Dec 14, 2002
By DAN GELSTON
Associated Press Writer
INDIANAPOLIS - When Jenny DeMuth's layup in the final seconds fell short, so did Indiana's shot of a second straight upset of Purdue.
Shereka Wright scored 26 points, including two free throws with 4.7 seconds left, to lead No. 6 Purdue to a 53-51 victory over Indiana on Saturday in a nonconference game between the Big Ten schools.
Wright drove the baseline and drew the foul from Indiana's Lisa Eckart. Wright, who is shooting 75 percent from the line, calmly made both shots with less than five seconds left, and the Hoosiers had time for one more possession.
DeMuth then took the inbounds pass the length of the court and drove for a left-handed layup. The ball bounced off the backboard, hung on the rim and softly rolled off.
"It was a great take," Indiana coach Kathi Bennett said. "It didn't go in, but she had the resolve to get to the rim. She had a great take, but it just didn't roll our way."
Purdue coach Kristy Curry said the Boilermakers had trouble containing DeMuth.
"Jenny did a great job of doing what you teach them to do," she said. "The ball just hung on there for a while."
Eckart led Indiana (5-3) with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
The Boilermakers won their seventh straight and are off to their best start since the 1992-93 season, when they won eight straight to open the season.
The game was part of the Duel in the Dome doubleheader at the RCA Dome that also included the men's teams. Because the Big Ten does not have a round robin format, the two teams will play each other once during the conference season.
The Hoosiers scored five straight points, including a 3 by Eckart, to take a 50-49 lead with 1:21 left. Angela Hawkins squandered a chance to extend the lead when she missed two free throws with 57.9 seconds left.
Wright, who shot 6-for-7 from the line and 10-for-17 from the field, hit two free throws to give Purdue a 51-50 lead.
Indiana failed to take advantage of another chance to assume the lead when Purdue's Erika Valek jumped up for an inbounds pass and fouled Kali Kullberg.
Kullberg made the first free throw, but missed the second, and Purdue got the rebound, leading to Wright's game-winning free throws.
Purdue, which entered sixth among Big Ten teams at 76 percent, shot 12-for-13 from the line, while Indiana was 10-for-23.
"I think, basically, we tried to get the ball inside and go to the free-throw line," Wright said. "That's one of my biggest strengths. My teammates were trying to put me in that position."
On Wright's drive that led to the game-winners, she ran into the same double team she faced nearly the entire game. Curry said Wright displayed her value to the Boilermakers by scoring - despite the double team.
"Every shot she hit was contested," she said. "She showed why she's a big-time player.
Beth Jones scored 12 points - on four 3-pointers -for Purdue. Hawkins had 12 rebounds and nine points for Indiana.
It was the first game between the schools since Indiana beat Purdue in the Big Ten tournament semifinals in March.
"I was not really into the rivalry before. I am now," Wright said.
Indiana used runs of 9-0 and 9-2 to build a 27-16 lead with five minutes left in the half. Purdue, which hasn't trailed at halftime this season, scored nine straight points to tie the game at 27 by the break.
"I thought we really started coming together as a team tonight," Bennett said. "That taste of losing hopefully is going to stay with us and keep us more hungry."