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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
CANCUN, Mexico (AP) -- Character and experience factored in with
basketball skills Sunday night to help the Purdue Boilermakers
overcome unfamiliar surroundings and a tough opponent.
Behind Katie Douglas' 18 points, No. 4 Purdue beat South
Carolina 68-53 on Sunday.
"It was a character check," Purdue coach Kristy Curry said.
"With about 10 minutes to go, they had a look in their eye that
they were not going to be denied. We showed a lot of character and
heart down the stretch."
The Boilermakers (5-1) won the three-team round robin
tournament, posting a 2-0 record. Purdue beat Montana State 86-61
Saturday night.
Freshman point guard Cherisse Graham gave the Boilermakers a
spark with 15 points and nine rebounds off the bench. Camille
Cooper had 11 of her 12 points in the second half to help the
Boilermakers outscore the Lady Gamecocks 26-8 during the last
11:50.
"Those last 10-11 minutes is how we really play," Graham said.
"It just shows we wanted to win. We started to prove ourselves
once we got into it."
Douglas, the tournament MVP, suffered through a 6-of-15 shooting
night and had six turnovers, but still led Purdue in scoring.
It took the Boilermakers more than a half to get into it,
trailing by as many as eight points in the first half.
But Cooper, who had a poor first half, had four points to help
start a 10-0 Boilermakers run in the second half, and they cruised
from there.
"They were really physical and made us take a step back," said
Cooper, who was 7 of 8 from the line in the second half. "We just
all stepped up, and personally, I knew I had let my team down
because I didn't play very well in the first half."
Graham helped carry the Boilermakers in the first half. The
5-foot-7 guard had nine points, helping Purdue erase an early
deficit and stay close to the Lady Gamecocks (1-3).
South Carolina was led by Anaz Nihan's 14 points, and 12 points
from center Ujhelyi Petra.
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ALSO SEE
Womens College Basketball Scoreboard
Purdue Clubhouse
South Carolina Clubhouse
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