Dec. 18, 2010
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - A 14-3 Purdue run early in the first half put the Auburn women's basketball team (4-6) in a hole it could not dig out of as Purdue (6-3) went on to win the Boilermaker Blockbuster, 76-56, Saturday at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.
Senior Alli Smalley led the Tigers with 18 points, followed by Blanche Alverson with 10. Freshman Jassany Williams led the team in rebounding with five while also collecting a blocked shot and a pair of steals.
The Boilermakers shot 50.0 percent from the field and out-rebounded Auburn, 42-33. The Tigers shot just 30.6 percent from the field, but were able to force 19 Purdue turnovers, turning them into 17 points on the other end.
"It has been a tough time for us the last several games shooting the ball, we just have not shot the ball well," said Auburn head coach Nell Fortner. "If you are not going to put points on the board, it hurts your confidence a bit. We played good enough defense in the first half to give us that kind of confidence, but we have to do a better job there."
Along with the rebounding deficit, Auburn was out-scored in the paint 34-18. The Boilermakers also scored 11 second-chance points.
"We are struggling to score the ball in the paint, we have looks right at the basket and have a hard time finishing shots," said Fortner. "We didn't hit the boards nearly as hard in the second half as we did in the first half and it makes a big difference in the game."
Purdue's early 14-3 run gave the Boilermakers an 11-point advantage halfway through the first half. Auburn cut the lead to five with 4:28 remaining after a pair of Smalley free throws, but Purdue closed out the period on an 8-2 run for a 40-29 halftime lead.
That would be the closest the Tigers would get as Purdue continued its run in the second half. The Boilermakers led by as many as 25 late in the game, but Auburn scored the final five points to cut it to 76-56 at the buzzer.
Brittany Rayburn led Purdue with 25 points, followed by Alex Guyton with 14 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Courtney Moses also scored in double figures for the Boilermakers with 12.
Auburn will return to action Saturday with a 1 p.m. CT game at Chicago State. Tiger fans can listen to the game live on WMXA 96.7 FM with play-by-play from Andy Burcham and color commentary from Arnika Edwards. A live audio Webcast will also be available at AuburnTigers.com.