Five players scored in double figures, but it wasn’t enough to lead the Purdue women’s basketball team to a win today at Mackey Arena.
The Boilermakers lost to Ohio State 79-71 in overtime.
The Boilers struggled in the first half, shooting just 27.3% from the floor.
But the team rallied in the second half, building a 12-point lead with 9:49 remaining in the game.
The Buckeyes surged back, outscoring the Boilermakers 21-9 during the last nine minutes of regulation.
Purdue had a few chances to put the game away in the final seconds of regulation but came up short, sending the game into overtime tied 64-64.
Ohio State scored the first six points in the extra period on the way to a 79-71 victory.
Whitney Bays led Purdue with 22 points and also grabbed 19 rebounds, for her 13th double-double of the season.
She says the Boilers need to be able to control the tempo when they have a big lead.
“Take care of the ball and free throws and make layups,” says Bays. “Every possession is really crucial. So just making sure you’re executing right and guarding and defending right on every position.”
Head coach Sharon Versyp says the Boilers didn’t crash the boards and take advantage of scoring opportunities down the stretch.
“So we gotta learn from this,” says Versyp. “The biggest thing was the rebounding and the free throws, but in the end we let one slip away.”
Buckeye freshmen Kelsey Mitchell led all scorers with 37 points.
The Boilermakers fall to 10-11 overall, 3-6 in the Big Ten.
They host Rutgers Thursday night at Mackey Arena.
