2024 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament: Day 1 Recap
An excellent start to an excellent tournament!
MINNEAPOLIS – If the first day of the 2024 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament is any indication for how the rest of the weekend will go, boy are we in for a treat. The opening game of the tourney gave us a big Purdue comeback win over Northwestern and the nightcap saw Minnesota and Rutgers go blow-for-blow until the Gophers pulled away at the very end.
FINAL SCORES
No. 12 Purdue 78 - No. 13 Northwestern 72
No. 11 Minnesota 77 - No. 14 Rutgers 69
TOP PLAYERS
Purdue Boilermakers
Jeanae Terry: eight points (2-of-6 FG), 16 rebounds (five offensive), six assists, three steals, +2
Abbey Ellis: 25 points (7-of-18 FG, 2-of-5 3P), 10 rebounds (six offensive), two assists, +6
Rashunda Jones: 19 points (7-of-13 FG, 1-of-2 3P), two rebounds (one offensive), one assist, one steal, +6
Northwestern Wildcats
Caleigh Walsh: 26 points (9-of-19 FG, 2-of-6 3P), eight rebounds (two offensive), three assists, three blocks, -4
Melanie Daley: 21 points (10-of-17 FG), five rebounds (two offensive), four assists, one block, one steal, -4
Caroline Lau: 10 points (3-of-6 FG, 1-of-2 3P), eight rebounds (one offensive), five assists, one block, two steals, -3 (fouled out)
Minnesota Golden Gophers
Amaya Battle: 32 points (10-of-20 FG, 1-of-1 3P), five rebounds (two offensive), seven assists, one steal, +18
Grace Grocholski: 12 points (3-of-11 FG, 1-of-6 3P), four rebounds (one offensive), two assists, one block, +6
Nia Holloway: seven points (3-of-5 FG), nine rebounds (five offensive), one block, three steals, +12
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Destiny Adams: 31 points (12-of-24 FG, 0-of-1 3P), 24 rebounds (eight offensive), three assists, one block, one steal, -11
Erica Lafayette: 16 points (4-of-12 FG, 4-of-9 3P), one steal, -7
Antonia Bates: three points (1-of-4 FG, 1-of-2 3P), two rebounds, four assists, two blocks, two steals, -9
FUN FACTS
NU’s Caleigh Walsh was one point shy of tying her career high in scoring
Purdue didn’t have a lead in the second half until 8:58 left in the fourth quarter when Madison Layden’s three-pointer broke a 56-56 tie
The Boilermakers didn’t trail again after that
Jeanae Terry’s 16 boards tied a school B1G Tourney record
Purdue has 47 all-time wins at the BTT, the most of any school
Purdue had a 21-2 advantage in bench points
Destiny Adams’ 24 rebounds broke the Big Ten Tournament record of 21 previously held by Ohio State’s Stephanie Mavunga (against Minnesota) in 2018
Amaya Battle’s 32 points set a Minnesota BTT record (previous record 28 points, twice)
Rutgers committed 15 turnovers in the first half…and only one in the second half
POSTGAME QUOTES PURDUE
Rashunda Jones on what the Boilermakers did to get the game under control in the second half: “So for I think for both of us, for the whole team honestly, when we came out in that second half and we were just like -- Coach Katie told us, like, we're hanging our heads, like we lost. If we are going to keep playing like that and acting like that, there's no chance. So I think that really clicked for us.”
Head coach Katie Gearlds on the third quarter comeback: “We got a lot of fighters on our team. I think Rashunda really hit it on the nose. There was a 4:55 media timeout, 12-point game. Like we had a sub, we were untucking our jerseys, our heads were hanging. We were kind of looking undefeated, almost like we were trying to do it all by ourself and it wasn't working, and our heads were hanging.
That was the message. If that's the way we're going to go down, we're not going to win. We might as well fight and fight together. Abbey hits a three out of the timeout. We get a couple of stops. Rashunda gets out in transition and get some and-ones. Rashunda hit a huge three. Mads hit a huge three, and we were able to capitalize off some offensive rebounds.”Gearlds on true freshman Rashunda Jones: “She's a special kid. She hit some rough spots in Big Ten play this season. She was really great in the non-conference. Had some games throughout the Big Ten Conference where she was special, and then kind of hit that wall, that freshman wall where the season is a little bit longer. We rely on her a lot, same with Mary Ashley, same with Sophie. Just, hey, let's hit the refresh button. Brand new start.
