Junior April Wilson matched career-highs with nine assists and three steals in addition to 13 points on Friday night.
FREEPORT, Bahamas - The Purdue women's basketball team opened the 2014 Junkanoo Jam on Friday with a 69-53 victory over Texas Tech at Saint Georges High School on the island of Grand Bahamas. The Boilermakers posted another balanced scoring attack, led by junior April Wilson who finished with season-highs of 13 points, nine assists and three steals.
Joining Wilson in double figures were seniors Whitney Bays and Liza Clemons with 12 points apiece and fellow junior Hayden Hamby with 10 points. Bays posted her second double-double of the season, adding 12 rebounds and matched her career-high with four steals as well. Wilson's nine assists matched her career-high and came alongside zero turnovers in 29 minutes on the floor.
The Boilermakers got off to a fast start, scoring the first eight points of the game and running out to a 15-6 lead over the first seven minutes. Bays did the bulk of her damage in the stretch, scoring six quick points, while Wilson assisted on three of the first six buckets. The Lady Raiders hung tight for a few more minutes, but it was Hamby's turn to heat up at the 9:30-mark as she accounted for an entire 12-0 run over the next three minutes. Hamby scored all 10 of her points in the stretch and fed Clemons for a layup inside for the other two.
Texas Tech countered with an 11-0 run, but the Boilermakers righted the ship before the half, taking a 38-26 lead into the locker rooms. Purdue scored 17 points off turnovers in the opening frame and outscored the Lady Raiders in the paint, 16-6.
Texas Tech got the first bucket of the second half, but sophomore Ashley Morrisette sparked another Purdue run as they scored the next nine points on a bucket and two assists from her to lead 47-28. The Boilermakers would hardly look back the rest of the way as the Lady Raiders got no closer than 15 down the stretch.
Purdue connected on 48.1 percent of its field goal attempts for the game, including a 12-for-23 performance in the second half. The Boilermakers finished with 21 assists on 26 field goals, while committing just 14 turnovers and grabbing 12 steals from Texas Tech.
With the win, Purdue advanced to the finals of the Freeport Division, where they'll face George Washington University tomorrow at 3:15 p.m. (ET). The Colonials defeated North Carolina State on the other side of the bracket, 74-66, to move to 4-2 on the year.
SATURDAY PREVIEW
| GAME 5: PURDUE (3-1) vs. George Washington (4-2) | |
| When | Saturday, November 29, 2014 | 3:15 p.m. (ET) |
| Location | Freeport, Bahamas | St. George High School | 2014 Junkanoo Jam |
| Tickets | Buy Online |
| Watch Online | Webcast at JunkanooJam.com  |
| Listen | WBPE 95.3 (BOB-FM)  | Purdue All-Access (Kylann Scheidt) |
| Friday Box Scores | Purdue 69, Texas Tech 53 | George Washington 74, NC State 66 |
| Season Statistics | Purdue | George Washington |
| Pregame Media | Player Interviews | Head Coach Interview |
| Social Media | @PurdueWBB  | @CoachVersyp | Facebook  | Instragram | #BoilerUp |