Hey folks,
As promised, your in-game blog is below. Not too much to note tonight that wasn't said in that pregame post. The only thing I can think to add is that IU is on a four-game winning streak, while Purdue lost at Minnesota last time out. It's a pretty good crowd tonight at Assembly Hall, given the recent weather and the fact that students don't come back to campus in force for a few more days. Without further ado, it's game time.
Starting line-ups
IU F Whitney Thomas F Amber Jacksonr F/G Kim Roberson G Jamie Braun G Haylie Linn
Purdue F Natasha Bogdanova F LaKisha Freeman C Danielle Campbell G Fahkara Malone G Kalika France
First half blog
17:16 IU 5 - Purdue 4 Two players have done all the scoring so far in a back-and-forth game. Roberson has five for IU, Freeman four for the Boilers. But Amber Jackson just got a basket plus the foul, and she completed the three-point play at the free-throw line. 8-4 IU.
15:51 IU 8 - Purdue 4 At the first TV timeout, neither team is asserting themselves more than the other. Play has been rather even, with Purdue perhaps a little more structured offensively, moving the ball around the perimeter with efficiency. Nikki Smith just checked in for the Hoosiers, replacing Haylie Linn.
12:55 IU 14 - Purdue 6 Kim Roberson just capped an impressive drive with a nice finger roll, and the Hoosiers have scored the last four points of the contest, sparking a Purdue timeout.
10:35 IU 19 - Purdue 13 Both teams are getting into an offensive rhythm, and the officials seem to be letting them play right now. Both squads seem to be responding favorably.
7:41 IU 19 - Purdue 15 Well, just when I said both teams were starting to feel it offensively, they stopped. Turnovers and a timely blocked shot for IU have contributed to that. The Hoosiers have struggled to hold onto the ball and create quality shots here in the last couple of minutes.
3:59 IU 22 - Purdue 21 Purdue just got two free throws on a foul inside, where they've been scoring almost at will in the last few minutes. Coach Jack seems to be making it clear to her team that their post defense needs to get better. IU is also taking some ill-advised shots from behind the arc, both of which have led to the recent Purdue surge. Neither team, however, has ever really taken control of the tempo of the game.
1:45 Purdue 25 - IU 24 IU is still having trouble defending inside, and Purdue's bigs are hitting their free throws. But the Hoosiers are staying in it at the offensive end with energy and Amber Jackson's scoring. Jackson leads IU so far with nine.
Halftime IU 27 - Purdue 27 At halftime, we're all square at the Hall. IU is really struggling with turnovers and post defense, but they've got three 3-pointers to Purdue's zero, and they're outrebounding the Boilers by a slim 11-9 margin. Purdue has made all nine free throws as well, and neither team is shooting the ball that well. A late Jori Davis 3-pointer evened the game up heading into the half, and both coaches probably have a list of things to talk to their team about right now. Purdue's poor shooting has plagued them tonight and all season, as have IU's turnovers. We'll be back for the second half in just 12 minutes. See you then.
Quick stat hits -For all my talk, IU and Purdue are even in points in the paint, due in large part to Amber Jackson, who leads IU with nine. -Correction on the above entry: IU holds a 20-18 rebounding advantage, but I got the original number from the scoreboard and this updated margin from the official stat sheet. IU holds a one-board advantage on both the offensive and defensive ends, with six and 14 on each end respectively. -IU is shooting slightly better from the field than Purdue, 37.9 percent to 32.1 percent.
Second Half
18:08 Purdue 33 - IU 27 A 10-footer pushes the Purdue lead to six, as IU has yet to score this half. They've struggled this half dealing with Purdue's on-ball defense, and another Purdue two draws a timeout from Coach Jack at the 17:33 mark.
15:32 Purdue 35 - IU 29 TV timeout Purdue hasn't been happy with a couple of calls in the last couple of minutes, but IU has slowed Purdue a bit. They're still struggling to get anything going offensively, often settling for ill-advised shots.
11:16 Purdue 40 - IU 35 IU has been playing better on the offensive end. They had one of their best offensive possessions of the game a moment ago, working the ball around well. But they couldn't get anything out of it. They're keeping it close, as neither team has really gotten going offensively. In one of the stranger stats of the night, Purdue hasn't missed a free throw and hasn't made a 3-pointer. At least not yet.
10:04 Purdue 40 - IU 37 Jamie Braun just missed a finger roll on a nice hop step into the lane, but Kim Roberson picked up her fourth foul just after that, leaving both her and Whitney Thomas on the bench with four fouls. Whitney Lindsay took her place.
7:00 Purdue 50 - IU 37 Purdue just hit a 10-0 run, and coach Jack has both Roberson and Thomas at the scorer's table, waiting to come in. They both have four fouls, but it looks like IU is pulling out all the stops right now. The game has been back and forth for most of the night, but Purdue has started to pick it up offensively here, and the next few possessions will be critical for the Hoosiers.
6:10 Purdue 50 - IU 39 Not much has changed, but we hit a TV timeout, so I thought a quick hit would be good right now. IU just got two points from Amber Jackson on a nice post move, and a Purdue travel at the other end sends the ball back to the Hoosiers coming out of the timeout. The IU lineup at present is: Roberson, Davis, Jackson, Lindsey, Thomas. Purdue is countering with Brittany Dildine, Bogdanova, Campbell, Freeman and Malone.
3:58 Purdue 50 - IU 39 IU has tried to claw back into this game, but they're still struggling to find their shot offensively. They haven't scored on either of their last two possessions. Purdue is also headed to the line coming out of this TV timeout for a 1-and-1. The Boilers haven't missed from the charity stripe tonight. Purdue is in the bonus, IU will be on their next foul drawn.
3:35 Purdue 51 - IU 43 Purdue finally missed a free throw, and IU capitalized on a second chance offensively with an Amber Jackson layup. She now has 15, which leads all scorers.
1:39 Purdue 51 - IU 48 Jori Davis just made this game very interesting with a 3-pointer to pull within three. Both teams squandered opportunities on the offensive end right before that, as each was unable to keep hold of an offensive rebounds. It's Purdue ball, the possession arrow goes IU's way right now.
47.2 seconds Purdue 53 - IU 48 Danielle Campbell hit a short jumper coming off an offensive rebound to push Purdue's lead back to five. Kim Roberson has two incredibly crucial free throws coming right now. She hits one of two.
11.5 seconds Purdue 53 - IU 49 Purdue missed another free throw, but Kim Roberson's 3-pointer on the other end hit the rim and rolled out. Purdue grabbed the rebound and drew the foul. Freeman hit her first free throw, and then Purdue called a timeout.
Final Score Purdue 55 - IU 49 Freeman hit her second free throw, and the Boilermakers took the game. I'll have more on the blog after postgame, and there will be a wrap on www.idsnews.com. Stick with us for complete coverage later tonight.
