Game One:

12th seeded Purdue (13-17, 5-13) 78

13th seeded Northwestern (9-21, 4-14) 72

Purdue outscored Northwestern 26 to 17 in the final quarter to secure the win.

Abbey Ellis scored 25 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, Rashunda Jones scored 19 points while Jeanae Terry scored eight points, six assists and pulled down 16 rebounds for Purdue.

Caileigh Walsh scored 26 points, Melanie Daley added 21 while Carolina Lau added ten.

Purdue moves on to face fifth seeded Nebraska at 2 p.m. Thursday, March 7, 2024

(The following is credit sourced to Purdue University Athletics)

MINNEAPOLIS – Coming out of a timeout down 10 midway through the third quarter, the Purdue women’s basketball team outscored Northwestern by 16 points over the final 15 minutes of action to pull off a 78-72 win over the Wildcats in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday night at the Target Center.

It was Purdue’s first win this season when trailing at the break, as well as facing a deficit of 10 points or more.

Abbey Ellis was electric in her first career double-double. The fifth-year senior dropped 25 points on 7-of-18 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers. Ellis added 10 rebounds, marking Purdue’s first double-double in the tournament since 2020. The Australian international’s 25 points were most by a Boilermaker since Dominique Oden scored 20 against Nebraska in 2019.

Ellis finished 9-of-10 at the line, tying for fifth in Purdue’s single-tournament game history.

Rashunda Jones gave Purdue a much-needed spark off the bench with 19 points in her first tournament game. It was the highest point tally by a Purdue freshman since Oden had 20 against Ohio State in 2017.

Jeanae Terry filled up the stat sheet with a typical line of eight points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists and three steals. The fifth-year senior tied Stacey Lovelace’s record for most rebounds in a tournament game by a Boilermaker, while sliding into 10^th on the Big Ten’s all-time chart.

Down four at the break, Purdue (13-17) outscored Northwestern (9-21) by 10 over the final 20 minutes. The Boilermakers overcame a 35.9% shooting clip by going 26-of-32 at the charity stripe, matching the Purdue single-game tournament record set in 2003 against Iowa.

The Boilermakers opened strong in the first quarter hitting six of their first eight shots to build a 14-9 lead midway through the frame. Northwestern closed the first on an 11-4 run with 10 points in the paint to hold a 20-18 lead after the first.

Purdue started the second on an 8-2 run to open up a 26-22 lead, before Northwestern rolled back to close the half up 39-35. The Boilermakers forced 10 first half turnovers, but Northwestern shot an even 50% from the field.

The Wildcats added to gap early in the third with a 10-2 run, forcing Katie Gearlds timeout with 4:55 to play. From that point, it was all Boilermakers. Ellis and Jones scored the next 15 points for Purdue to close out the third down 55-52.

The duo combined for 19 of Purdue’s 26 points in the fourth. Purdue went 5-of-12 from the field and 15-of-18 at the line. Layden drilled a long-range 3-pointer with 8:58 left in the game to put Purdue ahead for good. The Boilermakers managed just three made field goals in the final eight minutes of action, but all three were momentum builders.

Ellis rolled through a contested layup with 5:45 to go, before Jones converted back-to-back traditional 3-point plays with under four minutes to play. Purdue’s defense forced four turnovers in the final frame.

The Boilermakers finished the final 15 minutes of the game making 10 of their final 21 shots.

NOTES
• Purdue leads the all-time series with Northwestern 53-26.
• The Boilermakers recorded their conference-best 47th Big Ten Tournament victory.
• Purdue won the battle on the glass 43-36, with a plus-12 margin in the second half.
• The Boilermakers committed just 12 turnovers and allowed eight points, while flipping 15 Northwestern giveaways into 11 points.
• Purdue grabbed 20 offensive rebounds, a new high under Katie Gearlds and the most at a Big Ten Tournament game by the Boilermakers since 2012 against Nebraska.

UP NEXT
The Boilermakers will have a tight turnaround before facing No. 5 Nebraska on Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.

 

Game Two:

11th seeded Minnesota (16-14, 5-13) 77

14th seeded Rutgers (8-24, 2-16) 69

Amaya Battle scored 32 points with seven assists while Grace Grocholski added 12 points with Mallory Heyer scored nine points with eight rebounds for the Golden Gophers.

Destiny Adams scored 31 points and collected a staggering 24 rebounds while Erica Lafayette added 16 for Rutgers.

Minnesota moves on to play sixth seeded Michigan.

(The following is credit sourced to the University of Minnesota Athletics)

MINNEAPOLIS – After a first round victory in the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday night, the University of Minnesota women’s basketball team (16-14, 5-13 B1G) is back for the second round on Thursday against the No. 6 seed, Michigan (18-12, 9-9 B1G). The game is scheduled to begin 25 minutes after game five on March 7 on Big Ten Network while Justin Gaard and Lynnette Sjoquist will broadcast the game on KFAN+.

