WOMEN'S TOP 25 Friday's game

No. 8 Purdue 65,No. 20 UC Santa Barbara 61
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind -- Shereka Wright and the rest of the Purdue Boilermakers didn't make many shots Friday night against UC Santa Barbara. But Wright made the one they needed -- a 3-pointer with 1:04 to play to that propelled Purdue. "I was telling (teammate) Beth Jones that eventually I have to hit one of these 3s," said Wright who led Purdue with 23 points and nine rebounds, but was 0-for-4 from 3-point range up until then. "That was the lift the team needed." The Gauchos (5-3) took a 58-57 lead with just over two minutes to play on two free throws by Lindsay Taylor. Wright responded with a jumper and then the 3-pointer on consecutive possessions to give Purdue (8-1) a 62-58 lead. The shot helped Purdue overcome horrendous shooting in the first half and being outrebounded 49-37. Kristen Mann led UC Santa Barbara with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Taylor added 17 points and 14 rebounds. The Boilermakers trailed the entire first half thanks to poor shooting. Purdue shot 22 percent -- 7 of 32 -- in falling behind 30-25. Purdue still shot just 31 percent for the game after shooting 32 percent against UCLA in a 58-57 win last week. The Boilermakers scored 14 points off 17 turnovers by the Gauchos and only committed six turnovers themselves. "Turnovers," UC Santa Barbara guard April McDivitt said with a grimace. "That was the difference in the game." Wright's timely shots helped overshadow strong performances by Mann and the 6-foot-8 Taylor, who used an eight-inch height advantage on counterpart Emily Heikes to dominate in the paint. Purdue countered by making 21 of 28 free throws. The Gauchos were 13 of 17 from the line.
-- Associated Press