March 5, 2004
By MICHAEL MAROT
AP Sports Writer
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Katie Gearlds and Erin Lawless gave Purdue a fresh look Friday night. It was just what No. 6 Purdue needed.
The two freshmen combined for 21 second-half points and ignited a big run that turned the game, leading the Boilermakers past Michigan 78-55 in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals.
"They are such competitors and they understand how to win," coach Kristy Curry said. "They're both warriors."
On Friday, in their first tournament appearances, they were also the difference.
A year ago, Gearlds was playing for a state championship on the same Conseco Fieldhouse floor. Only this time, Gearlds was teaming with Lawless to lead the Boilermakers out of a funk that lasted for nearly 30 minutes.
And even though senior Shereka Wright led Purdue (25-3) with 16 points and nine rebounds, Gearlds and Lawless made the Boilermakers' 11th straight win over Michigan possible.
Gearlds finished with 15 points - including three straight 3-pointers midway through the second half - and seven rebounds. Lawless added 12 points.
"I thought our players did a lot of things right, till Gearlds hit a couple of 3s," first-year Michigan coach Cheryl Burnett said. "And then everything seemed to come hard for us after that."
Purdue, the defending tournament champ and No. 2 seed, will face either No. 18 Minnesota or No. 22 Ohio State in Sunday's semifinals. If the Buckeyes win, it would set up a rematch of last year's championship game.
The Boilermakers have now won 16 of 17 games although they started sluggishly Friday, five days after an emotional loss at Penn State that cost them the regular-season conference crown.
Michigan (14-17) still has not won consecutive games in the 11-year history of the tournament and saw its three-game winning streak - and season - both end. The Wolverines were led by Jennifer Smith, who had 19 points and nine rebounds in her final college game.
 | "They are such competitors and they understand how to win, They're both warriors." - Coach Kristy Curry discussing freshman Katie Gearlds and Erin Lawless |
Smith and the Wolverines played well in the first half, getting to 33-30 at halftime on Niki Reams' buzzer-beater 3-pointer and were still close seven minutes into the second half.
That's when Burnett switched to a zone defense and Gearlds' eyes lit up.
"That wasn't a very good coaching decision was it?" Burnett said. "I reluctantly went to a zone to try and create something."
Instead, Gearlds wrought havoc on the Michigan defense.
 Erika Valek cheers on her teammates in the final seconds of their victory.  | |
With the Boilermakers leading 44-38, Gearlds knocked down a 3-pointer from the right corner. She followed that with a 3 from the top of the key and then another from just left of the top of the key.
On the Boilermakers' next possession, Gearlds drove inside, drawing extra defenders, then passed to an open Lawless who cut in for an easy layup and a 55-40 lead.
Michigan called a timeout, but it was too late.
"It gave us a chance to put the game away," said Wright, on the bench during the spurt. "We wanted to put it in the hands of the person who was hot and that's what we needed."
Gearlds' shots sparked Purdue's offense and during the next five minutes, the Boilermakers were almost untouchable.
Michigan struggled just to get shots and when Purdue put together another 12-3 run, it had a commanding 67-43 lead with 6:21 to go.
It was all the Boilermakers needed to put the game away.
"That was a critical time when she hit those shots," Burnett said of Gearlds. "Great players make big shots and she's got three more years left."