Dec 17, 2001
CHICAGO (AP) - Shereka Wright scored 21 points to lead No. 7 Purdue to its ninth straight victory, 63-61 over DePaul on Monday night.
DePaul's Lenae Williams scored 28 points but she committed a late turnover and had her desperation shot blocked at the buzzer.
Wright was 8-of-16 from the field after starting slowly, and she battled foul trouble in the second half. Laura Meadows had 14 points for Purdue, while Kelly Komara added 11.
Purdue (9-1) lost its opener to then-No. 4 Oklahoma but has come back with wins over No. 18 LSU, defending national champion Notre Dame and a scrappy DePaul team, which was 16-2 at the DePaul Athletic Center entering Monday's game.
Sarah Kustok scored 15 points for DePaul (6-4).
DePaul went on a 14-2 run to take a 25-16 lead midway through the first half, with the Blue Demons holding Purdue to one field goal over a 10-minute stretch.
The Boilermakers got within 26-20 late in the half but couldn't take full advantage of three straight DePaul turnovers. Jamie Smith made a layup on a pass from Williams, and Williams ended the half with a quick jumper to give DePaul a 30-22 lead.
Purdue was quick to close the gap as the second half began, with Komara and Meadows combining for eight points, but Williams converted a three-point play and hit a 3-pointer to keep DePaul up by eight.
Wright then keyed an 11-0 Purdue run with two layups and a 3 to give the Boilermakers a 41-38 lead with 13 minutes to go.
But Wright picked up her fourth foul and went to the bench with 12:24 left, and the Blue Demons went ahead.
Forsberg hit a 3, Khara Smith hustled for a layup and Williams made two free throws to give DePaul a 48-45 lead with a little less than 10 minutes left.
Wright returned at the 7:12 mark and soon got the lead back for Purdue with a three-point play and a layup, making it 54-53.
Emily Heikes had a putback with 2:35 left to put Purdue up 60-55, but Williams hit another 3.
Purdue missed on its next two trips, but Forsberg missed a 3, and Williams fumbled away the ball, creating a three-point play for Wright to make it 63-58.
A free throw and a putback by Jamie Smith made it 63-61 with 3 seconds to go. After Wright missed the front end of a 1-and-1, Williams had her final shot blocked at midcourt.