Nov. 6, 2004
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue women's basketball team won its first preseason exhibition game of the 2004-05 season Saturday, defeating Australian Institute of Sport 65-46 in Mackey Arena. A crowd of 3,589 was on hand to watch the contest.
The fans who caught the debut may have been worried through the first 20 minutes of action. The Boilermakers, who are rebuilding after losing four senior starters to graduation in 2004, could not shake off the Australians at the start. Purdue owned a 13-7 lead at the 11:26 mark, but five minutes later saw its small advantage slip away after two free throws by Jenna O'Hea.
The Boilermakers trailed three more times in the first half, but managed to make it to intermission with a 30-29 edge.
Purdue sixth-year head coach Kristy Curry used all 15 minutes of halftime to make adjustments. The break seemed to be just what the Boilermakers needed. Though A.I.S. struck first, making the score 31-30 in its favor, Purdue responded with a 10-0 run to take the lead back. Sophomore forward Erin Lawless provided the finishing touch on the spurt, scoring on a contested shot in the paint that also sent her to the free throw line.
Lawless missed the and-one opportunity, but by then the damage was done. A.I.S. cut the deficit to four, at 40-36 with 15:26 to play, but the Boilermakers never let them closer. Purdue closed out the contest outscoring A.I.S. 25-10, and owned its largest lead of 19 points at the final buzzer.
The win for Purdue marked its 22nd straight in a preseason exhibition game. The victory improved the Boilermakers' all-time preseason exhibition record to 27-3.
Lawless carried the offensive load for Purdue. She pitched in a team-high 15 points, while freshman Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton added 12 off the bench. Both Chicago-area natives recorded seven rebounds, outdone only by senior Emily Heikes' eight.
Lawless noted the difference between the two halves.
"We picked up the intensity in the second half," Lawless said. "We didn't want to lose an exhibition game."
Junior Sharika Webb, who got the nod as the starting point guard, finished with four points, four assists, five rebounds and three steals in 22 minutes. Webb turned the ball over five times, however.
Despite the giveaways, Webb said she was comfortable in her unofficial first career start.
"I felt confident at the point," Webb said. "I just try to be an extension of coach Curry on the court and keep possession of the ball."
Sophomore guard Katie Gearlds played limited minutes due to a pre-existing leg injury and later a thumb injury suffered in the waning moments of the first half. She scored two points in 12 minutes of action.
Twelve of the 13 players on the Purdue roster played, and 10 scored.
Purdue scored 16 points from the free throw line, with six coming on 11 attempts from freshman Natasha Bogdanova.
O'Hea and Caitlin Cunningham shared high-scoring honors for A.I.S., with 12 apiece.
Curry, now 11-0 in preseason contests, pointed out a few key areas on which the Boilermakers will focus before their next exhibition game.
"I think there's definitely room for improvement," Curry said. "We didn't defend or rebound up to Purdue's standard. We tried to play all of our players today and see the different combinations on the court.
"This game was a matter of the good, the bad, and the ugly. We'll focus on the good and try to improve on the rest. I still feel like this team has no limitations."
A.I.S., which enjoyed its first tour victory Friday night at Northern Iowa, is now 1-3 on its American trip. They next will face Indiana, before traveling for games at Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State.
Purdue will return to the court Sunday, Nov. 14, when it plays host to a Slovakian tour team. Tipoff is slated for 1:05 p.m.
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