Blue Demons Fall to No. 7 Purdue
12/17/2001 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
CHICAGO - In their bid to knock off a top 10 opponent for the first time in five years, the DePaul (6-4) women's basketball team lost, 63-61, to visiting No. 7 Purdue (9-1) at the DePaul Athletic Center. All-American candidate Lenae Williams scored a game-high 28 points while Sarah Kustok added 15 for the Blue Demons.
In a back-and-forth first half that saw seven lead changes, the Blue Demons went into the lockerroom with a 30-22 advantage. The largest lead of the first stanza was nine points by DePaul at 25-16 on a Kustok layup with 3:56 left in the half. She led the Blue Demons with 13 points in the first half while Williams chipped in 12.
The Boilermakers started the second half with a 19-8 run to take a 41-38 lead with just over 13 minutes left in the game. DePaul retook the lead and held it until Shereka Wright's layup with 5:11 remaining gave Purdue a 54-53 advantage. The Boilermakers wouldn't relinquish the lead from that point while Wright finished the game with 21 points and nine rebounds.
With the Boilermakers leading by five, DePaul's Laura Sobieszczyk made one of two free throws to trim the deficit to 63-59. After Kelly Komara was fouled and missed a free throw, Jamie Smith's follow up layup of a missed Kustok three-pointer made the game 63-61 with just three seconds left. DePaul fouled Wright, who missed the front end of a one-and-one, but Williams was unable to get a final shot off from half court.
For the fifth time in the last six games, Williams tallied at least 25 points while grabbing six rebounds. Smith pulled down a team-high seven rebounds with four blocked shots while Lindsay Forsberg added seven points and a game-high six assists.
Up next for the Blue Demons is No. 2 Tennessee on Wednesday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at the DePaul Athletic Center. With less than 500 tickets remaining, fans are encouraged to contact the DePaul Ticket Office for information at (773) 325-SLAM.