March 3, 2002
By DAN GELSTON
Associated Press Writer
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - All Indiana seniors Jill Chapman and Heather Cassady wanted was one more game against Purdue.
The two players most responsible for the Hoosiers' resurgence the past two seasons were winless in nine games against the Boilermakers. They did not waste their final opportunity.
Chapman scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Cassady added 13 points as fifth-seeded Indiana beat No. 7 Purdue 55-41 Sunday and advanced to its first Big Ten tournament championship game.
The Hoosiers (16-13) will face the winner of Sunday's semifinal between second-seeded Penn State and sixth-seeded Wisconsin in the championship game.
"We just wanted one more crack at them and we got our shot," Cassady said. "It's overwhelming. My heart's pounding right now, but we still have another game."
The Boilermakers (23-5) lost for the second straight year as the tournament's first seed. A year ago, they lost to Iowa in the championship game but rebounded to reach the NCAA tournament final.
Both teams struggled from the floor in the first half, with the Hoosiers shooting 32 percent and Purdue 27 percent. Indiana missed its first seven shots and Purdue started 3-for-12. They combined for 11 turnovers in the first 7{ minutes.
The 96 total points set a tournament record for lowest total score.
A layup by Jelena Lazic put the Hoosiers ahead 14-13 with 5:40 to go in the half. Indiana would never trail again.
A 26-21 halftime lead was stretched to 12 3:30 into the second half.
Purdue pulled to 46-36 but a 3-point play by Chapman and two free throws by Jenny DeMuth made it 51-36.
Chapman, who also had five blocked shots, went 6-for-7 from the floor and scored 11 points in the second half. Indiana set a tournament record with 11 blocks.
"We finally started clicking and believing in each other," Chapman said.
The crowd was decidedly in Purdue's favor for most of the game, but only the Hoosiers' fans could be heard at the end.
Indiana fans chanted "Jill! Jill! Jill!" and "Let's Go Red!" as the Hoosiers stormed midcourt and celebrated as if it had already won the tournament.
The Hoosiers won 13 and 10 games in the seniors' first two season. A 20-11 record and an NIT appearance came a year ago. Now, Indiana has won five straight and seven of nine.
The five-game winning streak started the day coach Kathi Bennett was released from the hospital following an auto accident. She coaches with a neck brace and has limited movement.
"It's a huge positive step," Bennett said. "Things are changing, and we're here to stay. This group of seniors did it. What they did is going to have a lasting effect on our program."
Erin McGinnis, another Indiana senior, had nine points and eight rebounds. She said the Boilermakers were overconfident.
"They thought it would be an easy win and thought we could be overlooked," McGinnis said.
Purdue's Shereka Wright shrugged off the comment.
"We take every opponent seriously," she said. "We always respect teams. They came out and played and we didn't."
Purdue never found its shot, shooting a season-low 25 percent and not making its 10th field goal until 7 minutes into the second half. Wright scored 16 points, but no other Boilermaker reached double figures.
The Boilermakers played an uncharacteristically sloppy game. Late in the first half, Kelly Komara stole the ball at midcourt, drove for a pull-up jumper and shot an airball. She added another airball in the second half. Purdue had 15 turnovers and were outrebounded 43-32.
Purdue had won nine straight games against the Hoosiers, with its last loss on Jan. 25, 1998.
The Boilermakers defeated Indiana twice this year, 61-53 in Bloomington and 79-55 in West Lafayette.