GAME INFORMATION
TV/Stream: Big Ten Network
Tip Time: 25 Minutes After Game 5 (Penn State-Wisconsin starts at 5:30 p.m. CT)
Radio: KFAN+ (96.7 FM) and the iHeartRadio app (Justin Gaard and Lynnette Sjoquist)
Bag Policy: As a reminder, Target Center is not a clear bag facility. The policy is based on bag size: https://www.targetcenter.com/plan-your-visit-1/know-before-you-go

ABOUT THE MICHIGAN GAME

• Minnesota and Michigan are meeting in the Big Ten Tournament for just the second time ever with the Wolverines winning the only matchup in 1999. In that game 25 years ago, the No. 6 seeded Wolverines defeated the No. 11 seeded Gophers 74-55.
• Minnesota and Michigan are meeting for the 69th time, with the Gophers holding a 36-32 advantage in the series that started in 1976. Minnesota won the matchup earlier this season in Ann Arbor, 82-66.
• Back on Jan. 9, a healthy Minnesota squad defeated Michigan on the road in the only meeting between the Wolverines and the Gophers this season. Minnesota out scored Michigan 29-12 in the fourth quarter, with Grace Grocholski hitting a then-career high five threes on her way to 19 points. Minnesota hit a total of 15 threes on 28 attempts, the first time the program had hit above 50 percent from beyond the arc since Jan. 15, 2017.
• Michigan’s Laila Phelia was named to the All-Big Ten first team for the first time in her career after garnering a second-team nod last season. Lauren Hansen earned honorable mention from both the coaches and media. Phelia and Hansen are Michigan’s two double-figure scorers entering postseason play.
• Freshman Taylor Woodson is returning to her home state of Minnesota for the first time in her collegiate career. Woodson hails from Minnetonka, starring at Hopkins High School alongside Minnesota’s Amaya Battle. Woodson won a pair of state championships with the Royals during her prep career.

GOPHER NOTABLES

• Minnesota won its first Big Ten Tournament game since 2020 on Wednesday with a 77-69 victory over Rutgers, avenging a loss to the Scarlet Knights just 22 days prior. Amaya Battle posted a career high 32 points in the victory, hitting on 10-of-20 from the floor while connecting on a career high 11 free throws. Big Ten All-Freshman Grace Grocholski posted 12 points in her postseason debut while redshirt freshman Niamya Holloway added seven points and a career high nine rebounds off the bench to aid Minnesota’s near wire-to-wire victory, holding the lead for 35:48 of the contest at Target Center.
• The Big Ten announced the 2024 All-Big Ten awards on Tuesday, with Minnesota earning three nods for their play with Mara Braun and Amaya Battle earning All-Big Ten Honorable Mention while Grace Grocholski was on the conference’s All-Freshman Team. Maggie Czinano was also named as Minnesota’s representative for the Sportsmanship Award.
• Battle’s incredible Big Ten Tournament opener against Rutgers was one for the record books with the Hopkins, Minn., native registering a new program record for points in the Big Ten Tournament with 32 while also posting a program record 15 free throw attempts in a Big Ten Tournament game, hitting on 11 of those. Battle’s seven assists, with zero turnovers, also pushed the sophomore to 300 career assists in just 60 games.
• University of Minnesota head women’s basketball coach Dawn Plitzuweit announced on Jan. 29, that sophomore guard Mara Braun suffered a foot injury against Illinois that will require surgery and will be out indefinitely. This season Braun has been one of the Big Ten’s top scorers at 17.8 points per game, which is fourth in the conference, while shooting a career high 37 percent from three.
• Without Braun in the lineup Janay Sanders has slid into the starting lineup for the past 10 games. She’s upped her scoring from 5.3 to 11.8 points per game. Since becoming a starter Sanders has shot 44.4 percent (36-of-81) from the floor.
• Last season the Gophers were ranked 291st in the NCAA and 13th in the Big Ten in turnovers per game (17.7) per game but through 30 games this season are ranked in the top 50 nationally at 13.5.

BY THE NUMBERS
1 – Amaya Battle became the first player in the country this season to have a stat line of 32 points, seven assists, five rebounds and zero assists in the team’s win over Rutgers on Wednesday (3/6).
14 – Amaya Battle is 14 assists away from breaking into the program’s all-time top 10 assists list.
4 – Against conference opponents Janay Sanders has averaged 4.5 drawn fouls per game, which leads the team.
12 – Amaya Battle eclipsed her previous career of 20 with 32 against Rutgers on Wednesday night at Target Center.
109 – The Big Ten is expecting an attendance of around 109,000 fans that will attend the Big Ten Tournament from March 6-10.

