Dec. 22, 2008
Champaign, Ill. - The Purdue Boilermakers are off to a 1-0 start in the Big Ten and improved to 7-4 on the season after defeating Illinois 53-42 in Champaign, Ill.
Senior Lakisha Freeman led all scorers with 19 points. She also contributed four rebounds, two assists and two steals in 39 minutes of action.
The Boilermakers turned in their best defensive effort of the season, holding the Illini to just 42 points on their home floor. Purdue limited Illinois to 32.1 percent from the field and just 20 percent from the three-point line while committing only 11 fouls in the game. Purdue held Illinois junior Jenna Smith to a season-low 10 points which is almost nine points below her season average.
With 8:56 to play, after Smith hit a jumper to cut Purdue's lead to eight, freshman Brittany Rayburn hit a jump shot from the right corner and after another Illinois score, Rayburn hit a three-pointer from the left wing to put the lead back in double-digits. A steal and a layup by point guard FahKara Malone gave the Boilermakers their largest lead of the game at 13 points with 7:35 in the second half. Illinois would get no closer than eight points.
Rayburn finished with 13 points and Malone with nine points, three assists and a steal.
For the second straight game, Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton pulled down 13 rebounds. The 6-foot-2 senior scored seven points, had a team-high four assists, a block and four steals.
The Illini were lead by junior Lacey Simpson's 18 points and seven rebounds. Simpson also committed seven turnovers in the game.
Purdue outrebounded the Illini 36 to 32, had an 11 to four advantage on second chance points and the Purdue bench outscored Illinois 13 to three.