Purdue women's basketball holds on against Rutgers to stay undefeated at Mackey Arena

WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue women's basketball had its supremacy on home court being threatened for the first time all season against Rutgers on Tuesday evening in Mackey Arena.

Senior leader Madison Layden received two fouls before the halfway mark of the second quarter and scoring became a difficult puzzle to solve for the Boilermakers, who clung to a three-point lead at halftime.

In an empty arena that felt like pennies rattling in a can, the Boilermakers struggled to find their defensive energy and offensive swagger in the first half.

Jones return: Purdue women's basketball freshman Rashunda Jones returns from injury for Purdue

Purdue scored on five possessions to open the third quarter but Maryland hung around after trailing 67-57 with 8:23 in the fourth quarter. Maryland battled back and senior Abbey Ellis turned the ball over with 3.6 seconds remaining after trying to run a screen and roll with senior Caitlin Harper.

Rutgers junior Destiny Adams spun near the left block but her open shot fell off the side and Purdue hung on to win its second straight Big Ten Conference game 77-76 and stay undefeated at Mackey Arena — by the skin of its teeth.

Purdue (9-5, 2-1 Big Ten Conference) had three players in double figures led by Layden with 19 points, Ellis added 13 points and freshman Rashunda Jones chipped in 10 points. Senior Jeanae Terry had 10 rebounds, eight points and five assists while reigning Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week Mary Ashley Stevenson added seven points and six rebounds for the Boilermakers' third straight win.

Adams scored 23 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead Rutgers (6-9, 0-2 Big Ten).

Men's basketball: Purdue basketball snaps Maryland's 19-game home win streak

The Boilermakers head to College Park to play Maryland at 4:30 p.m. Saturday on the Big Ten Network.

Purdue will return home to face Iowa led by reigning Naismith Player of the Year Caitlin Clark at 8 p.m. on Jan. 10. The game will be streamed on Peacock.

Here are takeaways from Purdue's third straight win.

Good news? Lower turnovers. Bad news? Fourth quarter drought

Purdue struggled to shoot combining for 4 of 15 from the floor and were 6 of 9 from the FT line in the final frame.

"There's a lot of games where you start 0-2 or 0-3 and you have to have a short memory," Gearlds said. "Trust your work and I thought Caitlyn (Harper) responded well in the second half. I thought she got really frustrated in the first half."

The tightness offensively in the closing minutes didn't hamper Purdue greater effectiveness with turnovers.

Purdue turned the ball over 10 times, going below its season average for the second consecutive time.

Layden's early foul trouble and defensive struggles

Senior Madison Layden fell into foul trouble drawing her second foul in before the halfway mark of the second quarter.

Swanson and Jones provided key baskets off the bench to close the first half but couldn't truly create a gap with Rutgers. Freshman guard Jillian Huerter buried a 3-pointer before halftime and the Scarlet Knights pushed Purdue to the final possession.

"We could finally kind of breathe there at the end," Gearlds said. "Just find a way to win a close game. Started having flashbacks to Minnesota this year and then to Maryland and Nebraska at the buzzer last year."

What upset Gearlds at the beginning of the game?

A visibly irate Gearlds called timeout 78 seconds into the game to address her team's defense after Huerter swished a 3-pointer.

"We hadn't executed one thing right defensively that we had talked about for two days," Gearlds said. "And I needed to remind them that was not okay."

Gearlds wears Tim Newton t-shirt on the sideline

If there's one thing Gearlds isn't afraid to do, that's showing off Purdue's colors.

She'll wear baseball jerseys, football jersey and t-shirts. Tuesday night was no exception to support her colleague and friend play by play announcer Tim Newton.

More: After 1,000 games at Purdue, radio broadcaster Tim Newton still talking, and always listening

Gearlds sported a Tim Newton t-shirt as fans commemorated the over 1,000 games Newton has called for Purdue women's basketball.

"I think every single pair of my shoes is black and gold and if you see a black and gold pair I need you to send it to me," Gearlds said. "For Tim it's not really my size. We have larges and extra larges on our small staff members. I think (assistant coach) Mark Stephens is squeezing into a large. But Tim has always been a part of our program. Always will be. Just wanted to make sure we supported him the best we could."

Game ball goes to: Madison Layden

Layden was the most consistent shooter on the floor as Purdue needed every basket it could find against Rutgers.

She created space and found better looks from inside the perimeter using a head fake and one-step dribble pull up. Layden's shooting and a late defensive stop allowed Purdue to stay undefeated at Mackey Arena.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue women's basketball beats Rutgers 77-76