WEST LAFAYETTE, IND. - Sophomore guard Rachel Banham's shots were not dropping, which usually means the Gophers are in trouble.
No. 12 Purdue beat the Gophers 75-67 on Thursday in Mackey Arena before an announced crowd of 8,060 to retain a share of the Big Ten lead.
Banham, who came into the game as the conference's second-leading scorer, averaging 20.8 points, had only two points at halftime. She finished with 17, but she took 23 shots and was 0-for-6 on three-pointers.
Reserve guard Leah Cotton, 6-for-8 shooting, also had 17 points for the Gophers (13-5, 2-2). Forward Micaella Riche had eight points and 11 rebounds.
Sam Ostarello, a 6-2 senior forward, had 19 points and 14 rebounds for her third double-double in a row for Purdue. Junior guard Moses Courtney had 18 points and six assists.
Purdue (15-2, 4-0) leads the all-time series with the Gophers 40-17 and has won eight of the past nine meetings, including four in a row.
The Boilermakers' three previous conference victories all were in overtime. They needed three extra periods to beat visiting Ohio State 82-75 on Monday. The Gophers also beat the Buckeyes in their last game, 83-74 on Jan. 10 at Williams Arena.
Purdue shot 47.2 percent from the field to the Gophers' 37.5 percent, outscored them 38-30 in the paint and outrebounded them 34-32.
