No. 5 Maryland never trails in 73-59 win over Purdue

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) - Coming off a rare Big Ten loss, No. 5 Maryland couldn't wait to get back on the basketball court.

Purdue had the misfortune of being the next team on the Terrapins' schedule, and the Boilermakers had a pretty good idea what to expect.

Shatori Walker-Kimbrough scored 23 and Brionna Jones had 12 points and 11 rebounds to help Maryland roll to a 73-59 victory Thursday night.

Following a 94-86 defeat at Ohio State, the Terrapins (22-3, 11-2) never trailed in beating the Boilermakers for the second time in nine days.

"We knew it was obviously going to be very tough," Purdue coach Sharon Versyp said. "Maryland is a great team. It's not always who you're playing but when you play them. We knew that they lost to Ohio State. So for them, they're even more focused than ever before."

Maryland has dropped only two Big Ten games since joining the conference last season - both this year against the Buckeyes.

So, three days after falling at Ohio State, the Terrapins did their best to make things right.

"Anytime you can bounce back how we did and get a quality win over a top 5 opponent in the conference is a great thing," Maryland coach Brenda Frese said. "Especially having to play them twice. So I'm excited about the toughness we had to come back and be resilient."

Ashley Morrissette led Purdue (16-8, 7-6) with 18 points and April Wilson added 14. The Boilermakers have lost three in a row and six of eight.

The last time these teams met, Walker-Kimbrough scored 41 in an 87-67 rout. In this one, the junior guard had only 10 points at halftime.

"Today, we did a better job," Versyp said.

But the Terrapins built a 46-33 lead in the third quarter and never let the margin shrink below seven points in winning for the 10th time in 11 games.

After committing 23 turnovers at Ohio State, Maryland was guilty of 20.

"Obviously there are still some areas that we've got to improve on, turnovers being the big one for us," Frese said.

That was offset by a 45-35 advantage on the boards and an 18 for 21 performance on the foul line.

"For us, to score more points in the paint (24-22), it was a huge advantage to us," said Versyp. "But when (Maryland gets) to the foul line 21 times, and our team doesn't, that's a big difference."

Purdue attempted only seven free throws.

"I wasn't really pleased with a lot of things," Versyp said.

Jones had nine points and eight rebounds in the first half to stake the Terrapins to a 35-27 lead.

Purdue closed to 37-31 early in the second half before Walker-Kimbrough made a layup and teammate Kristen Confroy buried a 3-pointer to spark a 9-2 spree that put the Terrapins up by 13.

At that point, the Terrapins could begin to put the Ohio State loss behind them.

"It's always a good feeling to come back and get a win against another great opponent," Jones said.

TIP-INS

Purdue: The Boilermakers have lost four of their last five away games. They're 10-3 at home and 4-4 on road. ... Wilson, Purdue's leading scorer, had two points at halftime on 1 for 5 shooting. She finished with five assists, the 19th time she's led the team in that category.

Maryland: The Terrapins haven't lost two straight since Nov. 29 and Dec. 3, 2014. (Washington State and Notre Dame). ... Maryland improved to 7-1 against Purdue with its fifth straight win in the series.

UP NEXT

Purdue: The Boilermakers host Michigan on Sunday. Purdue beat the Wolverines 65-63 on Dec. 31.

Maryland: The Terrapins face Northwestern on the road Sunday, a rematch of a Jan. 17 game that Maryland won 80-62.