March 7, 2003
By DAN GELSTON
Associated Press Writer
INDIANAPOLIS - Erika Valek had 14 of her 19 points in the second half, and No. 12 Purdue beat Michigan 72-50 Friday night in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament.
Shereka Wright and Mary Jo Noon added 12 points apiece for Purdue (24-5), a three-time winner of the tournament.
The Boilermakers will play Iowa on Sunday in the semifinals. The other semifinal game is Penn State against Ohio State, and the championship game is Monday night.
Purdue, Penn State and Iowa have combined to win seven of the eight tournaments.
The Boilermakers were the aggressors from the outset, taking an early 13-point lead on the strength of a 16-6 first-half run. They led 35-23 at halftime.
Led by Jennifer Smith with 15 points and Stephanie Gandy with 11, Michigan (13-16) never challenged in the second half.
Valek opened the half with two 3-pointers - part of a 7-for-11 performance from beyond the arc for the Boilermakers.
Michigan couldn't come close to duplicating its effort from Thursday's victory over Illinois. The Wolverines became only the second No. 11-seed to win a Big Ten tournament game.
Nothing clicked for Michigan. The Wolverines shot only 32 percent, were outrebounded 43-34, went 1-for-7 from 3-point range and turned the ball over 15 times.