Dec. 2, 2006
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton had 21 points and five blocked shots to help No. 9 Purdue overcome Katie Gearlds' continued shooting slump in a 69-44 victory over Gonzaga on Saturday night.
The Boilermakers (7-1) broke the game open with an early 25-3 run, which ended when Gearlds scored her first basket for a 31-12 lead with over 4 minutes before halftime. The Bulldogs (6-4) got two 3-pointers by Michelle Elliott and cut the lead to 36-20 at the break, but Purdue controlled the boards and continued pulling away, leading by as many as 30 points in the closing minutes.
Erin Lawless added 12 points and FahKara Malone had 11 for Purdue. Gearlds, who came in averaging almost 18 points a game, finished with 8.
Gonzaga (6-3), which lost its third straight game and fourth in the past six, was led by Stephanie Hawk with 13 points.
Purdue was coming off its only loss of the season, a 66-55 defeat at No. 7 Connecticut in which Gearlds hit just 2-of-18 shots overall and missed all nine of her 3-point attempts to finish with a season-low 4 points.
She missed her first three shots against Gonzaga and finished 3-of-12.
The Bulldogs led twice early in the game, but a 3-pointer by Hawk that broke a 6-6 tie was their last basket for more than 6 minutes.
A basket by Lawless started a 14-0 streak for Purdue. After Jami Bjorklund scored for Gonzaga, Lawless hit another basket to start an 11-1 run that ended with Gearlds' first basket.
The senior guard hit a 3-pointer later in the first half - two other baskets were disallowed because of fouls away from the ball - and missed her first four shots in the second period.
Gonzaga pulled within 57-39 with 7 minutes to go. Gearlds and Jodi Howell then hit consecutive 3-pointers, Lawless scored, Malone hit two free throws and Wisdom-Hylton added a basket that gave Purdue its biggest lead at 69-39.