The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
12-2
Purdue
9-5
Women's Basketball falls to Purdue, 66-55
01.05.2009 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 5, 2009
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) -- Purdue finally got one.
The Boilermakers had lost all three of their games against ranked teams this season, dropped out of the Top 25 last month and were in danger of ending their non-conference slate without a signature win. This time, freshman guard Brittany Rayburn scored 19 points, and Purdue beat No. 8 Texas 66-55 on Monday night.
Purdue coach Sharon Versyp said the victory over a top Big 12 team could improve her team's NCAA tournament hopes, assuming the Boilermakers carry the momentum into the rest of their Big Ten schedule.
"Obviously, this helps our resume," Versyp said. "This was one of the games that we needed to get to get back in the hunt for that. We've lost some games that we shouldn't have, so hopefully this one will help."
Danielle Campbell had 16 points and 11 rebounds, Lakisha Freeman scored 12 points and Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton had 10 points and nine rebounds for the Boilermakers (9-5).
Erika Arriaran scored 14 points and Brittainey Raven added 13 for Texas (12-2), which has lost two of three.
Purdue was coming off an overtime loss to Michigan State during which it lost starting point guard FahKara Malone for 4-to-6 weeks with a dislocated right ring finger. Rayburn and Lauren Mioton stepped in and committed just 15 turnovers against a team that had been forcing 20 per game.
Texas coach Gail Goestenkors said Purdue responded well.
"We talked about the fact that they had lost one of their soldiers," Goestenkors said. "When a team loses a soldier, if they're a good team and they've got a lot of pride, and I know Purdue is both, they're going to come out fighting and they're going to come out and play for their teammate."
In its previous three games against ranked teams, Purdue lost to Stanford in overtime and dropped significant leads against Notre Dame and Maryland. In Monday's game, Purdue never led by fewer than nine points in the second half.
"We knew it was important to come out and jump on them quick and get the game going," Campbell said. "Once we got them down, we didn't want them to come back. We knew we had to press on and not let them up for air."
Texas dropped four spots in the Top 25 on Monday following its loss at San Diego State on Dec. 30.
"We haven't had a lot of intensity in practice, and we haven't been competing the way we should have, and it showed in the game today," Raven said.
Purdue jumped out to a quick 18-8 lead. Rayburn made back-to-back 3-pointers that increased the Boilermakers' lead to 24-8.
Purdue kept the pressure on. Rayburn got a steal, then drove to the basket with only Carla Cortijo in front of her. Rayburn spun nearly 360 degrees to avoid Cortijo, then banked a shot in to give Purdue a 30-10 lead. Rayburn had 10 points and three steals at halftime to help the Boilermakers take a 36-19 lead.
Texas climbed back into the game on back-to-back 3-pointers by Arriaran and Kathleen Nash which cut Purdue's lead to 45-34 with just under 12 minutes to play.
Another set of back-to-back threes, this time both from Raven, trimmed Purdue's lead to 51-42 with nine minutes left.
Neither team made a field goal for nearly four minutes until Rayburn made a 3-pointer with 5:24 left to put the Boilermakers up 56-42.
Goestenkors said Rayburn was a difference-maker.
"She's very versatile," she said. "She can shoot that three, and it's a quick release that she's got on the shot, but she can also take it to the basket. Brittany just does a good job of reading the defense very, very well. She didn't force any shots, took what the defense gave her, and her teammates found her."
Versyp was proud of her team.
"We were hoping we could step up after FahKara's injury and play very well," she said. "Win or lose, we just wanted build some confidence going into the Big Ten season. We had a great opportunity, nothing to lose tonight."
POSTGAME NOTES
TEAM
- Texas fell to 2-3 all-time against Purdue and 0-3 in Mackey Arena.
- The Longhorns shot 80 percent or better from the free-throw line for the fifth straight game (6-of-7).
- Texas shot 40 percent or better from the three-point line for the eighth time this season (9-of-20; .450).
- UT outrebounded its opponent for the 11th time this season and for the third time in its last five games (34-33).
- UT shot a season-low 33.9 percent from the field (20-of-59).
- Purdue shot .457 from the field (21-of-46), marking a high by a Texas opponent this season…Texas has shot better than its opponent in 10 contests.
- Purdue began a 28-6 run at the 16:46 mark in the first half to build a 34-11 lead with 5:39 left in the period for its largest lead of the game.
- Texas held Purdue to zero field goals for 5 minutes, 40 seconds in the first half (7:36-1:56).
- Purdue held Texas to zero field goals for 6 minutes, three seconds in the second half (9:34-3:31).
- Texas' most significant run of the game was a 23-13 rally that spanned from 19:27 to 6:54 in the second half.
- Texas' 23-point deficit at the 5:39 mark in the first half was its largest of the season.
- Texas' trailed for the first time this season at the half, 36-19.
- UT cut Purdue's lead to nine points, 51-42, at the 9:34 mark in the second half with back-to-back three-point baskets by Brittainey Raven.
- The attendance figure of 8,525 was the second-largest the Longhorns have seen this season…Texas' home crowd on Dec. 14 against Tennessee was 8,567.
Erika Arriaran
- Scored a team-high 14 points (5-of-9 FG, 4-of-6 3FG) to lead Texas in scoring for the third time this season and 14th time in her career.
- Reached double-figure scoring for the eighth time this season and 35th time in career…also for the second straight game.
- Notched a season-high four three pointers.
Brittainey Raven
- Recorded 13 points (4-of-12 FG, 3-of-8 3FG, 2-of-2 FT)…now needs just eight points to become the 33rd player in Texas history to reach the 1,000 points milestone.
- Reached double-figure scoring for the 10th time this season and 53rd time in her career…also for the second straight game.
- Notched a season-high three three pointers.
Kathleen Nash
- Recorded a team-high nine rebounds.
- Led UT in rebounding for the fifth time this season and 17th time in her career.
Ashley Lindsey
- Has recorded at least one block in each of the last 11 games…finished the night with two blocks.
