Big Ten Network : Purdue Top Stories

Elliott helps Purdue retain Old Oaken Bucket

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:48:00 +0000

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Joey Elliott threw a career-high four touchdown passes to help Purdue beat Indiana 38-21 on Saturday and retain the Old Oaken Bucket. Both teams were eliminated from bowl contention last week, leaving them to play for pride and the trophy that goes to the winner of the annual in-state rivalry game. Purdue won last year's game 62-10, and Indiana planned to use the blowout as motivation. Indiana outgained Purdue 462 yards to 330, but the Hoosiers lost the turnover battle 4-0. Jaycen Taylor ran for a season-best 110 yards on 20 carries and caught seven passes for 59 yards and a score for Purdue (5-7, 4-4 Big Ten). Darius Willis ran for 142 yards and Mitchell Evans caught 10 passes for 112 yards for Indiana. Ben Chappell threw for 266 yards and two touchdowns, but he threw two interceptions for the Hoosiers (4-8, 1-7). Indiana made it a game in the fourth quarter. Chappell found Damarlo Belcher down the middle for a 28-yard touchdown pass to trim Purdue's lead to 31-21 with 8:04 to play. Indiana's defense held Purdue to a three-and-out, and the Hoosiers took over in Purdue territory. Purdue's Kawann Short intercepted a short pass by Chappell and returned it 15 yards to the Indiana 39. Indiana had one more shot but turned the ball over on downs in its own territory. Elliott then threw his fourth TD pass of the day, a 31-yarder to Keith Smith, which gave the Boilermakers a 38-21 lead with 2:14 to play. Things started poorly for Indiana. Purdue's Mike Neal forced Chappell to fumble on the Hoosiers' opening possession, and Short recovered to give Purdue the ball at the IU 19-yard line. Purdue's Taylor converted on a fourth-and-1 at the Indiana 10, then scored on a 6-yard screen pass from Elliott to give the Boilermakers led 7-0 three minutes into the game. Indiana tried to answer, but David Pender blocked Nick Freeland's field-goal try. The Boilermakers moved down the field quickly, and this time Elliott found Dan Dierking in the flat for a 4-yard touchdown. Indiana's second threat came early in the second quarter. Willis broke loose for 64 yards, but the Hoosiers missed a field goal at the end of that possession. Torri Williams' interception of a Chappell pass set up another scoring pass from Elliott to a running back, this time a 13-yarder to Jared Crank, which gave Purdue a 21-0 lead. Indiana drove again late in the first half and finally appeared to get a 9-yard touchdown pass from Chappell to Mitchell Evans. The play was reviewed and overturned, but Chappell scored on a 1-yard sneak on the next play to cut Purdue's lead to 21-7 right before halftime. Willis ran for 108 yards in the first half as Indiana outgained Purdue 192 yards to 167. Al-Terek McBurse returned the second-half kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown to put Purdue up 28-7. Chappell threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Evans to cut Purdue's lead to 28-14 with just under four minutes left in the third quarter. Carson Wiggs made a 38-yard field goal with 1:30 left in the third quarter to increase Purdue's lead to 31-14.

Seniors help send Purdue past Ohio State, 3-1

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:58:00 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - It was a big night for the Boilermaker seniors as Purdue downed Ohio State 3-1 Saturday night in the final home match of their careers. Outside hitter Carrie Gurnell eclipsed the 1,000 kill mark, while pacing the team with 20 kills and adding nine digs. Outside hitter/setter Sam Ainsworth pounded down four kills and added three blocks in her third start of the season. Freshman Ariel Turner and sophomore Tiffany Fisher joined Gurnell in double-digits with kill tallies of 12 and 11 respectively. Junior Jaclyn Hart narrowly missed a double-double with nine kills and 48 assists, while freshman Anna Drewry chipped in seven kills and a match-high eight blocks. Defensively, redshirt sophomore Blair Bashen led the way with 18 digs. Gurnell added nine, while sophomore Emily Ehlers and freshman Carly Cramer each pulled up eight. Ehlers also served up two aces. The Boilermakers owned the first half of the opening set, taking an early 3-0 lead and going on to lead 8-5. A block by Gurnell and Drewry and back-to-back aces by Ehlers accounted for the first three points. Three OSU miscues coupled with kills by Fisher and Hart brought about the latter score. The Buckeyes scored five of the next six points to go ahead 10-9. After a tie at 10, Ohio State pushed its advantage to five at 17-12. Purdue chipped away, cutting the margin to one at 22-21 after an overpass kill by Gurnell and an ace by Bashen. The Buckeyes got the first shot at the set at 24-22, but a Gurnell kill and a block by Fisher and Turner knotted the score at 24. A Kristen Dozier kill set OSU up again, but a Fisher putaway thwarted the effort. A stuff by Drewry and Turner put Purdue on the hill at 26-25. A Buckeye kill kept the set going, but a Turner kill and a block by Turner and 5-foot-6 defensive specialist Carly Cramer, who was in the front row after the Boilermakers used up its substitutions. Gurnell racked up six kills in the 28-26 win. Purdue led the second set front start to finish, allowing only a tie at 1-1 and boasting an advantage of as many as seven. The Boilermakers started the stanza with an 11-5 lead as Hart racked up three kills and senior Sam Ainsworth chipped in two. A solo stuff by Drewry capped the early rally. OSU cut the deficit to four at 13-9, but Purdue pushed ahead to a 17-10 margin after two Buckeye miscues and kills from Fisher and Hart. Ohio State crept back into the game, pulling within one at 19-18. A kill and a block by Drewry and Gurnell made it a three-point game, but OSU countered with a pair of kills. The Boilermaker seniors, Gurnell and Ainsworth put down kills to stretch the Purdue lead to 23-20. A Purdue error and an OSU putaway kept things going. Ainsworth tallied another kill to make it 24-22 Boilermakers, and Gurnell put the final nail in the 25-23 win two serves later. The senior duo and Hart tallied four kills apiece as Purdue outhit the Buckeyes .469 to .243 in the set. The Boilermakers led 4-2 in the third set after a pair of Gurnell kills and another from Drewry, but OSU quickly charged back to go up 5-4. Purdue tied it up at five and six, but soon trailed the Buckeyes by six at 13-6. Gurnell then tallied her 1,000th career kill to kick off a Boilermaker rally including four killls off her hand, which pulled Purdue within four at 15-11. Down 17-11, an OSU service error and a Turner putaway made it a four-point game again, but that is as close as the Boilermakers would come. Ohio State won the set 25-16. Gurnell racked up six kills in the set, but the Buckeyes outhit Purdue .591 to .231 in the stanza. Set four again belonged to the Boilermakers. Purdue jumped out to a 9-3 advantage as Fisher put down three kills and contributed on a block. Three Buckeye errors and a solo block by Drewry also aided in the run. OSU cut the margin to three at 15-12, prompting a Boilermaker timeout. Purdue scored three of the next five points, two on Gurnell kills and another by Drewry to go up 18-14. Ohio State scored seven of the next nine to vault into the lead at 21-20. The Boilermakers countered with five of the next eight points, two on Hart putaways, to regain the lead at 25-24. A Buckeye kill thwarted Purdue's first match point attempt, but back-to-back blocks clinched the 27-25 win. A solo block from Drewry and a combined effort by Fisher and Ainsworth capped the victory. Purdue posted a .310 hitting percentage in the stanza, while Gurnell and Fisher each tallied five kills and Turner added four. The Boilermakers (13-16, 5-13 Big Ten) wrap up the regular season at Iowa and Wisconsin next weekend.