(The following is credit sourced to Rutgers University Athletics)

Destiny Adams’s Historic Performance Not Enough as Women’s Basketball Drops Decision to Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS — Destiny Adams’s historic performance wasn’t enough as Rutgers women’s basketball (8-24, 2-16 B1G) dropped a close 77-69 decision to Minnesota (16-14, 5-13 B1G) in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday night.

Adams secured a career best 24 rebounds which also set the single-game Big Ten Tournament record. In addition, she netted 31 points to pace the team plus three assists, one steal and one block.

Erica Lafayette had another double figure scoring day, securing 16 points in addition to four three-pointers.

How it Happened 

• Both teams earned multiple defensive stops in the first moments of the opening quarter. In turn, the teams remained tied on offense, 4-4, to start the game. However, with just under seven minutes to play, the Gophers scored consecutive buckets to take the five-point lead.
• Lafayette responded for Rutgers, hitting back-to-back threes to put RU ahead 10-9. UM added a layup before the 4:53 media timeout to get back in front by one, 11-10.
• Out of the break, Antonia Bates hit another three to put the Scarlet Knights back in control by two, 13-11.
• Both squads continued to trade baskets and the lead back and forth. Minnesota came out on top through the first 10 minutes though, 24-14, outscoring Rutgers 13-1 in the final minutes.
• Both teams were quiet in the first two minutes of the second quarter until Destiny Adams found the basketball at the eight-minute mark. The Gophers matched the points and the score remained 10 points apart with just under six minutes to play.
• Kennedy Brandt, Kassondra Brown and Lafayette gave the Scarlet Knights’ offense a spark, recording a trio of three-pointers to make it a three-point game, 30-27, at the period’s halfway point.
• Following the 4:16 media timeout, RU continued its 10-0 stretch to take its first lead of the quarter, 31-32, forcing another stop from the opposition. However, the Gophers took back control, 34-31, as Rutgers used a pause.
• Minnesota continued to produce on offense, scoring five more points to go into the locker room with the 39-35 advantage.
• In the third, both teams continued to trade possessions, as the Gophers entered the 7:13 media timeout in front by just three points, 42-39.
• Out of the stop, the opposition continued to build on their lead, secured five more points. Just before the 4:46 media timeout, Cornwell added a layup to cut the gap, 47-41.
• The opposition continued to score but the Scarlet Knights kept it close as Jillian Huerter drained her first three of the game with just over three minutes to play in the third. Adams followed up with an electrifying three-point play to keep the productivity going.
• Huerter and Lafayette combined for five points to end the quarter and put the contest within one-point, 56-55.
• To start the final quarter, the teams continued to match each other on offense. For the first five minutes of the period, the teams kept the score within a five-point difference.
• With just over two minutes left in the game, Minnesota stretched its lead to eight, but a pair of shots at the line from Huerter and a three-point play from Adams brought it back to three points, 72-69.
• However, the Gophers ends the contest on a 5-0 run, to come out with the 77-69 victory.

• Adams’s 24 rebounds broke the previous single-game Big Ten rebounding record by three boards. The record was previously set by Ohio State’s Stephanie Mavunga against Minnesota in 2018. The performance also tops the Rutgers Big Ten Tournament high of 16 set last season by Cornwell.
• In addition to the 24 boards, Adams also netted 31 points. The last time a Scarlet Knight has 20+ points and 20+ rebounds was Osh Brown (20, 20), vs DePaul (Nov. 25, 2021). The outcome marks her eighth double-double of the season.
• Adams’s 31 points marks a new Rutgers Big Ten Tournament high. It beats the previous best of 30 points set by Arella Guirantes versus Indiana in 2020. Her 12 field goals and 24 attempts from the floor are also new highs, both set in 2016 by Tyler Scaife.
• Adams scored 30+ points twice during the 2023-24 campaign. She scored a career-high 33 points earlier this season versus Penn State (Jan. 14).
• During her first slate at Rutgers, Adams recorded double-digit points in the last 17 contests and 10+ points 27 times during the season.
• With 16 points against the Gophers, Lafayette has reached 10+ in the final three games of the season. She netted 20 points against Michigan State (Feb. 24) and 11 versus Northwestern (March 3).
• The Scarlet Knights secured 13 assists against the Wildcats, the team’s 23rd outing of the season with 10 or more helpers.
• RU won the second (21-15) and third quarters (20-17).
• The Scarlet Knights topped the Gophers in the paint (28-24) and off fast breaks (14-4).
• Rutgers won the battle off the glass, 42-24. This season, RU has either bested their opponent in rebounding or tied in 18 outings.