Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Purdue
Wildcats Fall To No. 5 Purdue 80-45
2/15/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 15, 2004
EVANSTON, Ill. - Shereka Wright scored 19 points to lead No. 5 Purdue to an 80-45 win over Northwestern on Sunday for its 12th straight victory. The Wildcats fell to 8-16 overall with the loss.
With the score tied at 16 with 8:54 remaining in the first half, Purdue (21-2, 11-1 Big Ten) went on a 19-5 run to take 35-19 lead into halftime. During the Boilermakers' charge, Wright scored nine of her 13 first-half points on two lay-ups and five free throws.
Northwestern co-captain Samantha McComb scored nine of her team-leading 16 points in the first, including two threes that tied the game at 12 and 16.
Katie Gearlds and Erin Lawless added 13 points apiece for Purdue, which stretched its lead to 70-34 on Wright's two free throws with 4:52 remaining.
Wildcat sophomore Ifeoma Okonkwo added eight for NU and grabbed a game-high nine boards.
The Boilermakers outscored Northwestern 32-14 in the paint, and scored 27 points off of 22 turnovers by Northwestern. The Wildcats, who lead the Big Ten with three pointers per game, scored six in the game. Purdue hit three total.
Sunday's game marked the final time seniors Michelle Zylstra, Suzi Sutton and Kristin Ambrose will play at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Northwestern is on the road for the final games of the 2003-04 season, starting with Thursday's game at Ohio State.
The Associated Press Contributed To This Story
