Feb 10, 2002
By DAN GELSTON
Associated Press Writer
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - Shereka Wright took an elbow to the eye late in the first half that briefly knocked her out of the game. Then she opened the second half with a basket that sent Indiana toward another loss.
Wright scored 21 points and Mary Jo Noon added 20 as No. 7 Purdue beat Indiana 79-55 Sunday.
The Boilermakers (20-3, 11-2 Big Ten) led by five with three minutes left in the first half before going on a 19-6 run that extended into the second. Wright took an elbow in the eye with 40 seconds left in the first, knocking her to ground where she grasped her face in pain. She had to be helped off the court and had ice applied to her face.
Purdue coach Kristy Curry wanted to be sure her leading scorer still had confidence to go inside, so she called the first play of the second half for Wright.
Wright scored a layup as Purdue scored 12 of the first 14 points to put the Hoosiers away.
Wright said she wasn't allowed back in the game until she passed some tests, including a math problem that gave her more problems than the Hoosiers.
"It was 100 minus seven, minus another seven, minus another seven, minus another seven. I got lost at 86," she said. "I was surprised she wanted me to go first with it because I thought I'd get hit again."
Erasing that fear was the reason Curry did call for the play to go through Wright.
"I felt like we could get her some confidence early, even though she was hurting a little bit and scared of what was going on inside her head," Curry said. "We were able to do that and then we went right back out at Mary Jo."
The lead dipped to 12 but Kelly Komara's three-point play capped a 20-7 run that made it 72-47. Komara had 12 points.
Erin McGinnis led the Hoosiers (11-13, 5-8) with 15 points.
Jill Chapman, who leads the Big Ten in rebounding and blocked shots and is seventh in scoring, was a non-factor after picking up three first-half fouls. She fouled out with 4:03 remaining, scoring four points and grabbing two rebounds.
"It's mental," Chapman said. "That took me out of it and I didn't step it up."
Noon taking Chapman out of Indiana's offensive scheme was part of the game plan.
"We wanted to limit her touches, so when she got into foul trouble it was great," she said. "When she got those three fouls we focused on taking it to her and see if she could pick up those fourth and fifth fouls and we did that."
The Boilermakers shot only 36 percent in the first half but led 40-31. They made 17 of their 20 free throws while the Hoosiers went to line only nine times in the half.
The Boilermakers extended their record home-court winning streak to 24 games.
"I thought our second half energy and effort was what we looking for initially," Curry said. "I thought we found it in the first five minutes of the half."
Associate head coach Trish Betthauser coached the Hoosiers. Head coach Kathi Bennett remained in stable condition at Bloomington Hospital after she was involved in an auto accident on her way to Assembly Hall on Friday.
"It was a tough week," Betthauser said. "I think that our team did an exceptional job dealing with what they've been dealt with."
The Hoosiers visited Bennett on Friday afternoon. Chapman said it was tough to see their coach in the hospital but were encouraged that she could talk and have limited movement.
Bennett broke the second vertebra in her neck and will wear a halo to stabilize her neck for 6-to-8 weeks. Doctors said she could be walking by Sunday night and she should have a 98 percent recovery.