Dayton uses late basket to down Purdue

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:14:00 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.- Justine Raterman led Dayton (3-1) with 11 points and ‎Brittany Wilson scored 10 points, including a basket with nine seconds left to give ‎Dayton the lead and the victory over No. 23 Purdue, 56-53. ‎ The Boilermakers (2-1), who trailed 23-22 at halftime, were sparked by senior guard ‎FahKara Malone and used a 16-0 run midway through the second half to take a 47-41 ‎lead with five minutes left in the game. ‎ Malone led the Boilers with 17 points and sophomore guard Brittany Rayburn chipped in ‎with 12 points. Malone was 7 of 13 from the field and 2 of 4 from three point range, ‎while also recording three rebounds and three assists. Rayburn was 5 of 10 from the field ‎and also added three rebounds and two assists. ‎ Dayton, which previously upset No. 10 Michigan State, outrebounded Purdue 42 to 25, ‎including pulling down 24 offensive rebounds. Dayton also forced the Boilermakers into ‎‎23 turnovers. ‎ Purdue returns to action Sunday, Nov. 22, when it plays Georgetown in the finale of the ‎Basketball Travelers Classic. The game is scheduled for a 4 p.m. ET tipoff. ‎

Penn State defeats Purdue, 3-1

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:19:00 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The top-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team clinched at least a share of the 2009 Big Ten title with a 3-1 (29-31, 25-17, 25-17, 25-20) victory against Purdue (12-16, 4-13). Penn State has now won 93 straight matches and is now in sole possession of second place among all Division I winning streaks. A defeat of Indiana on Saturday would give Penn State its 13th overall and seventh consecutive outright Big Ten title. Senior Megan Hodge (Durham, N.C.) led all players with 24 kills. She now has 2,009 kills and is only the second Penn State to reach 2,000 kills in her career. Junior Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.) and freshman Darcy Dorton (Muncie, Ind.) also tallied double-digit kills with 10 apiece. Senior setter Alisha Glass (Leland, Mich.) paced the Nittany Lion offense with 48 assists and also finished second on the team with 11 digs. Junior Fatima Balza (Merida, Venezuela) was a wall at the net with a match-high eight total blocks, while junior Blair Brown (Purcellville, Va.) finished the night with six. Junior libero Alyssa D'Errico (Byron, N.Y.) led the team with a career-high tying 18 saves. Penn State attacked at a .306 clip, while holding the Boilermakers to just .119. The Lions finished the match with 61 kills, 5 assists, two aces, 50 digs and 13.5 total team blocks. Purdue totaled 48 kills, 43 assists, one ace, 43 digs and 10.0 team blocks. Despite Purdue tallying the first point of the night, Glass set Balza for a kill that ricocheted off the arm of a Boilermaker putting the Lions on the board. Purdue took a two-point lead, 5-3, after a kill by Carrie Gurnell and PSU error, but a Hodge kill and a Boilermaker error had the teams tied at 5-5. Wilson gave Penn State its first lead with an ace, 6-5. The two squads traded points until Penn State went on a four-point run for its largest lead of the set, 16-13. Purdue worked to within one, 16-15, but an error and Brown kill had Penn State leading, 18-15. The Nittany Lions maintained at least a two-point lead until a PSU service error and another Gurnell kill had the Boilermakers within one, 22-21. After a Penn State timeout, Hodge notched a kill for a two-point edge. However, a Gurnell kill and a PSU error had the set tied, 23-23. Hodge put Penn State in set-point position with a kill, but a kill from Ariel Turner and a Purdue stuff had the Boilermakers leading 25-24. The two teams went back and forth until a Kristen Arthurs kill and block by Turner and Tiffany Fisher gave the Boilermakers a 31-29 first set win. The second set was close early, until a Wilson kill and a stuff by Glass and Wilson gave Penn State a 7-5 edge. Following a 6-2 Penn State run, the Nittany Lions led 16-10. Two PSU errors had Purdue within four, 16-12, but the Lions posted three straight points for a 19-12 lead. Two kills by Hodge, one each from Dorton and Glass and another block by Wilson and Glass gave Penn State a convincing 25-17 set two win. Penn State hit .483 in set two, as opposed to the .275 attack percentage it registered in set one. The Nittany Lions jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the third set thanks to kills from Hodge and Glass and an ace by Glass. Back-to-back stuffs by Balza and Brown increased Penn State's lead to five, 8-3. Following a Purdue timeout, the Boilermakers managed to stay within five until an 8-1 Penn State run had PSU's lead in double-digits, 19-8. Hodge and Wilson each had two kills in the run. Two Lion errors cut Penn State's lead to single-digits, but another Hodge kill and a Boilermaker error had Penn State back ahead by 11, 21-10. Purdue worked within seven, 24-17, but Wilson closed out the third set for Penn State with a kill. A solo stuff by Turner had Purdue on the board first in the fourth set, but a monster Wilson kill and a Purdue error had Penn State in the lead, 2-1. A PSU error and an Arthurs kill put Purdue back in front, 3-2. The Nittany Lions capitalized off three Boilermaker errors and kills by Glass and Hodge for an 8-3 advantage. Two kills by Purdue had the Boilermaker within four, 9-5. By midpoint of the set, the Lions led 15-8 and Purdue took a timeout. Penn State increased its lead to eight, 19-11. The Boilermakers went on a four-point run to come within three, 23-19, thanks to two PSU errors, two Purdue kills and a Boilermaker stuff. Kills by Brown and Hodge closed out the set for Penn State, 25-20.

