Purdue rolls by Illinois
Purdue left for Illinois feeling like it was hitting its stride.
Nothing that happen Sunday did anything to dissuade the Boilermakers of that opinion.
In beating Illinois 73-54 in Champaign, Purdue won its sixth game in the last seven outings, continuing a strong push toward the postseason. And this one wasn't in doubt, as Purdue (15-8 overall, 7-3 in the Big Ten) never trailed, using a 14-0 first-quarter run to gain separation, then a strong second half to run away.
"Our team is just playing really good basketball right now," Coach Sharon Versyp said on her post-game radio interview.
With three minutes left, Purdue had put Illinois down, when a 10-0 run pushed the Boilermakers up by a game-high 25, all but ending a game they never trailed.
But winless Illinois (9-16, 0-11), which has lost 22 straight Big Ten games, did threaten, if only for a moment. A minute into the second half, the Illini had battled back — Purdue was up by 17 in the second quarter — to within six, 31-25. But an Ae'Rianna Harris layup, then an Dominique Oden jumper pushed the advantage back to 10 90 seconds later. The Boilermakers stretched it to 17 again on an Andreona Keys layup, the last of Purdue's seven straight made baskets, with six seconds left in the third quarter.
It had been the same margin midway though the second quarter, following a three-pointer by Oden then a three-point play by Harris. That came after a 14-0 run that ended the first quarter, in which the Fighting Illini didn't score for the final 4:16, turing an 8-all tie into a double-digit Boilermaker edge.
Purdue, which shot nearly 52 percent, including 64 percent in the second half, had three reach double-figures, led by Oden, who continues her solid string. The sophomore poured in 22 points, doing so on only 13 field goal attempts. Keys had 21, with five assists, and McLaughlin added 12 with five rebounds.
"I thought 'Nique and Keys were the glue to our team on the offensive end," Versyp said. "... (Karissa) has been really, really steady for us. She's been our playmaker."
Harris was contained offensively, with only three points on three field goal attempts, but had eight rebounds, three blocks and three steals.
Illinois shot less than 37 percent, with 16 turnovers, being led by Alex Wittinger, who scored 20.
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