Allen's 3-pointer falls short as Purdue topples Buckeyes

The Boilermakers have won 10 straight.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) -- A little rest was all Purdue senior Ava Traore needed to overcome a stomach flu.
Traore matched her career-high of 23 points and lead No. 18 Purdue to a 61-59 victory Sunday over No. 7 Ohio State.
The Boilermakers (10-2, 2-0 Big Ten) claimed their sixth consecutive victory after Ohio State's Ashley Allen took a chance at a game-winning 3-pointer as time expired, only to watch it bounce off the rim.
Purdue coach Kristy Curry said Traore didn't practice Saturday after suffering from a stomach flu all week long. But plenty of fluids and rest apparently did the trick.
"I talked to her on the phone [Saturday] and she had a little giggle in her voice and I knew she'd be OK," Curry said.
Traore helped Purdue overcome a nine-point halftime deficit. She had 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field in the second half.
"We just fed off of her," said Purdue guard Sharika Webb, who contributed 10 points and 10 rebounds to the victory.
Purdue trailed 33-24 at halftime after missing eight consecutive shots from the field. Ohio State (9-2, 1-1) took its first lead as Marscilla Packer scored eight consecutive points in an 11-point run. Erin Lawless scored 12 for Purdue.
The Buckeyes shot 50 percent (13-for-26) and limited Purdue to 37.5 percent (9-for-24) shooting from the field in the first half. Ohio State also was 6-for-10 from 3-point range.
Taking the lead
Purdue scored seven consecutive points to start the second half, including six by Traore.
"We knew we had to start the second half like we did the first half," she said.
The Boilermakers had their biggest lead of the half, 54-48, with 7:52 remaining, but Ohio State rallied.
Packer led Ohio State with a career-high 19 points, shooting 5-for-6 from behind the arc.
Jessica Davenport, Ohio State's leading scorer with an 18.4 average, was limited to five field goal attempts and 10 points.
It was Packer, not Allen, whom coach Jim Foster wanted to take the final shot.
"We wanted to get the ball in Packer's hand. She was open. She should have had the ball," said Foster, adding that he believed his team "stopped moving the ball and became too individualistic in the second half."
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.