WEST LAFAYETTE – Purdue women’s basketball had plenty of key moments throughout the 2025-26 season.
The Boilermakers beat Indiana on Jan. 25 and rallied to beat then-No. 23 Washington on Jan. 11.
But on a Senior Night meant to honor career 3-point shooter Madison Layden-Zay, the Boilermakers struggled to muster the needed intensity and runs to fend off Oregon in their home finale.
Oregon sophomore guard Katie Fiso scored 19 points while helping force 11 turnovers in the first half, and Purdue fell to Oregon 71-65.
Oregon (21-10, 8-9 Big Ten) scored 31 points off of 21 Purdue turnovers. Forward Ehis Etute added 17 points.
Purdue’s matchup on Sunday becomes a must win to enter the Big Ten Conference tournament after Penn State upset USC 85-82 while Indiana beat Rutgers 79-69. The Hoosiers, with the win, moved into 14th place.
Tipoff with Northwestern begins at 3 p.m. Indiana faces Penn State in Bloomington on Saturday.
Turnovers plague Purdue
Purdue was led by guard Nya Smith, who scored 20 points with four turnovers, while sophomore forward Lana McCarthy scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds off the bench.
“If we just had a little bit more value with the ball and using pass fakes to make sure that we were going to the ball and not just hiding behind the defense and that press defense especially, that would’ve helped us a lot,” McCarthy said.
Guard Tara Daye was forced into seven turnovers while Purdue fell victim to another slow start.
Oregon opened on a 9-0 run to start the game and then another 9-0 run to end the first half.
“We’ve got a disappointed group right now and you ask them, and they want to keep playing,” Purdue coach Katie Gearlds said. “Nya has done a great job of stepping up and she’s been incredible on the court and grown into a leadership role since Madison has been out. Collectively, we have to find a way to get it done.”
Foul trouble for McCarthy
The Ducks used a 2-3 zone, and then a full-court pressure, and Purdue was slow to adjust.
McCarthy was effective while in the game but picked up three touch fouls in the post, attempting to change shot angles in the paint.
“I just need to be better at keeping my hands up and making sure there’s no way (the officials) see there’s a foul,” McCarthy said. “I need to take that better personally because fouls are something I’ve struggled with my whole career. Just being more intentional about keeping my hands up and not letting them down in any way. It’s just on me.”
Big Ten Conference tournament spot to be decided on the final day
Purdue lacked cohesion at times on the offensive end and now Purdue finds itself on the verge of missing the Big Ten Conference tournament for a second straight season unless it can beat Northwestern.
Northwestern (8-20, 2-15 Big Ten) is celebrating the retirement of longtime head coach Joe McKeown. McKeown has coached at Northwestern for 18 seasons and has been a women’s college basketball coach for 40 years.
Ethan Hanson is the sports reporter for the Journal & Courier in Lafayette. He can be reached at ehanson@jconline.com, on Twitter at EthanAHanson and Instagram at ethan_a_hanson.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue women’s basketball falls to Oregon, hopes of Big Ten Conference tournament at risk