Moore helps Purdue beat South Dakota State

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:15:00 +0000

ST. THOMAS, Virgin Islands (AP)—Purdue coach Matt Painter said his seventh-ranked Boilermakers were outplayed and out-toughed by South Dakota State. However, the Boilermakers weren't outscored. E'Twaun Moore scored 22 points and beat South Dakota State 74-63 on Friday night in the first round of the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam. ""The key was the flow of the game, and I thought they were tougher than us and quicker than us,"" Painter said. ""We talked at halftime about staying tight with them and carrying out our assignments."" Robbie Hummel added 14 points despite missing much of the action because of foul trouble, and JaJuan Johnson had 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Boilermakers (2-0). Purdue will play St. Joseph's on Sunday night in second round. Clint Sargent led the Jackrabbits (2-1) with 16 points, and Garrett Callahan scored all 13 of his points in the first half. ""We were where we wanted to be,"" Sargent said. ""We knew if we could tighten it up on offense we had a shot at this. We just stubbed our toes too many times, and in the end it cost us."" The Jackrabbits committed 18 turnovers, 12 in the second half. ""Defensively, we played good enough to win the game,"" South Dakota State coach Scott Nagy said. ""I was displeased with the number of turnovers in the second half, but some of that was Purdue turned it up. You don't see a lot of teams that defend like they do with their physicality."" The Jackrabbits took advantage of Purdue's overaggressive defense early, making 13 of 15 free throw attempts in the first half. Purdue led 39-37 at the half, and South Dakota State was still hanging close at the 16:08 mark on Kai Williams' basket that cut it to 41-39. But the Boilermakers heated up. Ryne Smith's jumper ignited a 9-0 run that he capped with a 3-pointer that gave Purdue a 50-39 lead with 13:12 remaining. ""Any time you have close games, and any time somebody can outplay you and out-tough you, and you still win, those are good games,"" Painter said. ""We have to be patient and play a lot smarter.""

Purdue upsets #9 Missouri, 19-15

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:13:00 +0000

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Purdue wrestling team scored a major road victory on Friday night, taking down the ninth-ranked University of Missouri Tigers at the Hearnes Center, 19-15. Purdue won six of the 10 bouts on the evening, including head-to-head ranked matchups at 174 and 197 pounds. Purdue moves to 12-8-1 all-time against the Tigers, snapping a two-match slide and winning in Columbia for the first time since 1999. Juniors Juan Archuleta, Luke Manuel and Logan Brown all remained undefeated for the Boilermakers, who improved to 3-1 with the win. The win is the first for Purdue against a ranked opponent since their victory over No. 17 Indiana on Feb. 8, 2008. Missouri jumped out to a 3-0 lead as freshman Brad Wisdom caught Purdue sophomore Matt Fields in a cradle for a five-point move and rode it to a 9-6 decision at 125. Fields rode Wisdom the entire third period, and caught him in a cradle of his own late, but the three-point nearfall was not enough to close the gap. The Boilermakers turned things around as sophomore Akif Eren sparked a three-match Purdue win streak with his 11-5 decision over Missouri freshman Nathan McCormick. Eren gave up an early takedown to fall behind 2-0, but it was all Purdue the rest of the way as Eren posted a takedown to take the lead and ran the score up in the third with a reversal, three-point nearfall and takedown en route to an 11-5 win. Archuleta moved to 7-0 at 141 pounds for the Boilermakers, knocking off #19 Missouri junior Todd Schavrien by decision, 9-5. Archuleta set the pace from the get-go, scoring a pair of first period takedowns en route to a 5-3 lead. After a stagnant second, he added a takedown in the third and the riding-time point to seal the victory. The run continued at 149 as Purdue senior Nick Bertucci turned in a dominant performance in his 9-0 major decision over Tiger sophomore Scott O'Donnell. The scoring didn't start until the second period, but Bertucci ran it up quick, escaping and hitting a cradle for the five-point play and 6-0 lead. After a neutral start to the third, Bertucci grabbed the bonus point with a second takedown and riding-time point for good measure. Missouri's Patrick Wright ended the Purdue streak at 157 pounds , upsetting 10th-ranked Boilermaker junior Colton Salazar, 4-0. Salazar seemed to have suffered an injury halfway through the match, but finished it off and refused to surrender bonus points in a gutsy performance. The Tigers picked up a second straight win at 165 pounds as No. 7 Nick Marable topped Purdue senior Jason Martin, 6-3. Twelfth-ranked Manuel righted the ship for the Boilermakers at 174 pounds, winning a ranked matchup with No. 16 junior Dorian Henderson, 6-2. Manuel did all the work in the bout, scoring a pair of takedowns in a solid performance for the win. Senior Nick Corpe followed up for the Old Gold and Black at 184, stretching the team lead to 16-9 with a 7-4 decision over freshman Todd Porter. Corpe took the Tiger to his back for a five-point play in the first and rode the lead out for the win. Brown, ranked 11th in the nation, made it three straight for the Boilermakers and sealed the team victory at 197 pounds, scoring a thrilling 7-5 sudden victory over 17th-ranked Missouri freshman Brent Haynes. Brown did the work early scoring two first-period takedowns, but Haynes battled back in the third, taking advantage of a fleeing penalty and scoring a late takedown to force overtime. Brown battled late in the match, working for the takedown and scoring the win. Haynes third-period takedown was the first surrendered by the Boilermaker junior this season. Fourth-ranked Dominique Bradley closed the gap for the Tigers in a meaningless heavyweight bout, as Purdue freshman Adam Walls came out firing, but was caught quickly and pinned in 18 seconds. Purdue 19 – Missouri 15 125: Brad Wisdom (UM) def. Matt Fields (PU), D 9-6 (0-3) 133: Akif Eren (PU) def. Nate McCormick (UM), D 11-5 (3-3) 141: Juan Archuleta (PU) def. #19 Todd Schavrien (UM), D 9-5 (6-3) 149: Nick Bertucci (PU) def. Scott O'Donnell (UM), MD 9-0 (10-3) 157: Patrick Wright (UM) def. #10 Colton Salazar (PU), D 4-0 (10-6) 165: #7 Nick Marable (UM) def. Jason Martin (PU), D 6-3 (10-9) 174: #12 Luke Manuel (PU) def. #16 Dorian Henderson (UM), D 6-2 (13-9) 184: Nick Corpe (PU) def. Todd Porter (UM), D 7-4 (16-9) 197: #11 Logan Brown (PU) def. #17 Brent Haynes (UM), SV 7-5 (19-9) 285: #4 Dominique Bradley def. Adam Walls (PU), Fall 0:18 (19-15)

Purdue routs Seattle

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:29:00 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.- Sophomore guard Brittany Rayburn scored a career-high 26 points, while sophomore Chelsea Jones finished with a career-high 12 points to help lead No. 23 Purdue (2-0) past Seattle University 69-38. With the 26 points, Rayburn bested a previous career high of 23 points, which she set last game against Western Illinois. Rayburn was 7 of 13 from the field, including 7 of 8 from the free throw line and 5 of 8 from beyond the arc. Rayburn tied a career high with seven rebounds while dishing out four assists and collecting three steals. Jones finished her career night hitting 5 of 12 from the field, pulling down seven rebounds and blocking two shots. Freshman Sam Ostarello led all players with nine rebounds, leading the Boilers in that category for the second straight game. Senior guard FahKara Malone kept the offense moving with a game-high five assists. The 5-foot-3 point guard had three steals and now needs just 57 to set the school record for thefts. The Boilermaker defense forced 21 turnovers, blocking five shots and holding the Redhawks to 30 percent from the field. Purdue outrebounded Seattle 37-29. The Boilermakers had seven ýruns of 6-0 or more, with two separate runs of 10-0.

