On Dec. 4, the University of Maine women’s basketball team fell to the University of Purdue Boilermakers 60-51. UMaine entered the game 3-5, coming off a loss to the Indiana Hoosiers. Purdue looked to stop a two-game skid, which included losses against the UT Arlington Mavericks and South Carolina.
Third-year guard Sarah Talon put Maine on the board first, splitting a pair of free throws after drawing contact with a contested layup. First-year guard Amiyah Reynolds quickly responded after knocking down a mid-range jumper, assisted by fifth-year guard Ella Collier. Collier knocked down two three-pointers to give the Boilermakers an 8-1 lead early.
The Black Bear offense struggled early, going scoreless for over five minutes after Talon’s free throw until fourth-year guard Paula Gallego found fifth-year guard-forward Caroline Bornemann for a layup to end the drought. After another Purdue three-pointer, second-year forward Caroline Dotsey nailed a three off the feed from Bornemann.
Second-year guard Sophie Swanson and fourth-year forward Reagan Bass both made layups to extend the Boilermaker lead, but Bornemann was able to beat the end-of-quarter buzzer with a tough finish inside off a great out-of-bounds play. Maine trailed 17-8 going into the second quarter.
Third-year guard Jaycie Christopher started the quarter strong with a three-pointer and set the tone for the Black Bear offense, which woke up after the break. Gallego got herself on the scoreboard with a mid-range jumper. Purdue got to the charity stripe multiple times, allowing them to keep their lead.
Bornemann made back-to-back threes, sparking the Black Bears’ incredible run. Third-year guard Asta Blauenfeldt nailed a shot from behind the arc, and then Bornemann showed her versatility, driving off a pump fake and finishing over a pair of defenders with her offhand.
Bass halted the Maine momentum for a moment, making a free throw and a layup, but Talon responded quickly with a beautiful finger roll layup through the foul. After the free throw, Dotsey made her second three of the game. With 12 seconds left in the half, Christopher stole the ball, which led to another three, this one by Blauenfeldt to cap off a 21-7 run to end the quarter, now leading 35-29. Maine outscored Purdue 27-12 and made six threes in the quarter.
Unfortunately for the Black Bears, the third quarter was more like the first quarter than the previous one. Blauenfeldt opened the second half scoring with her third three of the game, but then the offense went quiet. Another five minute scoring drought hit Maine, and by the time Dotsey broke it with a layup, they had relinquished their lead. Purdue had their own 21-7 run, which lasted the entire third quarter, giving them a 50-42 lead going into the final quarter of play.
The fourth quarter was a much more even affair. An and-one from Dotsey cut the Purdue lead to just 5, but fifth-year guard Destini Lombard and first-year forward Kendall Puryear answered with layups, respectively. That was the theme of the quarter; Maine would chip into the lead, but the Boilermakers would always have a response. Purdue hung in late to beat Maine 60-51.
Blauenfeldt, Bornemann and Dotsey all scored a team-high 13 points. They were the only Black Bears to reach double figures. For Purdue, Bass had a game-high 20 points, with Lombard and Collier scoring 12 and 11, respectively.
Maine hopes to end their losing streak as they travel to face the Saint Joseph’s Hawks on Dec. 19.
