BATON ROUGE — The 10th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers shot 50.9 percent from the field and took advantage of a cold shooting performance by the Lady Tigers to break LSU’s 57-game non-conference home winning streak, 70-54, on Sunday afternoon in the Maravich Assembly Center.
LSU (3-2) dropped its second straight game against ranked opponents Texas and Purdue, while the Boilermakers improved to 5-1. The Lady Tigers finished 22 of 63 from the field for 34.9 percent, including only 5-of-17 from three-point range.
Doneeka Hodges led LSU with 20 points, but only two in the second half. Aiysha Smith added 14 points and seven rebounds, while Ke-Ke Tardy and Scholanda Dorrell each had six.
Shereka Wright paced Purdue with 26 points on 8-of-13 shooting, while Kelly Komara added 15. The Boilermakers were 6-of-16 from three-point range.
With three consecutive turnovers before getting off a shot, LSU fell behind 12-5 in the first four minutes of the game until Smith stepped up her game to a new level. The 6-2 center scored baskets, including a 16-foot jumper from the key, before Doneeka Hodges drained an open three pointer to cap a 7-0 run and tie the game at 12-12.
The Lady Tigers and Boilermakers exchanged baskets over the next four minutes before Ke-Ke Tardy gave LSU its first lead, 24-22, with a 15-foot jumper from the left corner at the 8:24 mark. Just before that, Patty Hanten came off the bench and rattled down a three pointer to tie the game at 22-22.
Doneeka Hodges came out of the eight-minute media timeout and hit another trey with two defenders in her face, but Purdue’s Beth Jones matched it on the other end to stay within two. The Boilermakers then tied the game at 27-27 with a layup off an LSU turnover.
Roneeka Hodges converted a three-point play underneath before Roneeka Hodges weaved through the defense and found Dorrell cutting to the basket for a 32-27 lead with under five minutes left in the first half.
Purdue used a 6-0 run to retake the lead, 33-32, when the Lady Tigers cooled from the field just before the four-minute media timeout.
Emily Heikes caught Smith out of position for an easy layup and Erika Valek hit a second-chance three pointer to extend the lead to six, 38-32, with 1:38 remaining.
Doneeka Hodges hit a line-drive three pointer to cut that lead in half with one minute to play, and then took the ball to the goal for a layup and a foul with time running out on the shot clock. Down 38-37, Hodges missed the free throw and Purdue’s Jones answered with a three from the left corner to end the half.
LSU trailed 41-37 at halftime.
Purdue extended the lead to seven to open the second half before the Lady Tigers charged back within three, 48-45, on a 17-footer by Smith from the left corner with 15:19 remaining in the game.
Once again, Purdue jumped ahead 54-45 at the 13:13 mark by packing the lane defensively and forcing LSU into long three-pointers that fell away harmlessly.
The Boilermakers completed a 9-0 run with a pair of free throws by Wright to take the largest lead of the game, 57-45, with 11:57 to play.
The Lady Tigers went 4:42 without a field goal, until Tardy entered the game in place of Smith and made a third-chance layup. LSU trailed 58-49 with 11:02 left in the game.
Although the Lady Tigers had only two turnovers in the first 12 minutes of the second half, they made only 6-of-20 shots including four missed three pointers.
Smith put back a miss by Tardy to cut the lead to seven, 60-53, but couldn’t convert on three opportunities to get closer.
LSU was outscored 29-17 in the second half after making only seven of 31 shots for 22.6 percent.
The Lady Tigers return to action on Tuesday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. when they face UL-Lafayette in the first half of a basketball doubleheader in the PMAC.