Maryland downs Purdue for third straight Big Ten tourney crown

(AP) Brionna Jones had 27 points and 12 rebounds and No. 4 Maryland beat Purdue 74-64 on Sunday night to win the Big Ten Tournament championship for the third straight season.

The Terrapins (30-2) are the third team in conference history to win three consecutive titles. They also claimed the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Ashley Morisette scored 18 points for the Boilermakers (22-12), whose seven-game winning streak ended.

Maryland used an 11-0 second-quarter run to open up a 37-28 lead.

Purdue finished the half with six straight points to make it 37-28 and still trailed 42-38 early in the second half. The Terrapins scored the next nine points to make it 51-38 and continued pulling away in the fourth quarter.

Destiny Slocum had 14 points and seven assists for Maryland, which has won 18 of 19 since losing to No. 1 UConn.

Andreona Keys had 15 points for Purdue.

BIG PICTURE

Purdue: A loss wasn't going to hurt the Boilermakers' NCAA Tournament draw. An injury could have. Morisette gave everyone a scare when she appeared to get hit with a knee as she drove to the basket and stayed seated on the ground. She returned a few minutes later. But she continued to wince and took some extra moments to gather herself the rest of the night.

Maryland: The Terrapins will wait to see if their resume is good enough for a No. 1 seed. One thing that already is clear: They are literally unbeatable in conference play when they don't play Ohio State. Against the Buckeyes, they are 2-3. Against everyone else in the Big Ten, the Terrapins are 56-0.

UP NEXT

Purdue: Will wait for the NCAA Tournament pairings to be released March 13.

Maryland: Also will wait for the NCAA Tournament pairings.