Purdue Women's Basketball Brings Home Barn Burner Trophy With Win Over Indiana
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For the first 10 minutes of Sunday's game against Indiana, Purdue's shooting reflecting the bitter-cold outdoor conditions in West Lafayette. After that, though, the Boilermakers heated up and melted the Hoosiers 80-69, defeating their in-state rivals for the first time since 2019.
The sub-zero temperatures found its way into Mackey Arena early on Sunday, as Purdue ended the first quarter making just 4-of-18 shots from the floor and trailing Indiana 15-11 when the horn sounded.
Something clicked after that.
Led by Nya Smith, Purdue went on a 19-2 run early in the second quarter to take a 30-17 advantage. Although the Hoosiers never backed down, the Boilermakers never looked back after that.
Smith was the catalyst behind Purdue's success in that second quarter, scoring 11 of her 13 points in the period. She also knocked down three triples, providing her team with a much-needed spark. By halftime, the Boilers had a 41-29 advantage on IU.
Indiana had cut Purdue's lead down to just eight points at the end of the third quarter, but the Hoosiers were never really able to threaten the Boilermakers. With just under one minute to play, Indiana made the score 76-69 with a pair of Lenee Beaumont free throws, trying to make one final push.
Purdue scored the last four points of the game to secure the 80-69 victory. The Boilermakers reclaimed the Barn Burner Trophy for the first time since 2016 and got their first win over the Hoosiers since the 2018-19 campaign.
Nya Smith led the way with 13 points and Madison Layden-Zay and Hila Karsh both had 12. Avery Gordon and Kiki Smith both scored nine points, and McKenna Layden and Tara Daye each had eight in the win.
Indiana was led by Shay Ciezki, who scored 37 points for the Hoosiers. Beaumont finished the contest with 13.
Purdue improved to 3-6 in the Big Ten and 11-9 overall with the victory. Indiana remains winless in conference play, falling to 0-9 in the league.
Katie Gearlds gets first win over Indiana
It took longer than she had hoped, but Purdue coach Katie Gearlds picked up her first win over Indiana as the head coach of the Boilermakers.
Gearlds had quite a bit of success against the Hoosiers as a player, going 7-1 against Indiana from 2003 through 2007. Teri Moren has had tremendous success in Bloomington over the years, but Purdue was finally able to get a much-needed victory over the Hoosiers.
With Sunday's win over Indiana, Purdue is now tied for 13th in the Big Ten standings. That's important because the top 15 teams in the league earn a spot in the conference tournament at the end of the year.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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