Jan 22, 2004
By RUSTY MILLER
AP Sports Writer
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Erika Valek broke out of her shooting drought at precisely the right time.
Shereka Wright scored 23 points for eighth-ranked Purdue, which built a big lead in the first half then hung on for a 74-68 victory over Ohio State on Thursday night. But it was Valek's big shots down the stretch which kept the Boilermakers chugging along.
"I've been in a shooting slump for quite some time," said the senior guard, who scored 18 points. "My teammates told me to keep taking shots and they would go in. It felt good."
Valek had a 3-pointer and a three-point play to keep the Boilermakers (15-2, 5-1 Big Ten) on top after the Buckeyes came storming back.
After Ohio State (10-6, 2-3) pulled within six points with 6? minutes left, Beth Jones hit two free throws and then Valek came to the rescue.
She drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 4:34 left and, after Ohio State countered with three points, drove the lane and banked in a layup and made the accompanying free throw for a 68-57 lead with 3:21 left.
 | My teammates told me to keep taking shots and they would go in. It felt good. |
The Buckeyes got as close as five once again on two free throws by Jessica Davenport, who totaled 27 points and 15 rebounds, before Wright banked in a shot in the lane and Valek hit two more free throws to push the lead back to 73-64 in the final minute.
Emily Heikes added 10 points for Purdue, which has won six in a row and 15 of the last 16. The Boilermakers have won 96 in a row when ahead with 2 minutes remaining.
Purdue shot 61 percent in the first half to Ohio State's 35 percent, then the teams traded roles in the second half with the Buckeyes shooting 61 percent and the Boilermakers 36 percent.
"We talk a lot about basketball being a game of runs," Purdue coach Kristy Curry said. "Tonight our run happened to be a little bit longer, thank goodness."
 Erika Valek drives to the basket as Ohio State's Caity Matter defends during the second half.  | |
Wright said Purdue's veteran lineup knows the importance of a fast start.
"That (the win) was attributable to the first half. We were very aggressive," she said. "They had to play out of that hole."
Things changed, however, when Ohio State started forcing the ball into Davenport and power forward LaToya Turner in the second half.
"We kind of deflated a little bit," Valek said. "What are they, a foot or two taller than us?"
Turner and Caity Matter each scored 11 for Ohio State. Turner had missed the Buckeyes' last game because of a mild concussion.
The Buckeyes had won 24 in a row at Value City Arena but have now dropped two in a row at home. The streak ended when they fell 55-47 to Michigan State on Sunday.
Ohio State coach Jim Foster laid the blame for his team's 40-23 halftime deficit at its youth, with a freshman and two sophomores in the starting lineup and two other freshmen coming in off the bench.
"(It was) young players not being ready for the task at hand of a 40-minute basketball game," Foster said. "We turn it on and off. We didn't understand the concept that every possession matters."