Purdue women's basketball rallies in the third quarter to win Big Ten Conference opener
An animated Purdue women's basketball coach Katie Gearlds lit into her team trailing 47-37 with 4:37 third quarter.
She was watching her team wilt and give way. A occurrence that was all too common during the regular season. Gearlds was fiery red, looking into the eyes of her players.
One jolt of tough love during the media timeout was enough to stir the Boilermakers out of their offensive slumber. And it was Gearlds' freshmen class that would guide the run in Minneapolis.
More: Purdue reveling in first sold out Big Ten Conference Women's Basketball Tournament
Big Ten All Freshman team member Rashunda Jones erupted to score eight points in the third quarter to finish with 19 points while her senior running mate Abbey Ellis scored 25 points and snagged a career-high 10 rebounds to dispatch Northwestern, 76-70, in the first round of the Big Ten Conference Tournament at Target Center in Minneapolis
No. 12 seeded Purdue (13-17) will next battle No. 5 seed Nebraska 25 minutes following the conclusion of No. 9 seed Maryland and No. 8 seed Illinois on Thursday. Tipoff for the first game is 12:30 p.m. ET.
Senior Jeanae Terry added eight points, grabbed 16 rebounds with six assists and Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Year Mary Ashley Stevenson scored nine points.
Senior Madison Layden scored 11 points to help the Boilermakers earn their fourth consecutive win over Northwestern.
More: Aussie native Abbey Ellis creates legacy for Purdue women's basketball
Junior Caileigh Walsh scored a game high 26 points with eight rebounds, Melannie Daley added 21 points on 10 of 17 shooting and Caroline Lau scored 10 points for Northwestern (9-21).
Terry started aggressively hitting her first two shots and the Boilermakers trailed 20-18 after the first quarter.
Walsh displayed an array of shot making with her back to the basket and fadeaways of her back foot. Northwestern shot 4 of 7 from 3-point range and 14 of 28 from the floor.
Ashley defended Walsh throughout the game and struggled managing the junior's size and length.
But Stevenson, Terry, Layden, Ellis and Jones kept attacking and getting to the free throw line. Purdue finished 26 of 32 from the stripe.
Ethan Hanson is the sports reporter for the Journal & Courier in Lafayette. He can be reached at ehanson@gannett.com, on Twitter at EthanAHanson and Instagram at ethan_a_hanson.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue women's basketball tops Northwestern in Big Ten Conference Tourney
