MADISON, Wis. – A 12-0 run at the end of the third quarter was all that Purdue needed to defeat the Wisconsin women's basketball team 79-57 at the Kohl Center on Wednesday night.

The Badgers (5-12, 0-4 Big Ten) kept it a tight game in the first two quarters, not allowing the Boilermakers (12-6, 3-1) to lead by more than six the entire first half.

UW cut the lead to two four times in the third quarter, including at 46-44 with 4:14 on the clock, before the 12-0 run gave the Boilermakers a 58-44 lead at the end of three periods. Purdue extended its lead to 63-46 less than one minute into the fourth quarter as the Boilermakers never looked back, carrying a double-digit lead through the entire last period.

"There's two things we ask of our team every time, and that's to play with great effort and energy and to be able to do the things you can control," head coach Jonathan Tsipis said. "We were the team with more energy in the first half and we didn't let the turnovers bother us.

"But in the second half, I think (turnovers) seeped into everything. It seeped into free throws, just disappointment when you miss shots."
Wisconsin shot a season-low 33.3 percent from the free-throw line, making just 3-9.

UW had five-or-more turnovers in each quarter, accounting for 24 total giveaways. The Badger mishaps opened the lane for Purdue to accumulate 29 points off turnovers.

"(We were) concerned at halftime (that) we had 13 turnovers at halftime (and) we didn't feel like they were necessarily capitalizing off of them and we had dodged a bullet." Tsipis added.
"But I think in the second half we allowed the turnovers to deflate us. When they're 18-31 from the field in the second half, you take the threes out and they're shooting 75 percent from the field. There's a reason there's 14 fast-break points and we don't have any. They were able to convert those."

The Badgers outrebounded Purdue 41-32, including 18 offensive boards for Wisconsin, marking the second time in three games that UW has outrebounded its opponents. It was also the second time in three games that junior Cayla McMorris has led Wisconsin in boards, gathering a game-high nine rebounds.

"I thought we, especially Cayla, battled on the offensive glass but didn't have a lot to show for it," Tsipis said. "I think the frustration of understanding a game is of two halves and if you have a bad half shooting, a bad half turning the ball over, there's so many other things that you can do to help a team."

Wisconsin scored 11 second-chance points but failed to score any points on the fast break.

Sophomore Marsha Howard led Wisconsin with 11 points and was joined in double figures by freshman Courtney Fredrickson, who recorded 10 points with a career-high two 3-pointers. It was Howard's second time to lead the Cardinal and White in a game this season.

The Boilermakers had five players in double figures behind a game-high 18 points from Andreona Keys.

The Badgers' six blocks were the team's second-highest amount in a game this season, led by two apiece from Kendall Shaw and Ashley Kelsick, tabbing a new career high for Kelsick.

"I've got to make sure that they don't feel like the pressure of the world is on their shoulders," Tsipis added. "It's a basketball game. It's a game of having a lot of pride on the defensive end and not letting things creep into your mindset of how that's going to be and trying to rest at any point.

"The offensive end is having confidence and confidence starts on getting open. It doesn't necessarily mean just shots you're taking. We have people crashing and getting to the offensive glass. We've got to finish. We've got to get to the free-throw line. Getting fouled in that case is a way to stop a run."

UW had a strong start in the first, leading the game for nearly seven minutes as the two teams traded the lead four times. Junior Malayna Johnson had the hot hand early, putting up a team-leading four points in the first quarter.

A powerful trey from freshman Kendra Van Leeuwen gave Wisconsin a four-point lead (9-5) at 5:05 in the first. Purdue battled back in the last three minutes but Wisconsin secured a 14-12 lead after one quarter with a no-contest triple from Fredrickson (1:24).

PU outscored Wisconsin 24-16 in the second quarter but the Badgers put up a fight, hitting 46.7 percent (7-15) of their shots. Senior Avyanna Young turned her switch on, marking five points in the period for a team-leading seven points at the half.

Wisconsin held onto its largest lead of the game (22-18) with 6:55 to play in the half before a 5-0 Purdue run, capped by a lay-in by Dominique Oden in the paint, gave the Boilers a 23-22 lead with 5:49 on the clock. Freshman Gabby Gregory hit a big shot from outside the arc to make it a three-point Purdue lead, 33-30 with 1:14 left in the half but the Boilermaker's Ashley Morrissette knocked down a final long-distance shot for a 36-30 Purdue margin at the half.

In the third quarter, the Badgers battled back to within two points at 36-34 (7:42) and stayed close before the Boilers went on their 12-0 run in the final four minutes. UW turned the ball over three times and missed seven opportunities at the basket over the stretch.

Purdue outscored Wisconsin 21-13 in the final quarter.

The Badgers return to conference play on Monday at Penn State for a 6 p.m. tipoff in Happy Valley.