Indiana, Purdue try to salvage seasons with Bucket

MICHAEL MAROT — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:13:00 +0000

BLOOMINGTON, Ind.(AP) Indiana's goal was to finish this season in a bowl game. In the Hoosiers' minds, they still can. On Saturday, Indiana and Purdue will square off for the 85th Old Oaken Bucket - or in this ever-changing world, what some would dub the first Old Oaken Bucket Bowl. "This is our bowl game, right here,'' senior defensive end Jammie Kirlew said Tuesday. "This is our last game, the last time the senior class will play together.'' The Hoosiers and Boilermakers have no choice but to accept the fact that they will not be making the postseason. Indiana (4-7, 1-6 Big Ten) watched those hopes vanish with Saturday's loss at Penn State. The Hoosiers have lost four straight and seven of eight since starting 3-0, leaving them two wins short of becoming bowl-eligible with only one game left. Purdue (4-7, 3-4) also came up short, despite improving in the second half of the season. The Boilermakers rallied from a 1-5 start to win three of four, including a rare sweep of Ohio State and Michigan, before Saturday's home loss to Michigan State ended their bowl hopes. Though Purdue's players want to keep the Bucket every bit as much as the Hoosiers want it back in Bloomington, they see this game a little different. "It's been a great season. A lot of good memories, a lot of ups and downs. I think our football team has made a lot of strides in a good way,'' Purdue quarterback Joey Elliott said. "The Indiana game is always a big one on our schedule.'' The disparity in emotions may have more to do with how this series has gone over the past 12 years. Purdue holds a 10-2 advantage since 1997. Indiana's only wins during the stretch came in Antwaan Randle El's next-to-last college game in 2001 and in 2007 when Austin Starr made a 49-yard field goal with 30 seconds left to end the Hoosiers' 13-year bowl drought. The Boilermakers, meanwhile, have scored at least two dozen points in each of the series' past seven games, topping 60 twice since 2004. But this season's matchup won't come close to matching the emotions of the last two years. Starr's long kick in 2007 set off a jubilant celebration at midfield, fulfilling Terry Hoeppner's promise to play in a bowl game five months after the Hoosiers coach died of complications from a brain tumor. Last year, the Boilermakers said farewell to coach Joe Tiller with a 62-10 win, the largest victory margin in the series since 1892. Tiller celebrated by leading the band. Indiana wants to make amends after that bleak day in West Lafayette. "Yesterday, I heard it (the 62-10 score) maybe seven times,'' senior running back Bryan Payton said. "I know some of the guys have it on their lockers or pasted in their apartment rooms, so, yes, I know what those numbers mean.'' With the game moving back to Bloomington, the Hoosiers want to turn this one into a bowl-like environment. Fans will likely be clad in crimson-and-cream or old gold-and-black, much like the split seen throughout the bowl season. "The IU game this year is like a bowl game in a lot of ways,'' Boilermakers coach Danny Hope said. `"It is our last game of the season, and both teams want to finish the season strong with a win over their archrival and feel good about themselves and the bragging rights and all that stuff is a part of it.'' IU athletic director Fred Glass said more than 40,000 tickets have already been sold for Saturday's game and he is expanding the Hoosiers student section from 8,100 to 12,500. Glass said more than 10,000 student tickets have been purchased and he expects the remainder to be sold. If the crowd tops 49,000, it would be larger than the one Indiana played in front of in the 2007 Insight Bowl. At Indiana, that will have to suffice for now. "I don't want to call it the biggest game of my life, but it is our bowl game, it is my bowl game,'' Payton said. "We want to go out on a good note and regardless of how it turns out, I'm going to play my heart out and we want to win this one.''

Purdue's Jackson out after foot surgery

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:07:00 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue sophomore guard Lewis Jackson will be out indefinitely after undergoing surgery on Tuesday to repair a foot injury suffered late last week. "We'll miss having Lewis on the court while he recuperates, but it's important that we take the necessary steps to ensure his full recovery," Purdue head coach Matt Painter said. "Lewis has a great work ethic, and I have no doubt that the manner in which he approaches his rehab will reflect that." Purdue returns to action on Friday, when it squares off with South Dakota State in the first round of the Paradise Jam on the island of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Rayburn's career-high 23 sends Purdue to victory

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:03:00 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.- Sophomore guard Brittany Rayburn scored a career-high 23 points, while senior Jodi Howell scored 15 and freshman KK Houser finished with 13 points to help lead No. 23 Purdue (1-0) to a 70-37 victory in the Boilermakers' home opener. The victory extends Purdue's school record streak to eight consecutive season opening wins. The victory also gives head coach Sharon Verysp a 4-0 record in season openers at her alma mater. Rayburn was 9 of 19 from the field and 3 of 4 from the line, while also recording four rebounds, two assists, two blocked shots and four steals in a game-high 34 minutes. Howell finished the game with 15 points, hitting 6 of 10 from the field, including 3 of 6 from beyond the arc and Houser chipped in thirteen points on 5 of 8 shooting. Freshman Sam Ostarello led all players with 12 rebounds while sophomore Chelsea Jones set a career high by pulling down nine boards. Senior guard FahKara Malone dished out a team-best six assists. The Boilermakers defense rose to the challenge today, holding Western Illinois to the lowest point total by an opponent since the 2006-07 season. Purdue forced 28 turnovers and blocked four shots, while holding the Leathernecks to 37 percent from the field. Rayburn had two blocks for the Boilers while Jones and Ostarello had one each. Malone led the team with five steals. Western Illinois pulled within nine at 14:58 in the second half on a basket by Michele Salvatori. The Boilermakers went on a 13-0 streak that started on a three-pointer by Houser and ended on a three-pointer by Rayburn. The Leathernecks never got within 20 points for the remainder of the game. Purdue returns to action on Friday, Nov. 2, when the Boilers play host to Seattle University in the BTI Classic. The game is scheduled for a 5 p.m. ET tipoff and Dayton will take on Georgetown 30 minutes following the Purdue-Seattle game.

