Gophers

Gophers women's basketball can't get shots to fall in 75-56 loss at Purdue

The team shot only 27.5% from the floor and failed to build momentum after winning at Penn State earlier in the week.

By Kent Youngblood

January 21, 2023 at 8:58PM

Gophers coach Lindsay Whalen in November. Her team lost at Purdue on Saturday afternoon. (Carlos Gonzalez, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Three days after winning their first road game of the season, the Gophers women's basketball team went back on the road and got a bit lost Saturday.

Quite simply, in a 75-56 loss at Purdue, the Gophers could not make enough shots, even though so many of them were good ones, open.

"That's the thing,'' Gophers guard Amaya Battle said by phone from West Lafayette, Ind. "They didn't do anything to us. We literally could not make shots. We had good movement, good pace. Couldn't make 'em.''

Battle scored 14 points with four rebounds, three assists and just one turnover.

Minnesota (9-11, 2-7 Big Ten) made 19 of 69 shots, a season-low 27.5%. The Gophers shooting percentage, points and made field goals (19) were all season lows. Their one steal tied another season low.

It is the first time this season the Gophers have shot below 30%.

"It's hard to win when you shoot [like that],'' Gophers coach Lindsay Whalen said. "I thought, in the second half especially, I liked the looks. We need to keep working on it. But I liked our intensity. We attacked the basket.''

The second half was better, with the Gophers keeping pace with the Boilermakers (13-6, 4-5). But even that comes with a caveat. Outscored 44-25 in the first half, the Gophers pulled within 13 entering the fourth quarter and were within nine when Mara Braun hit a three-pointer with 4:57 left. But Purdue responded by finishing the game on a 15-5 run.

"Shots come and go,'' Battle said. "You won't have good nights every night, but you won't have bad nights every night. Today was a day where none of us could consistently keep going.''

Braun led the Gophers with 15 points, but needed 19 shots to get there. Center Rose Micheaux had a career-high 15 rebounds. But her eight streak of scoring in double figures ended with two points on 1-for-7 shooting as she was double- and triple-teamed.

Maggie Czinano had seven points and a career-high 11 boards. Mallory Heyer had 13 points.

After winning despite 27 turnovers at Penn State, the Gophers turned it over just 13 times Saturday, but Purdue turned that into a 20-2 edge on points off turnovers. After scoring 48 points in the paint Wednesday, the Gophers had just 20 against the Boilermakers.

Purdue? A 13-2 run to end the first half and a 15-5 run to end the game told the story.

Purdue shot 45.5% overall and made 10 of 30 three-pointers. Cassidy Hardin hit four of 11 threes while leading Purdue with 14 points. Jayla Smith had 13, Lasha Petree 12. Purdue had a 29-5 edge in bench scoring.

Now the Gophers have a week off before hosting 15th-ranked Michigan next Sunday at Williams Arena.

"Games like this happen,'' Battle said. "We've all been playing for a while. We have to work hard this week, come back with the same intensity.''

The Star Tribune did not send the writer of this article to the game. This was written using a broadcast, interviews and other material.