Purdue Drubs U-Dub
Midwest
There was Stephanie White, making a 3-pointer. There was Ukari Figgs, hitting a breakaway layup. And there was Washington, powerless to stop either of them.
White scored 30 points and Figgs added 29 Saturday as fourth-seeded Purdue defeated No. 13 seed Washington 88-71 in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament in West Lafayette, Ind.
“Figgs and White were awfully tough,” Washington coach June Daughtery said. “When you get one contained, the other one just lights you up.”
The Boilermakers (21-9) will play 12th-seeded Colorado State (24-5) in the second round of the Midwest Regional on Monday night.
Jamie Redd led Washington (18-10) with 30 points. Amber Hall had 18 and LeAnn Sheets added 10 for the Huskies, who grabbed 26 offensive rebounds.
The Boilermakers made 39 of 43 free throws, an NCAA Tournament record.
“We just really, as a team, shot free throws very well,” coach Carolyn Peck said. “And that’s an aspect of our game that we work hard at. Fortunately, they were falling. It could have been a different story if they weren’t.”
Purdue led by as many as 13 points in the first half, but Redd tied it at 38 on a rebound goal 4 minutes into the second half. A timeout was called, and whatever Peck said worked.
“We started playing a little tentative when they started making a comeback,” White said. “Teams start to make a comeback and we’re thinking about it when we’re shooting.”
So the Boilermakers quit thinking and started shooting. Michelle Duhart’s rebound goal started a 14-5 run that gave Purdue the lead for good. White and Figgs each scored five points during the spurt, including a 3-pointer by White that brought the Mackey Arena crowd to its feet.
Redd finally ended the run with a jumper that cut the lead to 52-45 with 11:08 left, but Washington got no closer the rest of the game.
Not even the Huskies’ advantage on the offensive boards helped.
“We knew the reason they’d come back on us in the first half was because of their second chances,” Figgs said. “We wanted to cut those down and we thought we might be able to pull away.”
Colorado St. 81, Drake 75
Becky Hammon scored 33 points and Katie Cronin added 22 as the 12th-seeded Rams (24-5) upset the fifth-seeded Bulldogs (25-5) in the other game at West Lafayette.
It was only the second loss in 25 games for the Bulldogs, who took a 10-game winning streak into the tournament.
Drake cut Colorado State’s lead to 75-73 with 3-pointers from Kristin Santa and Kiersten Miller, but the Rams made 6 of 8 free throws to seal the victory.
Haley Sames and Keisha Cox led Drake with 15 points each.
Clemson 60, Miami 49
Itoro Umoh scored 15 points to lead the Tigers past the Hurricanes in Ruston, La.
The Tigers took the lead early in the game and didn’t trail again, as both teams shot poorly, Clemson at 32 percent and Miami at 26 percent.
Miami managed to stay close over the second half, hitting two 3-point baskets and sinking free throws. The Hurricanes cut Clemson’s lead to 40-38 on Cassaundra Wimes’ rebound that she took downcourt to score with 9:59 left.
McChelle Murray hit a 3-pointer with 7:21 left that cut Clemson’s lead to 46-45.
But two straight baskets by Nikki Blassingame gave Clemson a 50-45 with 5:41 left, and Miami didn’t threaten again.
Louisiana Tech 86, Holy Cross 58
Alisa Burras had 29 points and 13 rebounds as the Techsters whipped the Crusaders in the other game at Ruston.
Louisiana Tech (27-3), the No. 3 seed, had no trouble with smaller Holy Cross (21-9). The 14th-seeded Crusaders managed one lead early in the game, then scrambled for points the rest of the way.
It was the third time in the last four years Holy Cross made the NCAA Tournament. Louisiana Tech has made every tournament since it began.
LaQuan Stallworth had 25 points for Louisiana Tech.
The victory stretched Louisiana Tech’s home winning streak to 51 games.
Tech will play Clemson Monday.