Purdue spoils Hoosiers' hopes

WEST LAFAYETTE -- A week ago Thursday, the women's basketball team was experiencing success against a ranked team. Sunday, the Hoosiers were controlling the floor against Michigan State.\nA week ago Thursday, No. 7 Purdue was experiencing its first Big Ten loss of the season. Sunday, the Boilermakers escaped a loss at the hands of another red and white team, Ohio State.\nBut either IU was sick of winning, or Purdue was sick of close games. Both remedied those problems Thursday before a crowd of 10,207 in Mackey Arena. Purdue pummeled IU 87-46.\nThat was the largest margin by which the Boilermakers had beaten a team this season.\n"Purdue made us feel so uncomfortable," coach Kathi Bennett said. "It had everything to do with them and a lot to do with us." \nIn the first half, the Hoosiers managed to grab more rebounds and rack up more fouls. But the real separation between the two stood at the free throw line.\nThe Hoosiers had nine fouls in the first half, giving the Boilermakers 13 looks from the free throw line. Purdue (23-4, 13-1 Big Ten) shot 92 percent.\nIU (16-8, 7-6 Big Ten) made it to the free-throw line only once in the first half. Junior center Jill Chapman was fouled early in the first half. She missed her first shot.\nBut perhaps the most surprising part of the evening was the silence of junior guard Heather Cassady. She had three attempts from beyond the arc, but missed them all, including an air ball. From then on out, the crowd gave her a new adopted nickname.\nThe chants of "air ball" didn't even give Cassady a boost to quiet the crowd. She went into the locker room at halftime 1-of-6 from the field. \n"We were just trying to get a shot at the basket," Bennett said. "We were rushed and hurried and out of sync."\nThe Hoosiers started the game by grabbing an early six-point lead, but Purdue would tie the game only a minute after. This was the last time the two teams would be tied, and the last time IU saw anything that even resembled a lead.\nPurdue built a lead on several different runs, including a 10-0 run to give the Boilermakers a 16-point lead.\n"We just had way too many turnovers," Cassady said. "We weren't tough with the ball, and that affected us."\nFouls again hurt IU's big players. Chapman picked up her first foul with 13 mintues left in the first half. She was pulled out, but within a minute of her return with nine minutes left, she fouled again. \nNear the end of the half, the Hoosiers went on a drive of their own, going 4-2 and closing the gap to eight.\nBut the second half was all Boilers.\n"To give up 53 points in the second half, says that you're not playing hard enough," Bennett said. "We're not scrambling or playing hard, and that's something this team needs to do."\nWith the game securely put away, Komara added insult to injury by making two final free throws with eight seconds left in the game.\nKomara ended the game with nine, but the real star of the night was senior center Camille Cooper, who ended with 25 points and three blocked shots. \nOnly one player for the Hoosiers scored in double digits, and that was freshman guard Anna Waugh. Combined, Cassady and Chapman had 12 points. IU ended with 26 turnovers.\n"We have three games left, and we certainly have to bounce back," Bennett said. "We have to have a win against Illinois and Michigan for a chance to get into postseason"