Feb. 13, 2005
MINNEAPOLIS - Shannon Schonrock hit all four of her 3-pointers to help No. 12 Minnesota bounce back from a demoralizing loss and beat Purdue 71-49 on Sunday.
Schonrock got going when she hit a 3-pointer from the corner and was fouled by Brina Pollack. She converted the rare four-point play to give the Gophers a 13-4 lead with under 9 minutes to go in the first half, and the rout was on.
Schonrock finished with 13 points. Shannon Bolden chipped in 10 points for Minnesota (19-5, 9-3 Big Ten) and played her usual stellar defense on Purdue guard Katie Gearlds, who managed just seven points on 3-of-9 shooting.
Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton had 13 points and six rebounds to lead Purdue (13-10, 6-6).
After shooting 0-for-17 from 3-point range in a 31-point home loss to ninth-ranked Michigan State on Thursday, the Gophers came out determined to take the ball to the basket on Sunday.
They opened a quick 8-2 lead on four drives to the basket and used a much improved defensive effort to fluster the Boilermakers.
Purdue turned the ball over 10 times in their first 13 possessions, including three traveling violations and a double dribble. The Boilermakers didn't crack double digits until 14 minutes had passed in the first half, and committed 24 turnovers in the game.
Minnesota's aggressive play on offense eventually opened things up on the perimeter for Schonrock.
Reduced to tears over her 0-for-7 shooting from behind the arc against Michigan State, Schonrock was all smiles against the Boilermakers.
She buried all three of her 3-pointers in the first half, including the four-point play, to lead the Gophers to a 36-18 lead at halftime.
It was a familiar sight for the Boilermakers, who watched Schonrock score a career-high 25 points and seven 3-pointers in a 20-point loss in West Lafayette, Ind., on Jan. 13.
Once again, Purdue couldn't keep up with the sharp-shooting point guard.
The Boilermakers shot just 33 percent and committed 15 turnovers in the first half to dig a big hole.
Compounding Purdue's problems, leading scorer Erin Lawless came up limping after a fall midway through the first half and scored just 11 points.
The Boilermakers were able to close the gap with an 11-3 run midway through the second half. Wisdom-Hylton capped the spurt with a layup that made the score 49-33.
But the Gophers came right back with six straight points, four by Janel McCarville, to push the lead back to a comfortable 22 points.
McCarville had eight points, 12 rebounds and seven assists.
JON KRAWCZYNSKI
AP Sports Writer