Hoosiers upset No. 10 Purdue in overtime

WEST LAFAYETTE -- With less than 10 seconds remaining in regulation Sunday, Purdue had victory in its grasp. Seconds later, IU senior guard Cyndi Valentin yanked it away.\nValentin knocked down a 3-pointer with five seconds left in regulation to force overtime. She rose to the occasion again in the extra session, connecting on a pair of free throws with three seconds to go to give IU (15-10, 9-5) a 63-61 upset of No. 10 Purdue at Mackey Arena.\nFor the third straight time, the in-state rivals needed an extra period to decide the outcome of the game. And for the first time, the Hoosiers were victorious -- snapping a five-game losing streak to the Boilermakers (21-4, 12-2) and knocking them out of first place in the Big Ten.\n"This is a big win for us," Valentin said. "We have come so close in the past, but were never able to finish. This was the first time for me beating Purdue, and it feels awesome."\nThe Hoosiers took the lead late in regulation after a three by Valentin put them up 50-47. Purdue responded with a 9-5 run that seemed to seal the game. However, with less than 10 seconds remaining and IU down by three, Valentin connected on a running 3-pointer to force overtime.\n"We tried to get the ball in my hands, and I just tried to get ball in the hoop," she said. "They set off me a little bit and I shot it."\nAfter Valentin scored the first points in the extra session, the Hoosiers never trailed but were unable to put the Boilermakers away. Purdue tied the game three times in overtime, the third coming on a layup with four seconds remaining.\nJust as it appeared the game was headed for a second overtime, Purdue guard Cherelle George fouled Valentin on the in-bounds pass. With two seconds remaining, Valentin calmly knocked down two free throws to give IU the victory.\n"I'm so happy for our team," she said. "We executed our game plan. And we are so excited."\nThe Hoosiers out-rebounded a tall, physical Purdue squad 35-29 and slowed the Boilermaker offense with suffocating zone defense. The IU offense was boosted by a 10-of-14 mark from three-point range.\nSophomore guard Nikki Smith, who contributed four threes of her own, said that the win was a huge stepping stone for the Hoosiers.\n"This game is why we play basketball," she said. "We all wanted this win so much and just gave everything we had to pull it off. This feeling is so amazing."\nExcitement also surrounded IU coach Sharon Versyp on a personal level, as she returned to her alma mater for the first time as an opposing coach. Versyp, a four-year starter, left Purdue in 1988 ranked second in career points and assists. After losing her first contest to Purdue Jan. 5 at Assembly Hall, she is now 1-1 against her former school.\nHowever, Versyp said the focus belongs on the team, not her.\n"I give all the credit to these young ladies," she said. "We just focused all week, trying to get that mental edge. We've been so close on so many occasions. Going into overtime we just talked about finishing out on their court, like they finished on ours. I'm so proud of this group. This is gigantic for our program and where we want to take it"