Box Score WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Round two of spotty shooting saw the Belmont women's basketball team (2-4) stumble on the road at No. 18/22 Purdue (4-3) on Friday. The Bruins were held off, 76-46, in the second-ever meeting between the programs.
Purdue drained a pair of triples to open the first half as the Bruins struggled to uncap their basket lid before freshman Meredith Roman (Nashville, Tenn.) netted her first three of the day at the 16:45 mark. BU worked on both sides of the ball and quickly made it a one-point game, 8-7, behind back-to-back layups by juniors Jordyn Luffman (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) and Katie Carroll (Lilburn, Ga.).
The Boilermakers were able to pull away, 14-7, behind a 6-2 offensive spurt as the Bruins fell silent for three and a half minutes. Finally, Belmont was able to make up ground at the charity stripe, netting six-consecutive thanks to Luffman and Roman, to close the gap to five, 17-12, by the 10:17 mark on a two free throws by Roman.
Purdue surged ahead by 11 after another run, capped by back-to-back three pointers, holding a 25-14 advantage by the 8:50 mark. Two minutes later, BU trimmed the deficit to 25-18 but the Boilers were able to rally once again on a streak to put distance between the teams. Belmont stayed as close as seven, 31-24, before the end of the half on a Luffman jumper and a pair of free throws by Roman. However, Purdue went on to add four more to its tally before the buzzer to take a 35-24 lead into the locker room.
After the break, both teams struggled to connect on a variety of shots from the hardwood in the opening minutes. Purdue struck first but Roman answered back with her second triple of the contest. Three minutes in and BU was within eight, 37-29, before BU fell ice cold from the floor for upwards of six minutes. Redshirt freshman Frankie Joubran (Detroit, Mich.) snapped the drought with a free throw. Unfortunately, the Boilers took full advantage of the silence and expanded their lead to 48-30 with just over 11 and a half minutes remaining in regulation.
The Boilermakers continued to build on their point advantage, going up by as many as 28, 65-37, by the 6:17 mark. The Bruins saw points added at the stripe by junior Torie Vaught (Maryville, Tenn.) and redshirt sophomore Katherine Zander (Orange Park, Fla.), in her debut as a Bruin, and sophomore Natalie Cohlmeyer (Evansville, Ind.) but it was too little too late as Purdue rolled to the 76-46 victory.
"It was a great opportunity and experience to play at Purdue," Roman said. "The only way we will continue to get better is by playing good teams like Purdue.
"We have stressed making free throws during practice and hitting them even when we are tired and that helps in games like tonight. We still have to knock down crucial ft in games like that when we are tested."
Purdue shot 43.9 percent from the floor, 42.9 percent from three-point range and 45 percent from the free-throw line. The Boilermakers held the narrow advantage in rebounds, 44-41, assists, 22-9, blocks, 10-3, and steals, 10-4.
The Boilers had four players reach double figures – Ashley Morrissette with 12, April Wilson with 11 and Whitney Bays and Camille Redmon with 10 points each. Torrie Thornton finished with nine rebounds.
Belmont shot 25 percent from the hardwood, an icy 15.8 percent from behind the three-point arc and 71.4 percent from the charity stripe.
Roman led all scorers with a game and season-high 14 points. Luffman notched her third double-double of the season with 10 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Junior Adrienne Tarrence (Bowling Green, Ky.) recorded two blocks while classmate Carroll finished with a team-high three assists.
Belmont returns to action on Sunday at the Curb Event Center. The Bruins host first-time opponent Kent State beginning at 3 p.m. The game can be seen live on the OVC Digital Network and heard live via the internet on the Bruins Sports Network. Live stats and a live Twitter feed (@BelmontWBB) will also be available.
