Dec. 31, 2009
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - In a game that featured 13 lead changes and three ties, a strong second half propelled Purdue to a 76-66 win over rival Indiana at Mackey Arena on Thursday. The 76 points scored were the most for Boilermakers this season and the most in a contest since scoring 85 against North Carolina in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on March 23, 2009.
The victory in the only meeting between the two schools in the regular season was Purdue's fourth in its last five games, and improved the Boilers to 7-6 for the year and 2-1 in the Big Ten. Indiana lost for just the second time in its last six contests to fall to 8-5 overall and 1-1 in league games.
Highlighted by three players in double figures for the game, the Boilermakers overcame a three-point halftime deficit by outscoring the Hoosiers 41 to 28 in the second half. Purdue shot 43 percent for the field after the break, including 4 of 9 from behind the three-point line, while limiting IU to just 8 of 30 shooting (27 percent).
The second half defensive effort by Purdue cooled off a red-hot Hoosier squad that shot 48 percent from the field in the first half to take a 38-35 lead into halftime.
The Boilers forced Indiana into a season-high 24 turnovers in the game and took advantage with 21 points as a direct result. Three days after committing only 15 giveaways to Minnesota, the Boilermakers turned the ball over a season-low 10 times to Hoosiers on Thursday.
Individually, sophomore Brittany Rayburn led all scorers with 22 points on 7 of 13 shooting. She finished the game with four of Purdue's season high nine three-pointers, and the effort marked her sixth contest of the season with 20 or more points. Rayburn scored Purdue's first 11 points of the game.
Sophomore Chelsea Jones chipped in with Purdue's third double-double of the season, finishing with a career-high 14 points and 11 rebounds. The Fort Smith, Ark., native led the second half surge with with 12 points on three of five shooting from the field and making six of eight free throws in the final 20 minutes.
Senior Jodi Howell added 11 points, including three three-pointers, classmate FahKara Malone finished with nine points, seven assists, three steals and just one turnover in 34 minutes and freshman Sam Ostarello had six points and eight rebounds for the Boilers in the win.
Jori Davis and Aulani Sinclair each finished with 16 points in the losing effort for the Hoosiers.
Purdue will take a break from league play when it hosts third-ranked Notre Dame on January 4. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Mackey Arena and the game will be shown live on ESPN2.