MIchigan State snaps skid, sweeps Purdue

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:15:00 +0000

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Looking to end its three-match losing skid, the Michigan State volleyball team (17-11, 5-11 Big Ten) downed the Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday, Nov. 14, at Jenison Field House. The win mark the Spartans' first against the Boilermakers since a win at home in 2007. Senior Vanessa King (Spring Lake, Mich.) led all Spartans with her .571 attack percentage while tallying 10 kills. "We are at a point in the season where every win matters," said head coach Cathy George. "The team just needs to keep its focus as the season begins to wind down, and take it one match at a time." MSU struck early in the first set, leading 5-3. The Spartans extended their lead to three, bringing the score to 12-9. However, the Boilermakers scored three straight points, tying the set at 12. After three straight Michigan State points, Purdue called its first timeout. MSU grew its lead to five with the score 20-15. The Boilermakers stormed back, taking seven of 10 points to make it a 23-22 set, in favor of MSU. After a Spartan timeout, Michigan State took the final two points, clinching the set 25-23. Senior Vanessa King (Spring Lake, Mich.) and sophomore Becca Zlabis (Wheaton, Ill.) each tallied four kills in the set. The Spartans once again pounced early leading 4-2. After the Boilermakers tied the match at four, each team traded service until MSU broke free, making it 8-7. Michigan State extended its lead to three, 12-9. Purdue called timeout when MSU was leading 14-10. After scoring four of five points, Michigan State forced the Boilermakers into its second timeout. The Spartans closed out the second set 25-21. King and sophomore Kyndra Abron (Livonia, Mich.) posted a team-high four kills. Michigan State continued its success, taking an early 4-1 lead. MSU pushed its lead to four with the score 9-5. The Spartan lead grew to six when Purdue called its first timeout with the score 16-10. Michigan State dug deep to close out the match, winning the third set 25-18. Abron led the Spartan attack with a 1.000 attack percentage on four kills. Zlabis ended the night with nine kills while hitting .450. Sophomore Natalie Emro (Wildwood, Mo.) led the team with 36 assists. Junior Allyson Karaba (Muskegon, Mich.) tallied 13 digs while King solidified the defense with three blocks. MSU will be back in action on Wednesday, Nov. 15, when it travels to Ann Arbor for a showdown against Michigan. The match will be aired live on the Big Ten Network beginning at 6 p.m.

Purdue can't hold lead against Michigan State

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:32:00 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Kirk Cousins threw three touchdown passes, and Michigan State overcame an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Purdue 40-37 and become bowl eligible on Saturday. B.J. Cunningham caught three passes for 92 yards and a score for the Spartans (6-5, 4-3 Big Ten). Purdue quarterback Joey Elliott completed 39 of 55 passes for 373 yards and two touchdowns. Keith Smith caught 15 passes for 152 yards and a TD for the Boilermakers (4-7, 3-4), who were eliminated from bowl contention. The Boilermakers gained 524 yards and kept the ball for 41 minutes, but Michigan State gained 229 yards on kickoff returns, and the Spartans stopped Purdue on its final possession. Michigan State's Brett Swenson made four field goals, including the game-winning 21-yarder with 1:51 left. Alamo Bowl representatives attended the game. Ralph Bolden fumbled on Purdue's first offensive play, and Michigan State's Chris Rucker returned it 11 yards for a touchdown seven seconds into the game. Purdue came right back and drove 80 yards to tie the score. Elliott found Smith over the middle, and Smith broke a tackle before finishing a 26-yard touchdown reception. Purdue's Carson Wiggs made two field goals, but Michigan State bounced back quickly. A 55-yard pass from Cousins to Charlie Gantt set the Spartans up inside the Purdue 10, and Cousins completed a 4-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Hawken to give the Spartans a 14-13 lead early in the second quarter. Purdue scored later in the quarter on a 9-yard run by Bolden, and the Boilermakers took a 20-14 lead. Bolden was given an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for hugging mascot Purdue Pete after the run. The Boilermakers led 20-17 at halftime. Purdue outgained Michigan State 266-174 before the break. Swenson made a career-long 52-yard field goal to make it 20-all, but Purdue came back with an 18-play, 80-yard drive. Elliott capped it with a 3-yard TD pass to Cortez Smith to give the Boilermakers a 27-20 lead. It was Purdue's longest scoring drive of the season. Swenson hit another 52-yarder late in the third quarter to cut Purdue's lead to 27-23. Purdue's defense held, then the Boilermakers came back with another scoring drive. Bolden scored his second touchdown, a 1-yarder to make it 34-23 early in the fourth quarter. Michigan State needed just one play to respond. Cousins found Cunningham for a 73-yard touchdown, and the Spartans cut Purdue's lead to 34-30. A 50-yard field-goal attempt by Wiggs was blocked, and the Spartans gained possession at their 46-yard line. A run by Keshawn Martin on a reverse went for 45 yards and put the Spartans inside the Purdue 10. Cousins found Blair White for a 9-yard score with 6:59 to play, and Michigan State took a 37-34 lead. Purdue drove into field-goal range again, and this time, Wiggs converted from 49 yards to tie the game at 37 with 2:38 to play. Martin returned the kickoff 84 yards to the Purdue 11 to set up Swenson's game winner.

