Oklahoma City, OK (My Sportsbook) - Lakisha Freeman netted 18 points and the sixth-seeded Purdue Boilermakers defeated the seventh-seeded Rutgers Scarlet Knights, 67-61, in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament's Oklahoma City Regional at the Ford Center. Freeman went 9-of-12 from the floor and added six boards and five assists for Purdue (25-10), which will meet the winner of the Pittsburgh/Oklahoma matchup in the Elite Eight on Tuesday. Jodi Howell drained 3-of-4 long-range buckets on her way to 15 points, while Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton had 13 points and eight boards. Brittany Ray led Rutgers (21-13) and all scorers with 19 points and five rebounds. Epiphanny Prince checked in with 15 points and three steals, and Khadijah Rushdan posted 11 points. Kia Vaughn recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 boards in the losing effort. Purdue used runs of 15-4 and 12-0 in the first half to open a 40-33 lead at the intermission. The Boilermakers shot 50.0 percent from the floor over the final 20 minutes of play, as they hung on for the six-point win. Purdue is now 8-4 all-time in the Sweet 16, advancing to the Elite Eight for the second time in three years. |
