Jan. 20, 2005
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - Jess Strom scored 23 points and Tanisha Wright added 22, leading Penn State to a 77-54 victory over No. 24 Purdue on Thursday night.
Strom scored 11 straight points in the second half, including nine in a 19-2 run. Wright finished the outburst with six straight points to give the Lady Lions (11-6, 6-0 Big Ten) a 60-40 lead with 6:05 remaining.
Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton led the Boilermakers (10-7, 3-3) with 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting. Katie Gearlds added 14 for Purdue, which shot 2-for-13 from 3-point range and was outscored 32-14 in the paint.
Purdue lost its third straight overall and fifth consecutive game in State College.
Penn State beat a top-25 team at home for the third time this season and defeated its fifth ranked opponent overall while improving to 7-0 at home.
Purdue closed within 41-38 on Erin Lawless' free throw with 11:10 left.
Strom hit a layup, stole the ball from Sharika Webb for another basket, drove for a third, then hit a 3-pointer with 8:14 left to give Penn State a 50-40 lead with 8:14 remaining.
Following a Jen Harris jumper and Amanda Brown layup, Wright made three layups to finish the run.