Right From the Start

Jan. 22, 2009

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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Freshman Brittany Rayburn's two-point field goal at the 4:23 mark in the second half accounted for all of Purdue's bench scoring in the Boilermakers' 56-43 win over Minnesota at Mackey Arena on Thursday.

Led by a team-high 13 points from junior Jodi Howell, the Purdue starting five saw four players score in double figures and combine as a group to tally 54 points on the night.

Seniors Lakisha Freeman and Danielle Campbell finished with 12 points each, while classmate Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton chipped in with 11. Starting point guard Lauren Mioton hit back-to-back three-pointers in the second half to finish with six points and round out the scoring for Purdue.

Freeman also finished with a career-high nine assists and four rebounds, while Campbell added a game-high nine boards and Wisdom-Hylton tallied eight rebounds and four blocks.

The victory, the Boilers' fifth in their last six games, improved Purdue to 13-6 for the year and to 6-2 in the conference. Minnesota dropped just its second game in its last seven contests to fall to 13-6 overall and a game behind Purdue in the Big Ten standings at 5-3.

Defensively, the Boilermakers limited the Golden Gophers to just 16 field goals for the game and 32 percent from the field. Minnesota's 19 second-half points were the fewest allowed by Purdue in the final 20 minutes this year and tied for the second-fewest allowed in any half this season.

Minnesota, which finished just 8 for 25 from the field in each half, took advantage of five first-half three-pointers to keep within striking distance and head into the break down just one at 25-24.

The game remained close early in the second before a Purdue scoring burst opened a gap that the Boilermakers did not relinquish.

Leading just 31-29 at 14:10 in the second half, Purdue used a 16-4 scoring run over the next seven minutes to open up a 14-point advantage and coast to the win.

Purdue returns to action on Sunday when it hosts Ohio State in Mackey. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m and the game can be seen live nationally on ESPN2.