Utah lost its first round NCAA Tournament game against Purdue, 66-59.
March 23, 2008
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) -- Kalika France and FahKara Malone scored 17 points each, and ninth-seeded Purdue beat No. 8 Utah 66-59 on Sunday night in the first round of the Oklahoma City regional.
Leilani Mitchell had 14 points, nine assists and six rebounds for Utah. Morgan Warburton led the Utes (27-5) with 18 points, and Kalee Whipple added 14 points and nine rebounds.
Danielle Campbell added 14 points for the Boilermakers (19-14).
Purdue had lost four of six before winning three straight in the Big Ten tournament to earn the conference's automatic bid. The Boilermakers improved to 12-3 at home in their first-ever meeting with Utah.
The Boilermakers made 7 of 14 3-pointers to overcome Utah's 35-27 rebounding edge. Purdue shot 54 percent in the second half.
With the score tied at 52, Purdue went on a 6-0 run capped by Campbell's layup with 4:23 left. Natasha Bodganova's 3-pointer with a minute to play gave Purdue a 63-55 advantage, and the Boilermakers weren't challenged from there.
Utah led 17-14 in the first half before Purdue went on an 11-0 run that included four baskets by France to take a 23-17 lead.
Utah responded with a 7-0 run, with all points scored by Warburton, to take a 26-25 lead. The Utes led 29-28 at halftime.
Utah shot 52 percent in the first half while Purdue shot 33 percent.
The game featured 11 ties and 15 lead changes.
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