Dec. 12, 2004
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - Erin Lawless scored a career-high 26 points and grabbed seven rebounds and No. 21 Purdue beat Western Michigan 74-42 on Sunday.
Katie Gearlds and Aya Traore each scored 13 points for the Boilermakers (6-2), who improved to 5-0 all-time against the Broncos and won their 17th straight game against teams from the Mid-American Conference.
Kelly Koerber had 15 points and Carrie Moore added 12 points and 11 rebounds to lead Western Michigan (0-5), which stayed with the Boilermakers for most of the first half before Purdue pulled away.
Purdue had 10 blocked shots and 17 steals, while the Broncos finished with 24 turnovers.
During a sloppy first half by both teams, the Broncos looked like they were ready to give Purdue a scare. Western Michigan took its biggest lead following an 8-0 run, which was capped by Moore's layup with 13:30 left that gave the Broncos a 15-9 lead.
The Boilermakers responded with a 6-0 spurt of their own to tie the game, and then Purdue's defense took over. The Boilermakers scored nine straight points near the end of the half, holding the Broncos without a basket for almost 5 minutes while taking a 30-21 lead.
Purdue came out strong in the second half and quickly built its lead to 38-25 following five straight points from the 6-foot-2 Lawless. Her second basket was a three-point play after a steal on defense and an assist from Emily Heikes on the fastbreak.
Purdue opened a 43-28 lead minutes later after a Gearlds' 3-pointer and a free throw by Heikes with 14:14 left.