.

QUARTERFINALS

#5 PURDUE 66 - #4 INDIANA 60

Ashley Morrissette led a balanced first-quarter effort against the Hoosiers with four points, three rebounds and a pair of assists, but behind a pair of 3's Indiana held a 18-15 lead after the first quarter

It was all Indiana in the second quarter as they outscored Purdue 21-9 in the frame. The Boilermakers managed just 3-of-14 from the floor and committed five turnovers, heading to the half trailing 39-24.

The Boilermakers flipped the script after halftime, going on a 14-0 run and nearly erasing a 17-point deficit. Nora Kiesler came off the bench to solidify the Purdue defense, holding Indiana to 2-of-17 from the floor and forcing six turnovers. Kiesler had a pair of huge blocks in the quarter.

The Boilermakers continued to fight in the fourth quarter, but Indiana held on to its slim lead for the first 8:31 of the period. Trailing by three, 55-52, with two minutes left, Dominique McBryde, Andreona Keys and Dominique Oden hit three straight shots to spark a 10-0 run to but the Boilermakers on top for good. Oden drained a key 3-pointer off a fantastic pass from McBryde w/ 38 seconds left to stretch the lead to four.

Oden finished with a career-high 24 points, hitting 8-of-11 from the field and 5-of-8 from 3-point range, posting the most points by a Purdue freshman in Big Ten Tournament history. Her five triples made her second freshman in school history to hit five or more at least three times in her rookie season.

Morrissette finished with 21 points, five rebounds and four assists, hitting three 3's, as Purdue posted the second-largest comeback in program history (17 points). The Boilermakers had just six turnovers for the game, tying the third-lowest single-game total in program history, including zero in the second half.

With her 21st career Big Ten Tournament victory, Versyp became the winningest coach in the 23-year history of the event.

SEMIFINALS

#5 PURDUE 71 - #1 OHIO STATE 60

The first quarter was a high-scoring affair, as the Boilermakers hit a pair 3's and went 8-of-8 at the free throw line, while Ohio State capitalized on six Purdue turnovers and hit 10-of-19 from the field to hold a 22-20 advantage after 10 minutes of play. Ashley Morrissette paced Purdue with seven points and three assists.

Purdue started a defensive clinic in the second quarter, holding Ohio State to 3-of-18 from the field, including 0-for-7 from 3, and outscoring them 16-9 to take a 36-31 lead to the locker rooms. Dominique Oden drained a pair of 3's in the final minute of the half to push the Boilermakers ahead, while sophomore teammate Dominique McBryde cleared seven rebounds in the quarter.

Lamina Cooper had another big third quarter for the Boilermakers, coming up with back-to-back buckets in the midst of a 10-1 run to start the half. Purdue held Ohio State without a field goal for the first 6:25 of the third quarter and finished up with a 53-42 lead heading to the fourth. Cooper made another big play late in the quarter, ripping Ohio State standout Kelsey Mitchell and feeding Oden for the first of two layups to close the third.

The Boilermakers finished off the Buckeyes with a solid team effort in the fourth quarter, hitting 10-of-12 at the free throw line and squashing a comeback effort by holding Ohio State to 8-of-21 from the field. The Buckeyes turned up the pressure and cut it as close as five points with four minutes to play, but key buckets from Bridget Perry and Ae'Rianna Harris and 7-of-8 free throws sealed up the win and advanced the Boilermakers to the championship game.

The win sent the Boilermakers to the Big Ten Tournament Championship game for the 14th time in 23 seasons, and the sixth time under Versyp in 11 years. It was Purdue's first win over a top-10 ranked program since 2012, and Versyp's 26th victory at Purdue over a ranked opponent.

Purdue hit season-high marks for 3-point percentage, hitting 8-of-11 (.727) and free throws (21-of-23), while holding Ohio State to its lowest single-game scoring total of the year. The Boilermakers limited the 2017 Big Ten Player of the Year, Kelsey Mitchell, to nine points on 3-of-22 shooting, marking just the second single-digit scoring performance of her career.

FINALS

#5 PURDUE 64 - #2 MARYLAND 74

The Boilermakers traded blows with the nation's third-ranked team in the opening quarter, riding the hot hand of Morrissette. Purdue got the better of the Terrapins on the glass, and led 14-12 before Maryland hit back-to-back 3's to close the period.

The second quarter was another slugfest as the two sides matched each other 21-21 and Maryland took a four-point edge to the locker rooms, 39-35. Trailing by 10 late in the period, Andreona Keys and Dominique Oden splashed consecutive 3's, as Oden's found nothing but net on an inbounds with 1.6 seconds left in the half, beating the buzzer.

Maryland took firm control of the game in the third as the Boilermakers couldn't find the bucket, while the Terps kept finding ways to score.

The game appeared to be on its way out of hand in the fourth quarter as Maryland stretched its advantage to 21 points, but the Boilermakers came roaring back down the stretch. An 11-1 Purdue run knifed the lead back to 11, and the Boilermakers had four tries to cut the deficit to single-digits with four minutes to play, but were unable to get it any closer.

While Maryland became the first team to break the 60-point mark on the Boilermakers since Feb. 11, Purdue did hold the Terps to a season-low scoring total. Ashley Morrissette fell just shy of her third straight 20-point game, finishing with 18 and six assists to lead Purdue.

AWARDS & NOTES

Big Ten All-Tournament TEam: Ashley Morrissette

Big TEn All-Tournament Team: Dominique Oden

22 wins marks the 24th 20+ win season at Purdue, eighth under versyp

#BOILERUP

Appreciate

Credits:

Charles Jischke, Paul Sadler

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