WEST LAFAYETTE ― No waiting, no stopping.
Purdue women’s basketball pushed Howard and found a consistent and rapid flow in the second quarter after a sluggish start in the opening four minutes.
Sophomore Lana McCarthy led Purdue with 19 points and 15 rebounds, igniting Purdue on a 22-0 run that ran from the first quarter to second quarter and ultimately trampled Howard, 92-62, at Mackey Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 26.
Tara Daye scored 15 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to join McCarthy as the second Purdue player to post a double-double.
“I made that my mission to get after it and that every rebound is mine,” Daye said.
Kiki Smith added 13 points, six assists, and Taylor Feldman scored 10 points.
Fifth year senior Madison Layden-Zay scored 14 points. She entered as Purdue’s fourth all-time leader in 3-pointers and finished 4-for-6 from beyond the arc.
Purdue (4-2) travels to Central Michigan on Sunday at 1 p.m. before heading back to Mackey Arena to play Evansville next Wednesday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m.
Purdue outrebounded Howard 50-20 and have won two straight following losses to Purdue Fort Wayne and Kentucky.
McCarthy has found success coming off the bench after doing so for the second straight time. McCarthy scored 12 points three days ago against Miami (OH) and is shooting 80% over her last two games.
The Manchester, New Hampshire, native attributed her latest success through practicing with fellow classmen Kendall Puryear who started on Wednesday.
“The two of us have spent a lot of time in the gym together and we make each other better,” McCarthy said. “We foul the heck out of each other, make each other finish through contact and lots of reps around the rim. And days I’m not motivated, she gets me in the gym, and I attribute a lot of that to her.”
Howard (6-2) had started the season strong, including a season opening victory over Providence, but couldn’t sustain its early pressure after forcing six turnovers in the first quarter.
“We just needed to attack and push the tempo,” Daye said. “When you let the defense dictate what you do, you’re automatically at a disadvantage. So, when we’re controlling the pace, that’s how you settle a better offense. And this was one of the games where we were pressed for a long time, and thank God we are seeing it earlier on. Because when we get to the Big Ten, we have to be ready for anything.”
Howard forced Purdue to use a full court press that forced two turnovers in the opening five minutes, sparking a 7-2 run for the visitors in the first quarter. Junior guard Zoe Stewart led with 16 points while seniors Nile Miller and Zennia Thomas added 12 points for the Bison.
Feldman’s entry off the bench proved vital for Purdue not only in handling the ball against the press but defensively in switching off guards. She drew a charge and contested shots against the Bison. Howard finished 0-for-10 from 3-point range.
Purdue’s bench outscored Howard 40-12 and have outscored opponents 81-15 over the last two games.
“We quit thinking about their press and just broke it,” Purdue coach Katie Gearlds said. “And then we got our feet set and knocked down shots. I don’t know if it was Taylor or just a bit of ‘hey, let’s play defense without fouling.’ Let’s get a defensive rebound. And when we did those things, we were able to get out and run in transition. I thought our spacing in the open floor was much better today.”
While Purdue earned the win, it did so with a sluggish end defensively. Howard went 12-for-14 from the free throw line in the second half while McCarthy and sophomore forward Kendall Puryear each finished with three fouls.
You can’t run in transition if you’re fouling,” Gearlds said. “You can’t run in transition if you’re giving up offensive rebounds. That’s why the third quarter was so slow and stagnant. We were fouling, they’re shooting free throws and they’re getting their defense set. So, we have to do a better job of cleaning that up.”
Walk-on freshman Carley Barrett made her first appearance with 19 seconds remaining in regulation.
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 depth vital in win over Howard
Reporting by Ethan Hanson, Lafayette Journal & Courier / Lafayette Journal & Courier
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