Purdue goes 2-1 at Northwestern Duals

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:49:00 +0000

EVANSTON, Ill. - The Purdue wrestling team opened its dual season with a 2-1 record, including their first Big Ten win of the season at the Northwestern Duals, hosted by the Wildcats in Welsh-Ryan Arena on Saturday. The Boilermakers lost their opener to Stanford, 19-16, but rebounded with wins over Northern Iowa, 24-9, and Northwestern, 33-7. Ranked juniors Colton Salazar, Luke Manuel and Logan Brown and sophomore Matt Fields all rolled to perfect 3-0 days, while junior Juan Archuleta had a pair of victories as well. Salazar had his first two pins of the season, while Brown posted his second major decision of the year. The Boilermakers' opener didn't go as planned as Stanford won six-of-10 bouts and picked up bonus points at 141 pounds en route to a 19-16 win. Winners for the Old Gold and Black were Fields, Salazar, Manuel and Brown as Salazar took a forfeit win, Brown posted a 10-1 major decision and Fields and Manuel settled for decisions. The matchup was the first ever between Purdue and Stanford as the Boilermakers drop to 103-30-6 in series openers. Purdue bounced back in the second match of the day as they downed Northern Iowa, 24-9, on the strength of seven victories. After losing the opener the Boilermakers rolled through three straight as Fields topped Caleb Flores, 5-4, Akif Eren took a decision over Ryan Jauch, 4-1, and Archuleta powered past Alec Hoffman, 8-4. Senior Sam Patacsil suffered a 3-2 setback for Purdue at 149, but Salazar righted the ship with his first pin of the season, a 2:07 stick of Tyson Reiner for six team points. The Panthers last win of the match came at 165 as David Bonin outlasted Jason Martin, 6-1, and Purdue rolled through the last three weights to finish the win. Manuel edged Jarion Beets at 174 pounds, 3-0, senior Nick Corpe picked up his first career win at 184 pounds, topping Andy O'Loughlin, 7-5, and Brown closed out the match with a 6-2 win over Dustin Bauman at 197. The win was just Purdue's fourth in the all-time series, improving to 4-13 against the Panthers in the first contest between the two since 2001. It also broke up a two-match slide against Northern Iowa and was the Boilermakers' largest winning margin over the Panthers, topping a 25-12 effort in 1996. Freshman Adam Walls started the Northwestern dual with a bang, sticking the Wildcats' Ben Kuhar just before the end of the second period for a 6-0 team win. Walls caught his opponent in a front headlock, dragged him to the mat and flipped him to his back for his second pin of the season. Fields followed up with his third win of the day, reversing Robert Joyce in the third period and riding him out for the 2-0 win, while Eren capitalized on a penalty point from Eric Metzler to eke out a 5-4 decision. A Northwestern forfeit upped the Purdue advantage to 18-0 in the team scores, but the Wildcats got on the board at 149 pounds as Andrew Nadhir avenged last weekend's to Purdue senior Nick Bertucci, 8-4. Salazar needed 4:40 to stick Wildcat freshman Kevin Bialka, improving his record to 8-0 this season, and pushing the team score to 24-3. Northwestern's last win of the day came at 165 pounds as Robert Kellogg notched a 10-1 major decision over Jason Martin. Manuel, Corpe and Brown capped the rout with consecutive decisions at 174, 184 and 197 as Manuel defeated Frank Battaglia, 10-3, Corpe scored a pair of takedowns en route to a 5-3 win over Marcus Shrewsbury, and Brown blanked John Schoen, 6-0. The Boilermakers' rout of Northwestern snaps a two-match losing streak to the Wildcats, giving them their first win in the series since 2004, which was also the last time Purdue opened the Big Ten dual schedule with a victory. The Boilermakers' 26-point advantage on the scoreboard is the second largest Purdue victory in the history of the series, falling just shy of a 28-0 shutout in the 1946-47 series. The Boilermakers continue their grueling dual schedule on Friday, traveling to Columbia, Mo., to face the eighth-ranked University of Missouri, and follow up with several entries in the Missouri Open next Sunday.

Boilermaker rally against Michigan falls shorts

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:37:00 +0000

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The Boilermaker volleyball team rallied from two sets down and held off six match-point attempts before finally succumbing to No. 14 Michigan Friday night. The Wolverines won the match 25-17, 26-24, 22-25, 22-25, 18-16. "We put together a pretty good match tonight; unfortunately, Michigan was in control for most of game 5 and we had to play catch up," head coach Dave Shondell said. "But, you can't be anything but proud when your team is down 14-9 in the fifth set and comes back. We showed great heart and determination tonight. We played the 14th-ranked team in country on their home floor and took them to the wire. We were a team trying to find itself and we took a big step in that direction tonight." Junior Kristen Arthurs put down 13 kills to lead a quartet of Boilermakers with double-digit efforts. Senior Carrie Gurnell and freshmen Ariel Turner and Anna Drewry rounded out the group with 11 kills apiece. Drewry hit at a match-high .529 clip, while junior Jaclyn Hart tacked on seven kills at a .455 clip. Defensively, redshirt sophomore Blair Bashen led the way with 17 digs. Sophomore Emily Ehlers pulled up 16 digs, while Hart added 14 to her 46 assist effort for a double-double. Freshman Courtney Gosewisch chipped in nine digs. At the net, Arthurs put up eight blocks, while sophomore Tiffany Fisher added seven, including four solo efforts, and Drewry recorded six stuffs. Hart was credited with five blocks, including one solo effort, as Purdue outblocked Michigan 19.5 to 11. The Boilermakers scored the first two points of the deciding fifth set on a kill and a solo block by Arthurs. Michigan countered with six straight points and led 8-4 at the changeover. Purdue cut the margin to one at 9-8 after a Gurnell kill and a Drewry overpass putaway. The Wolverines scored five of the next six points to go up 14-9. With their backs against a wall, facing five match point attempts, the Boilermakers buckled down and thwarted all five efforts. Kills from Gurnell, Turner and Drewry, a Michigan hitting error and a stuff by Drewry and Arthurs knotted the score at 14-14. A kill gave the Wolverines another shot at the match, but an Arthurs kill evened the score again and a Michigan hitting error put Purdue in the driver's seat at 16-15. UM would score three in a row on an overpass kill, a block and a kill to escaped with the 18-16 win. Michigan took a 6-3 lead in Set 1, but Purdue used back-to-back blocks, a solo stuff by Hart and a combined effort by Hart and Drewry, to pull within one at 6-5. The Wolverines raised their advantage to six at 15-9, but again the Boilermakers came charging back, slicing the margin to one with a 5-0 run. Kills from Arthurs and Fisher as well as a pair of blocks aided the comeback, making it 15-14. Michigan closed out the set with a 10-3 run. A pair of aces capped a run of five straight for the Wolverines in the 25-17 win. Purdue put up 5.5 blocks in the set. The Boilermakers kicked off the second set with an ace by Ehlers and went on to lead 9-6 after kills by four different players. Turner, Arthurs, Gurnell and Hart all got in on the action. Purdue maintained its edge at 12-9, but the Wolverines scored six of the next eight to go up 15-14 and force a Boilermaker timeout. Purdue regained the edge at 18-17 after a kill by Arthurs and an ace by Bashen. The teams tied at 18, 19, 20 and 21 before an ace put Michigan on top 22-21. A service error, a kill by Drewry and a UM hitting miscue put the Boilermakers one point away from the set at 24-22. The Wolverines, however, snatched the 26-24 victory with four straight, including two blocks and two Purdue hitting errors. Purdue capitalized on UM errors to start the third set with a 3-1 lead, including a block and a kill by Fisher. Ties at 5, 11 and 12 followed, but the Boilermakers scored five of the next six to go up 17-13. Kills by Drewry, Arthurs and Hart helped Purdue to the advantage. Michigan would cut the margin to two several times, but could get no closer. A Wolverine error and a kill by Arthurs put Purdue on the hill at 24-21. A hitting error kept the set going, but a solo stuff by Hart clinched the 25-22 Boilermaker win to keep the match going. Arthurs and Drewry each tallied four kills in the set, which saw Purdue hold Michigan to a negative hitting effort (-.059). Michigan led 9-6 early in Set 4, but Purdue used an 8-3 run to turn the deficit into a 14-12 advantage. Drewry tallied two kills a block, while Turner, Arthurs and Fisher also chipped in during the rally. The Boilermakers scored three straight to stretch their lead to four at 19-15 and force the Wolverines to use their final timeout. After the break, Purdue pushed its advantage to five at 23-18 after a pair of Turner putdowns and an ace by Bashen. Michigan countered with three straight, but a kill by Turner, her fifth of the set gave Purdue its first shot at the set at 24-21. A UM kill thwarted the first effort, but a hitting error sent the match to a deciding fifth set care of a 25-22 Boilermaker victory. Purdue racked up five blocks in the stanza.

