Maryland Suffers Another B1G Ten Upset; Fall 75-65 To Purdue
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Coming into the
2017-2018 season, Maryland had only lost to one fellow B1G Ten school in their first three seasons (Ohio State had beaten them three times). But for the second time this season (both times on their home court), the Terps suffered a conference loss.
Purdue (17-10 overall; 8-5 B1G Ten) played a flawless fourth quarter, scoring 26 points, while holding Maryland (21-4 overall; 11-2 B1G Ten) scoreless for the final 2:17 and the Boilermakers defeated the Terps, 75-65, joining Michigan State as Maryland’s conference losses this season.
Boilermakers Senior G Andreona Keys led all scorers with 17 points. She also had nine rebounds and five assists. Teammate Sophomore G Dominique Oden had 12 points, including back to back three-pointers in the fourth quarter to help Purdue pull away from Maryland.
Sophomore G Kaila Charles led all Terps with 14 points.
Maryland had a tough time finding the bottom of the net as they only made 27 of their 68 shots for the entire game (39.7% shooting). One Terp who really had a horrible shooting night was Junior F Eleanna Christinaki, who went 5 for 23, including 1 for 6 from behind the three-point line.
Nine lead changes highlighted a tight first quarter. Neither team held a lead bigger than four points. After Senior G Ieshia Small hit a jumper with 1:34 left on the clock, Maryland took a 17-16 lead. But Keys would hit a jumper to tilt the lead back to Purdue at 18-17.
After a Maryland turnover from a three-second violation, Purdue Freshman G Tamara Farquahr hit a lay-up with :24 seconds left and the Boilermakers took a 20-17 lead.
A stingy Maryland defense caused four Purdue turnovers in the second quarter. Combine that with Purdue only hitting three field goals for those 10 minutes (3 for 11 from the field shooting) and the Terps would take a 34-29 lead into halftime.
When Maryland Sophomore F Stephanie Jones completed a three-point play with 5:04 left to play in the third to give the Terps a 45-35 lead, it looked like Maryland was going to cruise to another conference victory. Purdue would respond by going on a 14-5 run in the last five minutes to cut Maryland’s lead down to one point, 50-49, after three quarters.
Three lead changes highlighted the first two minutes of the fourth, the final one coming when Purdue Freshman G Karissa McLaughlin drained a three-pointer to giver the Boilermakers a 56-55 lead. Another McLaughlin jumper gave Purdue a five-point lead, 62-57, with 6:10 left to play. Maryland had the opportunity to take the lead back when Christinaki was able to draw a shooting foul on Oden with 4:35 left and Purdue up 62-61.
Christinaki made the first free throw but missed the second, leaving the score tied at 62-62. That’s when Oden would hit the first of her back to back three-pointers. Her first, with 2:47 left, gave Purdue a 65-52 lead. Charles would answer with a lay-up and free throw to tie the game at 65-65 with 2:17 left. They were the last points Maryland would score, as on the very next Boilermakers possession, Oden would hit another three-pointer to put Purdue up for good.
Purdue would hit seven of eight free throws to pull away for the victory.
Even with the loss, Maryland still leads the B1G Ten conference with a one-game lead over Ohio State and Nebraska, 11-2 versus 10-3. Each team has three regular season games left to play before the B1G Ten Tournament.
Maryland’s next game is on the road when they travel to play the Golden Gophers of Minnesota (20-6 overall; 9-4 B1G Ten) on Sunday, February 18th. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 pm.
