Dec 29, 2002
By DAN GELSTON
Associated Press Writer
WEST LAFAYTETTE, Ind. (AP) - Western Michigan's rally was giving Purdue fits. The Broncos, though, couldn't stay out of foul trouble and couldn't finish off the Boilermakers.
Mary Jo Noon scored 22 points and Shereka Wright added 16 as No. 7 Purdue held off Western Michigan on Sunday for a 73-65 victory.
Purdue (9-1) has won 62 consecutive games against unranked non-conference opponents at Mackey Arena during the regular season.
The Broncos (5-4) appeared to be the latest team to go down easily at Mackey until they closed the first half on a 9-2 run and built on that momentum throughout the second. Purdue's 21-point lead was cut to two late in the second half, but it never let Western Michigan take the lead or tie.
Western Michigan burned energy in the comeback and was in deep foul trouble. Three of its leading scorers entering the game - Maria Jilian, Kristin Koetsier and Lori Crisman - each had four fouls and Crisman later fouled out.
"We got caught with some foul situations and we questioned them a bit and it really affected our mental state," said Broncos coach Ron Stewart, who was called for a technical foul.
But they also bothered Purdue defensively in the second half. Purdue shot 56 percent from the field in the first half but only 33 percent in the second.
The Boilermakers missed five of their first 21 shots in the second half as the Broncos began their rally.
Five minutes into the second half, Western Michigan pulled to 48-40. Purdue built the lead back to 60-47 on a 3-pointer by Beth Jones, only to see the Broncos come back again.
Kate Verseput hit a 3 from the top of the arc, then followed with a layup on the Broncos next possession. Two straight Purdue turnovers - it had 20 - were converted into four points and Crisman made two free throws to make it 62-60 with 4:11 remaining.
The Broncos would get no closer.
"Getting it to two is a pretty good accomplishment," Stewart said. "I think they did a good job of finishing out from there. We were in serious foul trouble there."
Wright - who went 0-for-5 from the field in the second - answered with two free throws, Jones hit her second 3 of the game and Noon followed with a layup off her own miss to extend the lead to nine and seal the win.
"I think it was a lack of intensity in the second half," Wright said. "We came out a little relaxed and they'll get you. That team was a great little team. At times, we tried to hard to do things and we made mistakes."
With the frontcourt of Koetsier and Crisman in foul trouble, Purdue began feeding the ball inside to Noon. She made 10 of 15 shots and was one point shy of matching her season high.
"That was probably the best I've shot all year," Noon said. "When you get their key players in foul trouble you try to exploit that and that's what we did."
Casey Rost led Western Michigan with 14 points and Jilian had 13.
Erika Valek added 10 assists for Purdue, which had 23 assists on 29 field goals.
The Broncos were competitive early in the first half and led 18-17 after Jilian's 3-pointer nine minutes into the game. Purdue scored seven straight points to regain the lead for good.
The Boilermakers went on a 14-0 run, led by as many as 21 points and took a 44-30 halftime lead.
The Broncos lost their second game this month to a Top Ten team. They lost 92-75 to No. 4 Kansas State on Dec. 20, and play No. 13 North Carolina on Jan. 23.
"We're defining who we are," Stewart said. "We're playing really good clubs. We're not going to celebrate a loss, but we're going to recognize the progress that we've made."