Hummel leads No. 7 Purdue over Northridge 89-63

CLIFF BRUNT — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:47:00 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP)—Robbie Hummel scored 17 points to help No. 7 Purdue beat Cal State Northridge 89-63 on Friday night in the season opener for both teams. Hummel also had six rebounds, four assists and two blocks. JaJuan Johnson scored 15 points, freshman reserve D.J. Byrd scored 13 and Chris Kramer added 11 points and four assists for the Boilermakers (1-0), who were playing without starting point guard Lewis Jackson. He was serving a one-game suspension for playing in an unspecified NCAA-sanctioned event without approval from his coach and compliance director. Kevin Menner led Northridge (0-1) with 18 points. Willie Gallick scored 11 and Kenny Daniels added 10. But Northridge shot 39 percent from the field, turned the ball over 25 times and made just 23 of 43 free throws. Purdue made eight 3-pointers to lead 55-20 at halftime.

Purdue falls in first round of NCAA Tournament

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:21:00 +0000

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The Purdue women's soccer team saw its NCAA Tournament run end with a 2-0 loss to Central Michigan on Friday evening at Alumni Stadium. "This was a disappointing result," head coach Robert Klatte said. "We had some good looks at goal in the first half. Giving up the goal on the corner kick really put us on the back foot. We were playing a talented, hard-working and battling side, and we didn't convert the couple of chances we had. The unfortunate call on the penalty kick in the second half puts it out of reach, and we were just risking, risking and opening ourselves up trying to find a way back into the match." Purdue (12-6-3) controlled possession for much of the first half. The Boilermakers put multiple scares on Central Michigan's goal but were unable to find the back of the net. Purdue held a 10-4 lead in shots, a 3-2 lead in shots on goal and a 2-1 corner kick edge at halftime. Central Michigan (17-3-3) got on the board with 13 seconds left in the first half on a corner kick following an exceptional save by senior co-captain Jenny Bradfisch to push the ball over the goal. Claire Horton took the corner kick from the left side of the offensive attack, and Bradfisch, in an attempt to punch the ball away, ended up redirecting the ball into the back of the net. The Chippewas stretched their lead in the 55th minute when they were awarded a penalty kick after a foul was called on the Boilermakers at the top of the penalty box. Liesel Toth stepped up and blasted a shot into the left side of the net for a 2-0 lead. Central Michigan extended its unbeaten streak to 18 straight, a stretch that dates back to Sept. 6. Purdue's senior class, consisting of Bradfisch, Sylvia Forbes, Jessica Okoroafo, Loredana Riverso and Katie Seeger, finished its career with the most wins of any class in program history. The quintet's 58-20-12 record betters the previous mark of 57 put up by last year's class and gives the 2009 seniors a .711 winning percentage, which also is the highest of any class to come through the Purdue soccer program. The quintet also leaves holding seven individual career records. Okoroafo's 35 goals, 16 game-winning goals, 91 games played and 250 shots stand alone atop the record book, as does Bradfisch's 0.81 goals-against average. Okoroafo also tied the program record with 83 games started, and Bradfisch tied the program record with 42 wins. Forbes also tied the NCAA record for the fastest goal scored when she netted a ball four seconds into Purdue's 3-2 victory at sixth-ranked Texas A&M on Aug. 28. The 2009 Boilermakers rank third in program history with their 39 goals and 383 shots. The team tied the program record for most consecutive wins to start a season with its 5-0 start, becoming just the second Purdue team ever to win five in a row before suffering a loss. Purdue also extended one of the longest streaks in the Big Ten. The Boilermakers earned 10 wins for the 10th consecutive season, a streak bettered only by Penn State's current run of 16 in conference history. Klatte is the first Big Ten coach to oversee 10 straight seasons of double-digit win totals, bettering the previous record of nine set by former Michigan coach Debbie Rademacher, who won 10 straight games every season from 1996-2004. The Boilermakers also went 8-1-2 at the Varsity Soccer Complex, tying the school record for fewest home losses in a season. Purdue outscored its opponents 27-8 at home in 2009, and its plus-17 home goal differential is the second-highest mark in program history. The record of plus-34 home goal differential was set in 2007. "I think this is a very disappointing end to a really great year," Klatte said. "We overcame a lot as a team, and I think the difficult part is for the seniors. I told the team before the game that every team except for one is going to end their season with a loss, and you just try to make it last as long as possible. We will move forward. We have a lot of young players that this is a fantastic experience for, and we can build off of this. As a team, I think things are bright, but I also want to recognize the contribution that this group of five seniors has had to the program. We will go home, regroup and train. Next year starts tomorrow." Purdue was selected to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in program history and the fourth time in the last five years.

