Purdue WBB Upsets No. 23 Washington, Gets First Ranked Win in Three Years
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For the first time in three seasons, Purdue has scored a win over a ranked opponent. The Boilermakers defeated No. 23 Washington 78-72 in an overtime thriller at Mackey Arena on Sunday afternoon.
Washington got off to the hot start, outscoring Purdue 24-15 in the first quarter and setting the tone on both ends of the floor. But the Boilermakers chipped away at the lead through the remainder of the game, outscoring the Huskies in each of the next four periods.
Tara Daye and Madison Layden-Zay led the team in scoring, both going off for 19 points in the victory. Layden-Zay also went 4-of-11 from three-point range, setting a new program record for career three-pointers. Not a bad time to set the record, is it?
Layden-Zay also had five rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Daye chipped in six rebounds, four assists, and two steals. The Boilermakers also got great production from Lana McCarthy in the post, ending the afternoon with 14 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks.
Purdue really struggled to shoot the basketball in the first half, making just 1-of-11 shots from three-point range and making just 37.5% its field goal attempts. Yet the Boilers found themselves trailing just 38-30 at the break.
The Boilers then outscored Washington 17-14 in the third quarter and 16-11 in the fourth to force overtime. They then outscored the Huskies 15-9 in overtime to secure the win.
At one point between the fourth quarter and overtime, Washington went more than 11 minutes without a basket. Purdue was able to turn that into a 15-0 run to jump out to a 70-63 lead in overtime and secure its first ranked win in three seasons.
Purdue ended the game shooting 42% from the field and making 7-of-26 attempts from three-point range. Washington shot 40% and ended the game with 20 turnovers.
Sunday's win over Washington marked the first time the Boilermakers had defeated a ranked opponent since the 2022-23 campaign. That year, Purdue defeated No. 22 Illinois and No. 2 Ohio State in back-to-back games.
Purdue went on to finish that season with a 19-11 record and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time under coach Katie Gearlds.
The Boilermakers now get a full week to rest, as they travel to Los Angeles for games against No. 21 USC (Sunday, Jan. 18) and No. 4 UCLA (Wednesday, Jan. 21).
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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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