Purdue Picks Up First Big Ten Win Thanks to Hot Shooting Night vs. Wisconsin
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A hot shooting night in Madison helped Purdue women's basketball pick up its first win of the Big Ten season on Thursday night. The Boilermakers shot 60% from three-point range and 47% from the floor, leading to a 75-67 victory over Wisconsin.
Purdue got off to a great start in the first quarter, jumping out to an early 18-9 lead at the end of the first quarter. But Wisconsin responded in the second quarter, outscoring the Boilers 20-12 and narrowing the gap to just one point at halftime.
The two teams traded blows in the final two quarters, but Purdue outscored Wisconsin 21-16 in the third quarter and 24-22 in the fourth to secure its first conference victory of the year.
Nya Smith and Madison Layden-Zay both had huge nights for the Boilers on the road. Smith finished the game with 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-6 from three-point range. She also had seven rebounds.
Layden-Zay ended the night with 18 points and eight boards in the victory. Her sister, McKenna Layden, went 3-of-3 from long range and finished with nine points. Tara Daye closed out the contest with 10 points.
As a team, Purdue shot 12-of-20 from three-point range, one of its best performances of the season. Wisconsin ended the game making just 9-of-30 shots from distance and connected at a 38% clip from the floor.
Road Win. Roll the tape 📽️ pic.twitter.com/HAuy18jgLS
— Purdue Women's Basketball (@PurdueWBB) January 9, 2026
Not only was Thursday night Purdue's first Big Ten win, it was the team's first road win of the season. It came at a much-needed time, too, as the Boilermakers now play three straight ranked opponents: No. 23 Washington (Jan. 11), No. 21 USC (Jan. 18), and No. 4 UCLA (Jan. 21).
With the win, Purdue improved to 9-7 overall and 1-4 in Big Ten play. Wisconsin is 11-5 and 3-2 in the conference.
Boilers get first Big Ten win much earlier
Purdue picked up its first Big Ten win much earlier this season than last year. It wasn't until Feb. 2 that the Boilers notched their first conference win in the 2024-25 season, also coming against Wisconsin.
In late December, the Boilers put themselves in a spot to earn their first league win in a game against Illinois. In an up-tempo gmae, Katie Gearlds' team hung with the Fighting Illini throughout the afternoon, but eventually dropped the game 83-73.
Thursday night's win should serve as a confidence booster to Purdue, as the schedule gets much tougher in the coming weeks. After that three-game gauntlet against Washington, USC, and UCLA, things will lighten up a bit in February and into March.
This is a team looking to get back to the Big Ten Tournament after missing out a year ago.
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PURDUE'S POST PLAY VS. ILLINOIS: Purdue fell to 0-2 in Big Ten play with a loss to Illinois on Sunday, but the Boilermakers showed some promise with great post play throughout the afternoon. CLICK HERE
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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