Boilers win exhibition finale

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:10:00 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Behind a 14-point performance from junior forward Robbie Hummel, No. 7 Purdue worked its way to a double-figure rebounding advantage en route to a 74-52 victory over Kentucky Wesleyan on Monday night in its exhibition finale. The Boilermakers used an 18-0 run late in the first half to open up a double-digit margin that they wouldn't relinquish, leading by as many as 27 points on the night. Purdue also out-rebounded KWC by a count of 40-30 on the strength of a game-high eight boards from Hummel. Hummel, who also added three assists and two steals in just 21 minutes of work, was 5-of-9 from the floor, and perfect on two attempts from beyond the arc. Freshman forward Patrick Bade netted 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting for the Boilermakers, who shot 45.6 percent from the field as a team in the win. Sophomore guard Ryne Smith chipped in with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the floor, while junior forward/center JaJuan Johnson tallied eight and freshman guard D.J. Byrd had seven. Junior guard E'Twaun led all players with eight assists on Monday night, while Johnson had a game-high three blocks and both Byrd and senior guard Chris Kramer joined Hummel with two steals. The Boilermakers will open the regular season on Friday night when they welcome Cal State Northridge to Mackey Arena for the 112th season opener in program history. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

Gophers sweep, continue dominance vs. Boilers

Sun, 8 Nov 2009 21:49:00 +0000

The Minnesota volleyball team (19-7, 10-4) defeated Purdue in three sets by scores of 25-22, 25-22, 25-17 at the Sports Pavilion on Sunday. It marked the Golden Gophers' ninth straight victory over Purdue. Minnesota was led by junior Hailey Cowles (Eden Prairie, Minn.) who had 12 kills, seven digs and three blocks. Freshman outside hitter Tabitha Love (Dauphin, Manitoba) also had 10 kills, four digs and a block. Senior setter Taylor Carico (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) also collected 31 assists, 11 digs, two kills and a solo block. Christine Tan (Safety Harbor, Fla.) and Jessica Granquist (Blaine, Minn.) finished with 12 and 11 digs respectively. Junior middle blocker Lauren Gibbemeyer (St. Paul, Minn.) had seven kills and three blocks in the match. Freshman Katherine Harms (Albertville, Minn.) also collected five kills in eight swings. Minnesota outhit Purdue .252 to .167, and had 43 kills to 41 for the Boilermakers. The Golden Gophers also had 54 digs to 49 for Purdue, and outblocked the Boilermakers 6.0-to-5.0. Purdue opened the match by jumping out to a 9-4 run in the first set. The Boilermakers maintained the five-point lead at 16-11. Minnesota scored four of the next five points to cut the lead to 17-15. Purdue scored the next two points to make it 19-15, and pushed its lead back to five points at 21-16. Cowles and Megan Wilson (Lincoln, Neb.) answered with consecutive kills to make it 21-18. With the score at 22-18, Cowles, Carico and Gibbemeyer delivered kills to cut it to 22-21. After a pair of Boilermaker errors gave Minnesota a 23-22 lead, Gibbemeyer delivered a kill to make it set point. The Golden Gophers claimed the first set 25-22 when Purdue committed an attack error. The Golden Gophers narrowly outhit Purdue .214 to .200, despite the fact that the Boilermakers had 15 kills to 14 for Minnesota. Minnesota collected 23 digs in the set to 21 for Purdue. Cowles had five kills in nine swings in the set, while Tan collected eight digs. For a second straight set, the Boilermakers jumped out to an early lead at 7-2. With Purdue leading 12-9, Wilson and Cowles sandwiched kills around a Boilermakers attack error to tie the score at 12. Purdue pushed the lead back out to three points at 17-14, but the Golden Gophers answered with six of the next seven points to take a 20-18 lead. With Purdue leading 18-16, Cowles delivered a kill and Carico came through with a service ace to tie the score at 18. Love and Carico followed with consecutive kills to make it 20-18. The Boilermakers cut the lead to 21-20, but Harms answered with a kill and Cowles and Gibbemeyer combined on a block to make it 23-20. Harms made it set point at 24-21 with a kill. Cowles put away the set at 25-22 with a kill. The Golden Gophers outhit Purdue .209 to .167, and had 16 kills to 13 for the Boilermakers. Cowles led Minnesota with six kills in the set. Early in the third set the score was 6-5, before the Golden Gophers went on a 5-0 run to move ahead 11-5. After a Purdue service error, Carico delivered a service ace. Filho, Love and Harms followed with kills to put Minnesota ahead by six points. The Golden Gophers expanded their lead out to 12 points at 19-7. Purdue scored seven of the next 10 points to make it 22-16, but Love answered with a kill and Minnesota made it match point on an attack error by the Boilermakers. The Golden Gophers moved on to win the third set 25-17 on their way to claiming the three-set victory. The Boilermakers were led by Ariel Turner who had 10 kills and six digs, while Kristen Arthurs had eight kills and four digs. Anna Drewry also had seven kills in 15 swings, while Blair Bashen had a team-high 12 digs. Jaclyn Hart also had 35 assists, three kills and three blocks. Minnesota will be back in action when it travels to Iowa on Friday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. The Golden Gophers will also face Wisconsin on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 1 p.m.

Rayburn paces Boilermakers in exhibition rout

Sun, 8 Nov 2009 19:27:00 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.- Sophomore guard Brittany Rayburn scored a game-high 21 points, while seniors FahKara Malone and Jodi Howell added 17 and 13 points, to lead the Boilers past Lindsey Wilson College, 74-39, in its only exhibition game of the season. The victory was Purdue's 30th-consecutive exhibition victory, and improved the Boilermakers' overall exhibition record to 35-3. With the win head coach Sharon Verysp is now 4-0 in exhibition play. Rayburn was 9 of 17 from the floor and 3 of 4 from the line, while also recording seven rebounds, two blocked shots and an assist in 33 minutes of work. Malone was 8 of 14 from the field for 17 points, while Howell chipped in 13 points on 4 of 9 shooting, including 2 of 7 from long range. Freshman forward Sam Ostarello led the team with 12 rebounds, while Malone dished out a team-high four assists. Purdue pestered the Blue Raiders all afternoon, forcing 27 turnovers, recording 10 blocked shots, 14 steals while holding them to 28.8 percent from the field. Ostarello led the Boilers with four blocked shots, while Malone led Purdue with seven steals. Purdue returns to action on Sunday, Nov. 15, when the Boilermakers play to host Western Illinois in their season opener. The game is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET and can be seen through live video web streaming on BigTenNetwork.com.

Purdue coach adds to Rich Rodriguez's misery

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 17:16:00 +0000

ANN ARBOR, Mich.(AP) Michigan's Rich Rodriguez says Purdue coach Danny Hope blamed him for getting one of his players suspended. Rodriguez says Hope introduced him to guard Zach Reckman after the Boilermakers' 38-36 win Saturday and said, "Thanks Coach, we appreciate what you did.'' Reckman was suspended for a game because of a late hit against Northern Illinois in September. Rodriguez said on the same day he would ask the Big Ten to punish non-football acts after seeing a Big Ten player hit an opponent with a forearm on TV. Michigan linebacker Jonas Mouton was suspended for punching a Notre Dame player the previous week. Hope issued a statement through school spokesman Tom Schott, saying his conversation with Rodriguez would remain between them.