March 23, 2004
Final Stats
By CHUCK SCHOFFNER
AP Sports Writer
AMES, Iowa - Shereka Wright scored 19 points and Purdue dominated the second half after a slow start, beating Villanova 60-42 Tuesday night to advance to the West Regional in the NCAA women's basketball tournament.
The second-seeded Boilermakers (29-3) outscored Villanova 37-14 in the final period and moved into the round of 16 for the third time in four years. They'll play third-seeded Georgia (24-9) in the regional semifinals in Seattle on Saturday.
Wright, named a second-team All-American earlier in the day, bounced back from a 1-for-7 start to score 15 points in the second half. Freshman Katie Gearlds added 13 points and hit two key shots to revive the Boilermakers when they were struggling in the first half.
Seventh-seeded Villanova (23-7) led by as many as eight in the first half, but was done in by a 13-0 run that gave Purdue a 44-33 lead midway through the second half. Villanova's deliberate offense is not made for coming from behind and the Wildcats never threatened again in this one.
The made just 5 of 22 shots in the second half and finished the game at 34.7 percent. Liad Suez led the Wildcats with 12 points and Jackie Adamshick scored 11.
Villanova led 28-23 at halftime and was ahead for the final time at 33-31 on a 3-pointer by Suez with 16:06 left. The Wildcats would not score again for more than six minutes and Purdue took control, starting its decisive run while Wright was on the bench.
Erika Valek got it going with a pull-up jumper, Gearlds contributed a pair of jumpers and Wright returned to sink two free throws and convert a three-point play off a layup to cap the burst.
After Adamshick scored on a drive, Purdue came back with 10 straight points to put it out of reach at 53-35 with 4:06 remaining.
Purdue managed to stay close in the first half despite missing shot after shot and going nearly six minutes without a point.
The Wildcats, meanwhile, ran their patterns perfectly during that stretch and scored 10 straight points, mostly by beating their defenders off the dribble.
Courtney Mix scored on a drive, Adamshick hit a fadeaway from the right block and then drove for a layup, Jennifer Hilgenberg made a fadeaway from the right side and Suez drove for a basket to finish the run, making it 24-16.
Gearlds' 3 from the right corner ended Purdue's drought, and two late baskets, a turnaround by Gearlds and a leaner by Erin Lawless, helped the Boilermakers get to within five at the half.
