Jan 9, 2003
MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Shereka Wright had 26 points, and seventh-ranked Purdue avoided a second straight road loss to open the Big Ten Conference season, escaping with a 59-53 victory Thursday night over Wisconsin.
The Badgers scored the first 12 points of the game and forged a 50-50 tie with 3:58 left on a pair of free throws by Emily Ashbaugh.
But Wright and Erika Valek made shots from the wing on consecutive possessions, and Wright sank a pair of key free throws with 43.1 seconds left to give the two-time defending conference champion Boilermakers (12-2, 1-1) a 58-53 lead.
Ashbaugh had a career-high 19 points for Wisconsin (2-10, 0-2), which is off to the worst 12-game start in school history.
Purdue was burned by backdoor passes and left open defensive seams to fall into the early hole.
The Boilermakers finally got on the board 5:18 into the game on a free throw by Emily Heikes, but Ashbaugh kept Wisconsin rolling with 10 points in the first eight minutes.
When Ashley Josephson picked up her second foul midway through the half, Wisconsin was left without a true point guard to bring the ball up the court and the Boilermakers' press paid dividends.
Purdue forced turnovers on seven of the Badgers' next 11 possessions, fueling a 9-0 run to tie the game at 18-18 with 5:57 left in the half. Wright had 11 of the Boilermakers' first 18 points.
Heikes' power move underneath gave Purdue its first lead at 22-21, but Stephanie Rich sank a 3-pointer from 24 feet with 33 seconds left to help Wisconsin head into halftime tied at 26-26.
Wisconsin guard Leah Hefte aggravated a right shoulder injury late in the half, and spent the rest of the game on the bench. She had already missed six games after dislocating her shoulder Nov. 28.
There were seven lead changes and seven ties in the first 17 minutes of the tightly contested second half. Purdue led by no more than two points and Wisconsin by three.
The Badgers shot 47.6 percent from the field but hurt their cause with 22 turnovers. Purdue went 15-of-20 from the line.
Back-to-back baskets by Wright and Valek gave Purdue a 54-50 lead with 2:51 remaining.
But Beth Jones missed a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession and Wisconsin's Ebba Gebisa rebounded, was fouled and sank two free throws.
The Boilermakers drew two fouls away from the ball on their next trip to move into the bonus, and Mary Jo Noon made both free throws for a 56-52 lead with 1:42 left.
Trimming the gap to three points, Ashbaugh then stymied Wright on a drive, but lost the ball out of bounds.
The Boilermakers knocked 22 seconds off the shot clock before Wright drew a shooting foul on Ashbaugh and hit both free throws, giving Purdue its 58-53 lead.