WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Western Illinois was able to hang with Purdue for most of the first half, but a 12-2 run by the Boilermakers to end the period proved to be too much in a 76-44 loss on Tuesday at Mackey Arena.
The Fighting Leathernecks (3-9) used great free throw shooting in the first half to keep the game close despite shooting just 30.4 percent (7-for-23) from the floor over the first 20 minutes.
Western went 8-for-9 from the charity stripe in the first half and was able to cut a seven point lead (19-12) to a three point lead (19-16) with just under nine minutes remaining in the period.
"I felt like we played pretty well in the first half," said head coach Leslie Crane. "We sort of let things get away from us late in the first half and we stopped attacking as we had been at the beginning and that's when they (Purdue) made their move."
Purdue (9-3) would shoot 48.3 percent (14-for-29) in the first half and outscore the Leathernecks 21-8 over the final eight minutes to head into the break with a 40-24 lead.
The Boilermakers held Western Illinois without a field goal for over six minutes in the middle of the period and also held the Leathernecks scoreless over the final four minutes of the first half.
Western would come out firing in the second frame and cut the deficit to 12 points (42-30) after two minutes of play but the offense would go stagnant, scoring just once over the next 11 minutes.
Purdue would take advantage, reeling of a 19-2 run from the 17:44 mark to the 7:43 mark to build a 61-32 lead. Jackie Rieger's bucket with 7:28 remaining ended the scoring drought but the Boilermakers would cruise to their fifth-straight win.
As a team, the Leathernecks shot 32.7 percent (17-for-52) from the floor and 14.3 percent (2-for-14) from beyond the arc. Purdue shot 45.6 percent (26-for-57) from the floor and 37.5 percent (6-for-16) from long range.
The Boilermakers out-rebounded Western by a 48-21 margin and converted 18-of-27 free throw attempts. Western Illinois forced 22 turnovers in the contest while committing 23 of its own.
"I thought we did a good job of forcing turnovers tonight," said Crane. "Unfortunately we just didn't convert those into points. I also think Purdue's size and strength were both big advantages for them tonight and tough for us to overcome."
Rieger score nine points to lead Western's offense for the second-straight game. Jackie Barton pulled down a team-high four boards and ever Leatherneck who played scored at least two points.
Brittany Rayburn led the Boilermakers with 14 points. Antionette Howard, Courtney Moses and Dee Dee Williams each scored 10 and Sam Ostarelli pulled down a game-high 10 boards.
The game marked the final non-conference competition of the season for the Leathernecks. Western Illinois will return to Summit League action at IUPUI on Friday at 2 p.m. CST.