She obviously changes the game for us with her speed and her ability to pressure the full court. She's a fighter. She's a believer and a big-time gamer, and I hope she's even more special for everybody tomorrow.”Gearalds on their rebounding: “They were shooting 50 percent at halftime, so they weren't missing a lot of shots. And we were shooting 35 percent, so we were missing them. I think we had 8 offensive rebounds at halftime, and we finished with 20. Just hungry going to the offensive glass.
There was a time I was putting J.T. in, I was like, hey, go be special, I need you to have 20 rebounds, and she fought. She was able to come up with 16. Abbey, all 5'6" of her, whatever, 7 of her, whatever, she's going to be mad at me, she finished with double digits. Mads got her hands on some balls.
There was a different "want to" down the last stretch, a different belief the last few minutes of the game. Nobody rebounds the ball better than Nebraska. So we've got to be even more special tomorrow.”
POSTGAME QUOTES NORTHWESTERN
Head coach Joe McKeown’s opening statement: “Really tough night for us. We played great, and couldn't finish the game. Credit to Purdue, made a lot of shots in the second half. Made a great run at us. We were in complete control for a long time.
So give them credit. I wish them the best. I thought we competed really well, played hard. Got in some foul trouble, and then we had some breakdowns on defense, and that was probably the difference in the game, a couple of threes.Really proud of my team. They have dealt with adversity all year. I have three seniors that have given everything to Northwestern. So I'm proud to say I'm their coach.”
Paige Mott on the difference between their first game against Purdue (26-point loss) and Wednesday night’s game: “Yeah, that first game should never have happened. I'm still not happy with the result of this game, but I'm happy that we fought. We should have won. But it's whatever.”
Grad transfer Maggie Pina’s opening statement: “I think this game we came out stronger in the first half than the second. We had some miscommunications, like Coach said, on defense. We got stagnant on offense. We were missing shots we normally make, and Purdue was making really tough shots.
On the year, I'm really glad to have the experience to play in the Big Ten, to play for this coaching staff. With all my amazing teammates, I’m so thankful for the extra year. It wasn't the outcome we wanted for our game tonight or all of the games, but overall it was a great experience for me.”McKeown on the state of Big Ten basketball: “Just let me finish with this: I've been in women's basketball over 40 years. So again, I really wish I could coach all week with the excitement that's generated in the Big Ten this year. I give Caitlin Clark a lot of credit. I give a lot of players a lot of credit too and coaches.
It's a great league right now. I wish everybody the best the rest of the week. In the NCAA Tournament, I think there's some teams that are poised to make deep runs. I wish we were one of them, but we'll be back.”
POSTGAME QUOTES MINNESOTA
Head coach Dawn Plitzuweit opening statement: “First of all, I thought the crowd was absolutely amazing and to have so many fans in maroon and gold, it was absolutely phenomenal. We said to our team before the game -- before we even got to the tournament, we need to be really thankful for this opportunity because our trip to get to the Big Ten Tournament is 10 minutes, 15 if there's some traffic lights, right?”
“But it was great for us before the game to be able to see all of our fans there. To all of our fans who came, a very, very sincere thank you for doing that. You made it a home game really essentially for us, so that was really fun.”
Plitzuweit on Rutgers star Destiny Adams and RU’s offense: “Destiny Adams played just an absolutely amazing, amazing, amazing basketball game. And they shot the ball, Rutgers' team shot the ball at such a high level, certainly in the first half. I thought we were able to force some turnovers, but when we didn't turn them over, they scored really efficiently.”
Plitzuweit on Nia Holloway: “Then Nia, I thought, came in and made big-time plays for us on both ends of the court defensively, doing her best inside against the physicality of Rutgers. Then offensive end, five offensive rebounds is just an incredible, incredible effort, incredible intensity.”
Plitzuweit on Amaya Battle: “Amaya did a great job handling the basketball for us, making great decisions with it, then she scored a lot too. She took a burden in doing a lot of that for us but made great, great decisions with the ball in her hands.”
Holloway on defending Destiny Adams: “Like Coach P said, she's an amazing player. She did a really good job. She had an outstanding game. I think just my toughness and wanting to get stops and knowing that my team was behind me, knowing that if I could keep her where I had to keep her, then they would be right here to help me.”
Battle on when she knew she was “locked in”: “I was like -- I don't know. Probably – well, after I hit the three off the screen and [injured star Mara Braun] was like, ‘I knew you were feeling it because you never do that.’ I was like, shoot, I guess I'm feeling it.”
