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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) -- Ayana Walker had seen Louisiana Tech
allow a late-game lead turn into a loss and she wasn't going to let
it happen again.
|  | | Louisiana Tech's Ayana Walker, left, shadows Kelly Komara. |
Walker scored 24 points as Louisiana Tech (No. 9 ESPN/USA Today, No. 11 AP) beat No. 4
Purdue 68-63 Monday to become the first team to win the Preseason
WNIT twice.
The Lady Techsters let a 12-point lead with 4:41 slip away, but
held on for the win.
"We couldn't lose it like that. Our goal was to maintain the
lead," said Walker, who added 10 rebounds and was named
the tournament MVP.
Purdue tied the game at 59 on Camille Cooper's layup with 1:52
left. But Louisiana Tech's Amber Obaze made the front ends of two
trips to the free-throw line for a 61-59 lead, and then hit a
3-pointer on Tech's next possession for a 64-59 lead with a minute
left.
There was not enough time for the Boilermakers to rally again.
The Lady Techsters (4-1) also won the tournament in 1996. Their
only loss this season was 69-66 to Michigan on Nov. 17.
Walker said the key was stopping Katie Douglas. Douglas led
Purdue with 22 points, but scored 13 in the first half. She made
just one field goal and scored 10 points from the line in the
second half.
With the score tied at 40, Walker scored eight points in a 10-0
Louisiana Tech run. She was 2-for-13 in the first half, but made six
of her first 10 shots in the second.
"She played like an All-American," said Purdue coach Kristy
Curry. "She's an impact player for them. She looked great, and you
have to give her a lot of credit."
Obaze scored 16 points and Brooke Lassiter added 12.
The Boilermakers rebounded from that run with one of their own.
Douglas scored six in just less than two minutes. She hit two free
throws that made it 59-57.
Cooper finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds, and Shereka
Wright added 14 points.
Neither team led by more than four points in the first half. The
Boilermakers went on a 7-2 run to take a 32-27 lead at the half.
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ALSO SEE
Womens College Basketball Scoreboard
Louisiana Tech Clubhouse
Purdue Clubhouse
Texas topples Virginia in Preseason WNIT consolation
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