Jan. 25, 2001
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A sluggish start nearly cost No. 6 Purdue.
Camille Cooper scored 17 points and the Boilermakers rebounded from a shaky start with a 17-0 run late in the first half to beat Minnesota 86-61 Thursday night.
"You don't want to say `we'll play now,' " said Cooper as the Boilermakers (18-3, 8-0 Big Ten) won their 10th straight. "You lose games by being passive. Every opponent in the Big Ten is going to give you their best game so you have to be on at the start."
The Boilermakers missed their first ten shots, didn't make a basket until nearly six minutes into the game, and found themselves in a close game late in the half.
"There was no intensity whatsoever, and that was unacceptable," Purdue coach Kristy Curry said
Purdue used a full-court press to force turnovers and take control of the game.
"The press took the air out of the ball for us, slowed us down, put us back on our heels," Minnesota coach Cheryl Littlejohn said. "We had a lot of good looks, but we just couldn't connect."
Purdue forced 22 turnovers and was never seriously threatened in final 25 minutes.
Erika Valek, Shalicia Hurns and Katie Douglas each scored 12 points for Purdue, which extended its winning streak against Minnesota to 10 games. The Gophers last beat the Boilermakers, 68-67, in 1995.
Ozlem Piroglu scored 14 points for the Gophers (8-10, 1-6). Lindsay Whalen, the Big Ten's leading scorer, added 13, five points below her average.
Minnesota (8-10, 1-6) used its transition game in the first half to keep the game close. Whalen's breakaway basket with 8:44 left in the period gave the Gophers a 17-15 lead.
Cooper countered with a pair of free throws that tied the game and Kelly Komara hit a jumper to put the Boilermakers ahead for good, 19-17.
Purdue went on a 22-5 run for a 37-22 lead at halftime.