Nov. 10, 2005
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Another exhibition game, another victory. The Purdue women's basketball team put the finishing touches on its preseason with a 78-37 win over the Hoosier Lady Stars in Mackey Arena on Thursday night. The Boilermakers won their first exhibition contest against OGBM Legends by 42 points on Nov. 4.
Balanced scoring highlighted the victory over the Lady Stars, a team comprised of former Indiana high school standouts who went on to play in college. Ten Boilermakers scored, led by sophomore Natasha Bogdanova's 16 points. Bogdanova also pulled down nine rebounds.
Junior Katie Gearlds scored 13 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field, including 3-of-3 shooting from three-point range. Also perfect from the floor was Gearlds' fellow Indiana Miss Basketball Jodi Howell, who was 3 for 3 overall and 2 for 2 from long range for nine points.
Gearlds, who finished the preseason shooting 10 for 12, complimented her teammates for getting her the ball.
"My team did a real good job of giving me some open looks out there on the perimeter," Gearlds said. "I thought everyone did a real good job of getting everybody the basketball, and that led to some great shots."
Five other Boilermakers scored six or more points in the 41-point victory.
The Hoosier Lady Stars, who previously had suffered a seven-point loss at Indiana and a five-point loss at Butler, never threatened. Leading 8-6 at the 15:37 mark of the first half, Purdue went on a 10-0 run to build a 12-point lead. A free throw by Lady Star Cortney Urquhart trimmed the deficit to 11, but the Boilermakers closed out the period outscoring the Hoosier squad 22-14 for a 19-point halftime lead.
The margin ballooned in the second half, as Purdue took its largest lead - 41 points - on a three-point play by Howell with 8:33 remaining.
Urquhart led the Lady Stars with eight points.
Purdue, which shot 42.1 percent from the field and 63.6 percent from three-point range, put on an impressive show on both ends of the floor. Not only did the Boilermakers shoot well, but they also forced the Lady Stars into 31 turnovers. Purdue collected 22 steals and scored 23 points off the miscues.
Additionally, the Boilermaker defense affected the Lady Stars' shooting; the visitors connected on just 12 of 45 shots (26.7 percent).
The win for Purdue was its 25th straight in a preseason exhibition game, and was the 14th in under seventh-year head coach Kristy Curry.
The Boilermakers will begin the regular season next Friday, Nov. 18, when they play host to Butler in Mackey Arena.
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