March 19, 2006
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - Aya Traore had 20 points and a career-high 11 rebounds and Erin Lawless scored a season-best 19 points to help Purdue beat Missouri State 73-52 in the first round of the NCAA women's tournament on Sunday.
Missouri State guard Kari Koch entered the game averaging 20.5 points, but was held to 11 on 5-for-17 shooting. She made a layup in the last two minutes to avoid her second single-digit scoring game of the season. Sarah Klaassen added 10 points for the Lady Bears.
Fourth-seeded Purdue (25-6) trailed by 10 points in the first half, but the Boilermakers led by as many as 23 in the second. Purdue advanced to play the winner of the Bowling Green-UCLA game in the second round of the Cleveland Regional on Tuesday.
Missouri State (17-15) had a losing record before winning four straight in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament on their home court, but the 13th-seeded Lady Bears couldn't overcome Purdue's athleticism and depth. Purdue outrebounded the Lady Bears 25-11 in the second half.
The Boilermakers held Missouri State to 32 shooting, including 28 percent shooting in the second half.
Missouri State freshman Kayli Combs opened the game with two 3-pointers to give the Lady Bears a quick 6-0 lead.
Missouri State extended that lead to 22-12 before the Boilermakers went on a 14-2 run that forced the Lady Bears to call timeout. Purdue took its first lead on a 3-pointer by Jodi Howell with 5:03 left in the first half and never trailed again.
Katie Gearlds, Purdue's leading scorer, didn't score until she drained a mid-range jumper with 6:40 left in the first half. She finished with 13 points and four rebounds.
Purdue led 32-27 at halftime. The Boilermakers allowed just three field goals the last 10:22 of the first half and held Koch to 3-for-10 shooting before the break.
Missouri State cut Purdue's lead to 32-31 in the opening minutes of the second half, but Purdue responded with a 7-0 run that included five points from Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton.
Purdue won the only previous meeting between the schools, 81-64 in the 2001 national semifinals when Missouri State was still called Southwest Missouri State.