Nov 18, 2001
By DAN GELSTON
Associated Press Writer
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Even with a 27-point halftime lead, Purdue coach Kristy Curry felt the need to give a speech.
"A lot of times it's not how you start, but how you finish," she said.
The No. 11 Boilermakers held Eastern Illinois without a field goal for nearly 11 minutes in the second half and Shereka Wright scored 16 points and Kelly Komara had 14 in an 89-33 romp Sunday.
The Boilermakers (2-0) led 16-14 with 9:20 left in the first half, then closed on a 33-8 run.
Except for six 3-point attempts, the Boilermakers scored nearly all of their first-half points on layups.
Purdue outscored the Panthers 26-1 to start the second half. Mary Jo Noon and Komara scored 13 of the Boilermakers' first 15 points in the burst while Eastern Illinois missed its first 14 shots.
Pam O'Connor led the Panthers (0-2) with 11 points. They went 12:38 between her basket in the first half and Brooke Gossett's basket in the second half.
The Panthers had 28 turnovers and shot 27 percent.
"I'm really proud of the way my team played the first 10 minutes of the game," Panthers coach Linda Wunder said. "I think Purdue knew that we were here. At that point, Purdue really turned up their intensity level and realized that we were here. We turned the ball over which led to a lot of easy opportunities for them."
Wright said she was surprised the Panthers went so long without a basket.
"We didn't know that they didn't score," she said. "I think it was just a great defensive effort."
Wright, who started only seven games a year ago, hit a 3-pointer to make it 23-14. She followed it with a steal and drove the length of the floor for a layup, and made the free throw for a 26-14 lead.
The Boilermakers had 11 of their 18 steals in the first half.
"I thought we were able to have high energy and self motivation on a defensive end," Curry said. "That turned into easy opportunities on offense. I thought we took them out of their play as individual and as a team."
Lindsey Hicks scored 13, Noon added 12 and Laura Meadows had 10 points for Purdue.
Nine of Purdue's 12 players scored.
"We got a lot of people a lot of time," Komara said. "I think that's important early in the season to get our new players a lot of experience."
Wright said the win showed Purdue could rely on it bench players to maintain a lead.
"We're a great team," she said. "People talk about our lack of depth. We have a lot of depth. Once the stars go out it doesn't mean the game has to slow down. That's a great emphasis for us."
The Boilermakers are 26-1 in home openers and have won 13 straight games at home.