Dec 8, 2001
By DAN GELSTON
Associated Press Writer
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue's Mary Jo Noon was worried about a letdown against North Texas after beating defending national champion Notre Dame.
The canter's fears were unfounded.
Noon scored a career-high 23 points, and Shereka Wright had 21 points and 13 rebounds as No. 7 Purdue won its seventh straight game, 82-50 over North Texas on Saturday night.
Noon topped her previous best of 21 set against Notre Dame. She was only averaging 7.7 points before the last two games, but hopes she has set a new standard for herself.
"I just need to keep it up," she said. "You aim for consistency. That's what I'm going to strive for in the nonconference season and hopefully into the conference."
The Boilermakers (7-1) built a 42-21 halftime lead in familiar fashion. They made 13 more free throws and grabbed eight more rebounds than North Texas. They also held the Eagles to just 23 percent shooting from the floor in the half.
Purdue, coming off a 13-point victory against the Irish on Thursday, built the lead to 51-25 early in the second after a 3-pointer by Erika Valek and consecutive baskets by Noon.
Purdue coach Kristy Curry said she expects Noon to continue her strong play. In the last two games, Noon is 16-for-25 with 18 rebounds and four blocks.
"It has to do a lot for her confidence," she said. "We always want to go inside. I thought her teammates did a nice job of putting her in position. I always have the confidence in her. Obviously her teammates need to throw her the basketball. When she's hitting, we're doing a good job."
The Eagles (5-4) scored five straight points to make it 51-29, but Wright converted a 3-point play to start an 18-8 run. Wright finished 11-for-12 from the line.
Shannan Stephenson scored 16, and Jalie Mitchell added 14 for the Eagles.
Emily Heikes added 10 points, and Kelly Komara had eight assists for Purdue. Komara wowed the crowd on a fast break with an over-the-shouler, no-look pass to Wright for a layup.
Purdue outrebounded the Eagles 42-38 and made 9 of 14 free throws. The Eagles shot only 27 percent.
"We certainly didn't shoot the ball like we're capable of," North Texas coach Tina Slinker said. "We're kind of a team that if we hit our shots, we're a pretty good team. But if we're not hitting them, we're not doing a very good job with execution."
North Texas trailed 18-9 in the first half after an Angel Lewis 3-pointer, but Laura Meadows answered with a 3-pointer to start a 19-6 run.
After dropping their season opener to No. 3 Oklahoma, the Boilermakers have won seven straight by an average of nearly 24 points.