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EspañolEVANSTON, IL ― Purdue women's basketball sophomore guard Nya Smith was one of the leading scorers a season ago at UNC Greensboro where she helped the Spartans capture the Southern Conference and entry into the NCAA tournament.
Fast forward a year later and Smith, after entering the transfer portal and joining the Boilermakers, played a key role in returning Purdue to the Big Ten Conference tournament.
Smith's shot making and poise on the final day of the Big Ten season, alongside her junior Arkansas transfer teammate Kiki Smith and St. John's transfer Tara Daye, provided the final touches in the fourth quarter to lead Purdue over Northwestern 67-60 on Sunday.
"It starts with confidence," Nya Smith said. "You just have to believe in yourself. Coming from a mid-major, people are going to expect less from you and not always put faith in you. But if you can put faith in yourself and you rely on your support system, anything can happen."
The win helped Purdue (13-16, 5-13 Big Ten) advance to the Big Ten tournament. Purdue will be the No. 14 seed against No. 11 Oregon in the late game at approximately 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Daye scored a layup to create a two-possession lead for Purdue with 16.1 seconds left in regulation.
Nya Smith finished with 17 points, six assists and five rebounds. Kiki Smith added 17 points and Daye led with 18 points and seven rebounds.
Smith and Smith ignited a major role in the 6-0 run jumpstarted by sophomore forward Lana McCarthy, who finished with 10 points and six rebounds.
Kiki Smith stole the ball and then fed to Nya for the layup. The Smiths are not sisters, but the two have formed a close bond that's become sibling-like on the court.
"Kiki is one of my best friends on the team and I love seeing her be successful," Nya Smith said. "Being successful together is so much fun. Seeing all the assists we have together as a team, we are all excited to see each other score."
Both Smiths with Daye directed Purdue team ball pressure to outlast Northwestern, who was celebrating the final game of head coach Bob McKeown. McKeown coached college basketball for 40 years with his last 18 being in Evanston.
Purdue coach Katie Gearlds recalled the time she lost to McKeown when he was head coach of George Washington during her 19 years with the Revolutionaries.
"49-47 and (Purdue) took the lost and I fouled out," Gearlds recalled. "I had six points and three assists. Joe doesn't let me forget that. We were in the Bahamas, but we still took the loss.
"I'm just super grateful. When you get the opportunity to play him in his last game here, I'm pretty lucky."
Purdue overcame five first half turnovers by Daye and went behind 4-0 to start the first quarter.
"I felt a little bit off balance," Daye said. "Anytime you're on the road, you're met with more physicality. I just had to get more balanced. Just play with more composure. That comes with taking it one step at a time.
The Boilermakers had 17 turnovers but settled down with just six in the second half.
Nya Smith wouldn't allow a repeat of what transpired Wednesday after losing to Oregon on senior day 71-65.
"We took it very personally, especially since this was a must win game," Smith said. "We wanted to win together, make up for what happened and end our season on a high note. This was important to everybody, and everybody wanted to win this game very badly."
Purdue is taking a refreshed approach. The regular season is over, and the Boilermakers are back in the Big Ten tournament.
Gearlds said her team is taking a similar mental approach to the one her team used against Northwestern.
"This game was about playing to extend our season," Gearlds said. "Let's go out there to Indianapolis, and it's the same thing. We have to find a way to win a basketball game if we want to keep playing. This group wants to keep playing ... Let's find a way to keep playing."
Ethan Hanson is the sports reporter for the Journal & Courier in Lafayette. He can be reached at [email protected], on Twitter at EthanAHanson and Instagram at ethan_a_hanson.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue women's basketball vs Northwestern score today, Big Ten tournament