WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – It all came down to the final seconds in Mackey Arena as Georgia Tech led by one with 3.9 seconds to play, but Purdue hit the buzzer beater to take the win, 53-52. Digna Strautmane led all scorers with 20 points and Lorela Cubaj matched her career-high with 20 rebounds.
Strautmane paced all scorers with 14 points at halftime as the Yellow Jackets (5-2) took a four-point lead, 26-22, into the locker room. After the Boilermakers snagged the early lead in the first, Strautmane returned the lead to Tech, 13-9, with back-to-back buckets. Tech led by seven points twice in the second quarter before Purdue put together an 8-5 run to end the half and close the score to 26-22. The Jackets went 8-for-10 from the charity stripe in the first half and led on the boards, 19-13, paced by seven from Cubaj.
Purdue (6-2) regained the lead, opening the third quarter on a 10-5 spurt, and took the stanza, 20-10, to hold a 42-36 lead entering the final 10 minutes. But the Yellow Jackets came out strong in the fourth and limited Purdue’s offense to one free throw in the first four and a half minutes, using a 9-1 run to regain the lead, 45-43, to force the Boilermakers to call a timeout with 4:28 to play.
It was a back-and-forth battle the final four minutes and the teams stood all tied at 50-50 with one minute to play. Eylia Love converted a pair of free throws with 47.7 on the clock to put the Jackets in front, 52-50, before Jeanae Terry hit the back end of a pair with 23.9 on the clock. Tech saw opportunities in the final seconds at the free throw line, but went 0-for-4, setting up the final inbounds play from Purdue with 3.9 seconds left. Terry hit the jumper as the buzzer sounded to give the Boilermakers the win.
Tech shot 34.5 percent (19-55) from the field and went 11-for-20 from the free throw line. Strautmane led the Jackets with 20 points followed by Love with 10. Cubaj finished with 20 rebounds, seven points and five assists. The Jackets dominated on the glass, 45-27.
Purdue was led offensively by Madison Layden with 13 points as the Boilermakers shot 35.3 percent (18-51) from the field. Purdue finished 15-for-21 at the free throw line for a 71.4 percent clip.
Georgia Tech continues this road swing, making the short trip to Athens to face in-state rival Georgia on Sunday. Tip is slated for noon on SEC Network.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
For the latest information on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, follow us on Twitter (@GTWBB), Instagram (GTWBB), Facebook (Georgia Tech Women’s Basketball) or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com.
