Feb 5, 2004
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) - Purdue won its ninth straight game because it almost couldn't miss early in the second half.
Shereka Wright scored 22 points and the sixth-ranked Boilermakers made 10 of their first 13 shots after halftime in a 76-64 win over Michigan on Thursday night.
"In the first half we allowed them to get open looks and they were being the aggressors," said Wright, who made seven shots and eight free throws in 22 minutes. "In the second half, we were more aggressive and got some stops on the other end that led to fast breaks. That helped the turnaround for us."
Michigan coach Cheryl Burnett said the Wolverines felt "great" when they trailed by just six at halftime.
"We felt like we were on the verge," Burnett said. "And as a senior-led team and a well-coached team, Purdue went to their quick-hitting sets, got the ball where they needed to get the ball and took us out of it."
The Boilermakers (18-2, 8-1 Big Ten) are in second place behind Penn State (18-3, 10-0). Purdue's Katie Gearlds scored 13 and Sharika Webb added 11 points.
"I thought we warmed up at the beginning of the second half," Purdue coach Kristy Curry said. "I'm so happy. It's so hard to win a game on the road in the Big Ten."
Stephanie Gandy scored 18 points, Jennifer Smith 17 and Tabitha Pool 13 for Michigan. The Wolverines (10-13, 3-7) have lost four in a row. Michigan's Kelly Helvey had five assists and four steals.
Curry stressed the importance of limiting the number of times Smith was able to receive passes.
"She's as good as anyone we'll play all year at (center)," Curry said.
Burnett was proud of her team's effort.
"We could have rolled over tonight and we didn't," Michigan's first-year coach said. "Our kids kept fighting. They kept trying to come back.
"It comes back to a couple of things. One is a new one and one is an old one. The first five minutes of the second half, we're still struggling with. In this game, which hasn't been an issue all year, it was missing a lot of free throws."
Michigan made just nine of 20 free throws and Purdue was 15-of-16 at the line.
Purdue shot well from the field and played strong defense.
The Boilermakers made more than 50 percent of their shots before and after halftime and limited Michigan to 42.6 percent shooting.
Purdue's reserves also enjoyed an advantage against their counterparts. Gearlds made six of eight shots and Webb was 4-of-6.