Plitzuweit on what this win, after losing 10 of 11, can do for her team’s trajectory: “Absolutely. Absolutely, it can. It's something that -- I think Ahmad asked me the question about what's the hardest part about dealing with what we're dealing with right now, and the hardest part is that you're in the middle of it. In the middle of it sometimes, it's hard to see the light and break through it, and tonight we were able to do that.
I think it's just overall, they talked about the energy and the team kind of lifting each other up and really encouraging each other at a very high level.”
POSTGAME QUOTES RUTGERS
Head coach Coquese Washington’s opening statement: “It's cool to be here at the Big Ten Tournament. I think we put on one of the best conference tournaments in the country, and it was a great environment for our team to play in front of.
I thought the Minnesota fan base showed up and made it a really good environment for us to play in. Really proud of how our team competed, showed a lot of resilience with as many injuries as we've suffered through over the course of the season and getting here tonight.
Proud of how we played. Disappointed in the outcome, but really proud of this team for what we've gone through this year.”Destiny Adams, a New Jersey native who transferred to Rutgers after being at UNC, on this season: “It's been a life-changing year. I think to finally have the chance to play how I used to play, to play for a great coach, to really get the love back for the game. If I could go back and do it again, I would do it all over again regardless.”
“So it's been a really great year, and I'm really glad I chose to come home.”
Adams on taking over late in the game: “I think like, if I'm on, if I'm scoring, I think that -- I knew I had to get the ball and put it through the hoop. I think that goes for anybody on our team, whoever's having an on night, they deserve to have the ball. I think that's just what it was for me.”
Washington on Minnesota’s Amaya Battle: “She couldn't miss, you know. She got hot, and we're contesting shots, and as you said, we're trying different ways to stop her, but she got in the zone. That mid-range jumper, she really couldn't miss.
She put the team on her back, especially in the second half. For a stretch there, it was just get the ball to Amaya and get out of her way, and let's see what she can do. I thought she gave their team a lot of confidence and made the big plays, especially late in the fourth quarter when her team needed them.”Washington on her team’s turnover disparity (15 in first half, one in second half): “I thought in the first half we were playing, we were trying to win the game with one play every time down the floor, and we were a little -- gambling a little bit too much, trying to make this pass, trying to make this play.
I think in the second half we just did a better job of just trying to stay patient and poised on offense, getting the ball to the folks that could make the plays and the right plays, and that kind of helped us get shot opportunities instead of turning the ball over.”
RANDOM THOUGHTS FROM PRESS ROW
There seemed to be a lot of airballs. The bigger pro arenas often have an effect on the shooting when college players first get there.
Caleigh Walsh is an undervalued Big Ten player. She was scoring all over the court and also protected the rim well.
I was so impressed with Rashunda Jones. She showed great poise and aggression for any player, let alone a freshman, and she’s going to be a problem for the Big Ten for the foreseeable future.
Destiny Adams moves like a pro. If she continues to play like she did on Wednesday night, the WNBA is going to take a long look at her.
Amaya Battle has extremely active hands/arms on defense. Fun player to watch.
While both were respectful of each other after the game, Nia Holloway and Destiny Adams were getting AFTER each other, especially in the fourth quarter. Adams scored on Holloway after a tough battle down low, chirped her on the way down the court, and then Holloway battled her for a rebound/jump ball on the other end that resulted with them tangled on the floor. Great matchup.
Purdue’s band was the best/most vocal/most into the game of the four on Wednesday night. Rutgers was a close second though.
It brings me no joy to report this, but Goldy Gopher is an excellent mascot. Purdue Pete should be locked in an underwater prison for the rest of time though. Irredeemable monster tbqh.
Dawn Plitzuweit’s voice carries through an arena. That woman can project instructions to her team.
I love watching Jeanae Terry rebound the ball. She attacks missed shots with violence and when the ball touches her hand, it doesn’t ever leave until she passes it up the court.
Homefield Apparel has some absolutely fire t-shirts for sale around the arena and I’m glad I went to the first day of the tourney so they weren’t sold out.
THURSDAY’S SECOND ROUND SCHEDULE (all games on Big Ten Network)
No. 8 Maryland Terrapins vs. No. 9 Illinois Fighting Illini; 11:30 a.m. CT
No. 5 Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. No. 12 Purdue Boilermakers; 25 minutes after first game
No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions vs. No. 10 Wisconsin Badgers; 5:30 p.m. CT
No. 6 Michigan Wolverines vs. No. 11 Minnesota Golden Gophers; 25 minutes after PSU/UW game